8 Ways To Initiate Writing In Your Toddler

Learning to write is a part of fine motor development, which involves your child’s finger and hand’s fine muscles. The way your child will draw, paint and scribble are going to be completely his/her individualistic style. You as a facilitator can only guide him/her and provide multiple opportunities to expand the creativity.

Read on more to find out some ways in which you can support your child’s development of writing skills and make it fun by adding some textures, activities, and equipment to it.

8 Ways To Initiate Writing In Your Toddler

Here are 8 ways through which you can initiate writing in your toddler.

1. Scribbles and strokes: Provide ample opportunities for your child’s little hands to open their fingers and make large muscle movements. One of the things they would almost always do is begin scribbling anywhere and everywhere. A lot of times the walls of the house become the victim. You can put chart papers on the walls temporarily and instead of every time stopping your child, encourage him/her to play around with colors.
2. Variety of tools and equipment: You can introduce a variety of tools and textures to your child. Have a different kind of colors – oil pastels, thick and thin crayons, colors with fragrance, watercolors etc. Try keeping one permanent clipboard and blackboard in your house and loose rough sheets. When your child will see the equipment and material ready to write, he/she will have opportunities to freely explore his/her writing skills.
3. Make writing fun: Writing is not just about writing alphabets and numbers; it is more about exploring strokes with a free hand. Don’t just stick to traditional methods; make it fun by offering experiences like writing in shaving cream, window glass on a foggy morning or rainy day, in snow or in the sand on a beachside
4. Capture and celebrate the writing pieces: Whenever your child makes a drawing or makes some brilliant strokes, capture them on your camera or display them as it is. Keep one corner of the house dedicated to this, possibly a place where everyone walking in can see. It will encourage your child and take pride in his/her work
5. Keep some traditions alive: I remember when we were children, there were no smartphones, what’s an app, Facebook, emails etc. We used to make cards or simple drawings on sheets to wish our parents, teachers or grandparents a happy birthday. Today children as young as 2 years old are hooked on to gadgets and are proficient in exploring its features. Encourage their creativity by asking them to make cards or drawings on paper instead of gadgets
6. Out of the box: Don’t restrict your little champions imagination and artistic frame of mind to drawings shapes or writing letters in a particular manner only. The way a certain shape needs to be drawn or a letter needs to write is something they will anyway learn once they enter the world of formal academics. Till the time they are not burdened by the books, let your child write or draw the way he/she wishes to. Try not making it a teaching session every time
7. Keep a tray of salt handy at home: Let your toddler draw shapes or alphabets on this tray and see the happy glow on his or her face. Don’t restrict your toddler, instead encourage him or her to use fingers and hands to make spaces
8. Slates and magnetic slates: I remember when we young, we were given a black slate and thin chalks to write and draw with. You can do the same for your toddler. In fact, these days there are magnetic slates that have a pencil that writes on the whiteboard of a slate and the patterns can easily be deleted with a help of a slider

With these above 8 ways that will help your child to get started in writing, we hope that you will not restrict your toddler to scribble anywhere and everywhere and will take pride in his or her scribblings.

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