Writing is one of the basic skiIls every human being needs in their daily life. With the increased use of gadgets there is a reluctance to write and as a result kids tend to have illegible letter formation. It is important to write with hand rather than use a digital medium because it improves clarity of thought and increases flow of creativity. It creates a deeper impression in our brain and improves our memory as well.
Like every important life skill, it is best to work on handwriting improvement from an early age. Exposing kids to fun activities which develops their cognitive thinking helps them pick by the art of good script formation in a play way method and stays with them for life. At Aloha Gujarat every center has experts making an effort to create an environment for naturally improving the handwriting of a child.
Good handwriting means proper formation of alphabets and numbers, proper spacing between words, uniform sizing of characters and finally good speed. All this can be taught and improved in the following fun ways:
Activities for your preschoolers and toddlers -
Fine Motor Activities
Fine motor means developing the tiny muscles of the fingers and wrist which is needed for a proper grip, and improving hand eye coordination. These are basic skills needed before one can write. Playing with clay, putting beads in a thread, squeezing water out of a sponge or simply putting cloth pegs around a sheet of paper, are some of the fun ways in which you can strengthen the muscles of the child.
Painting
Kids love colour, and they enjoy getting messy. Why not combine the two and help them improve their skills. Create flashcards of alphabets and numbers, cover them with tracing paper and ask your child to trace it with a paint brush. You can increase the skill level by making flashcards of small words.
Sand or Salt Trays
This is another fun way in which you can encourage your child to write. Take a shallow tray and fill it with sieved sand or salt. Ask the child to draw out alphabets and numbers with their finger or pencil and slowly progress to small words.
Experiment with Mediums
Do not restrict writing to pen and pencil alone. Let the child use any medium of their choosing like crayon, sketch pen, brush pens or even dipping their fingers into paint. This way they will be more interested in practicing various writing techniques.
Tracing Wooden Planks
Montessori based wooden planks with engraved up and down curves, pointy peaks, slanting and straight lines are another reusable and fun way to make the child practice the correct strokes needed to form alphabets.
Curves and Strokes Tracing Car Path
On a big chart paper draw curves and zig zag lines. Ask your child to drive their favourite toy car on the "roads" and watch how a fun game becomes another way to improve their wrist movement.
Once the child picks up basic writing skills the next step is to give them regular practice.
Fun activities for your primary schoolers to encourage them to write more -
Make up Words
Kids have unlimited imagination and they love to make up things. Ask them to create their own words, give each of them a meaning and list them down to create their own dictionary. Next you can ask them to make sentences with their words. The sense of pride they will feel in achieving this will encourage them to write more.
Coded Message
Make codes using symbols where each symbol represents an alphabet or number. Create a message using them. Ask your child to decipher the code and write down the message given by you. Without even realising it, they will be working on writing more often.
Describe Pictures
Give your child pictures from their favourite cartoon or superhero movies and ask them to describe them in as many words as they can. They can add to it by writing what happens next, and voila they are improving their writing and vocabulary both at the same time.
Scribbling with Sidewalk Chalks
Take learning outdoors. Kids are more receptive to taking instructions out in the open where they feel more carefree. Give them chalks of various colours and thickness and allow them to scribble to their hearts content.
Using these simple activities are an easy and convenient way in which you can make the child improve themselves without feeling the burden of doing extra work. When the child learns something in a play way method they are more open to experimenting and willing to give it more time. These home based learning can be supplemented by sending kids to handwriting improvement classes. We at Aloha have researched and developed new courses to improve children's handwriting which does not tax or burden the child making them more willing to adopt the methods taught here. Sign up for a course today and help your child write better.
