How to foster early writing skills and confidence

1. How to foster early writing skills and confidence Narelle Lancaster Occupational Therapist LOTS for Children cnande@tpg.com.au 0408 868 837

2. We now expect a 4 year old child to do what was once expected at 6 years of age

3. Today we will discuss:

4. Why play based?

5. Sensory Motor VS Visual Motor

6. There is more neurological activity when young children are engaged in multi-sensory activities compared to predominantly visual motor activities

7. Letter by letter A child learns more effectively by tracing, copying and then writing their name – LETTER by LETTER

8. If children cannot do this …

9. Each new letter proposes a new motor sequence. That is 52 new motor sequences to learn.

10. What if we can reduce that to combinations of 5 new motor actions?

11. Waking up children’s proprioceptive systems

12. What is the single primary goal of the activity?

13. If the child doesn’t experience success after practicing one method … change by simplifying or modifying the task.

14. Development of Writing Pre-Cursors How do we get from this to this?

15. By three years of age … • Refined pincer grip • Good bilateral integration and orientation to their midline • Use a static quadrupod pencil grasp • Have good manipulation skills • Copy a horizontal and vertical line, and a circle and copy a cross. • Draw a person with a head and 1 or 2 other features • Can copy basic whole body and arm actions to songs.

16. By four years of age … • Draws a person with head, face, legs and arms • Uses tripod grasp either static or dynamic • Copy a cross and imitate a zigzag line • Colour in targeting a boundary • Usually have a hand preference • Can imitate simple hand actions to songs

17. By five years of age … • Have good pencil control for writing and colouring • Can copy +, X, angular lines and squares • Uses a dynamic tripod grasp • Has clear hand dominance • Draws people in action with other basic depictions

18. By six or seven years of age … • Sophisticated tool use • Emerging in hand manipulation and pencil pressure allowing pencil flow and speed to emerge • Smaller symbol reproduction • Able to draw detailed, elaborate drawings depicting scenarios • Accurately forming letters and symbols • Cognitive conceptual and visual spatial elements of writing emerging • Good visual tracking, localising and switching

21. Adapted Peggy Lego Directionalities and rhymes, and associated letter formations . “Tall man, tall man, starts at the top, pulls down to the bottom and stops.” (l i t j f) “Sideways, sideways to the magic land” (f t and visual scanning across the page) “Starts with a click, up and around” (c o a d g q e s) “Up and over” (n m h r k p) “Down and under” (u v w b y)

22. Classroom expectations 3K Gross motor and sensory motor learning of the directionalities and rhymes 4K Gross motor and sensory motor learning of the directionalities and rhymes Basic craft/ paper based practice Utilise in prompting for drawing Exposure to correct letter formations in a play based manner (commences motor mapping for correct formations whilst nurturing early writing confidence and interest.) Name writing. Remember trace, copy, write – letter by letter. Consider cut our name tracers to trace and paste onto work rather than attempting to write name too early. PP Paper based craft practice Use a sensory motor reinforcer immediately before visual motor practice (tracing, then copying letters on paper.)

23. Peggy Lego 4K Classroom Session Samples • “Tall man and Sideways” Sample A • Water painting on fence/ wall • Wheelbarrow walks, pegging onto clothesline • Sensory motor letter stations - ltijf • -marble roller letters • -tactile letters • -car/ road letters • -rice tray letters • “Tall man and Sideways” Sample B • Running fingers down each others backs/ bodies • Blindfolded playdough treasures • Sensory motor letter stations - ltijf • -shaving cream letters • -sandpaper letters • -torch letters • -WikkiStix trace • For PP add in related craft task, and paper based letter formation practice after sensory reinforcer practice.

24. Moving on from Peggy Lego Remember: Formalising too soon may cause regression.