Is your kid ready to start learning how to write letters? This is a question that far too few daycares, preschools, and kindergarten classrooms ask. Instead, they are beginning to teach letter writing to younger and younger children. But the fact is that there is a learning curve to writing. We reject children's natural, developmentally appropriate route when we begin teaching them to write at such a young age. As a result, they frequently develop undesirable habits and terrible handwriting.
Beginning the quest
Most toddlers discover crayons around the age of 18 months. They hold them in a fist and doodle with large motions that entail moving the entire arm. When parents realize their child has scrawled on everything they possess, they are frequently overjoyed. Children of this age doodle only for the sake of putting markings on objects. They are unconcerned with the result of their "art." There are other methods to assist kids to acquire fine motor skills than to give them crayons that they aren't yet ready to use. Almost all age-appropriate toys that a kid may play with at this age can help them acquire the necessary motor control. For youngsters at this age, grasping and handling a spoon is more significant than grasping and manipulating a crayon.
Building Control
Around the ages of 2-2 1/2, kids begin to experiment with how to hold the crayon. They practice a palmar hold by placing their fingertips on the crayon. They might be able to draw a line and scribble in circles. At this age, children must continue to improve their finger control and hand strength. Playing with toy cars and blocks is a fantastic example of this. Furthermore, activities such as finger painting teach kids to use only one finger at a time, which prepares them for a more mature grip.
Children acquire a five-fingered grip at the age of three or four. The kid places their thumb and all of their fingertips on the crayon or pencil in this hold. Because there are so many fingertips on the crayon, the youngster has more control over it. At this time, the youngster may be able to imitate drawing a circle and more controlled vertical and horizontal lines. When encouraged, they may produce art with thought and attempt to depict simple people and things.
If handwriting is introduced at this age, the kid may get fixated on this grip pattern and be unable to shift to the more mature tripod hold. Therefore, we at Junior DPS, the best preschool franchise in India do not introduce writing to kids at this point of age but rather encourage them to paint, to help them acquire a more adult grasp.
Creating a Mature Grasp
Around the age of 5-6, youngsters are ready to have a mature grip for writing. In general, we advise children to utilize a tripod grip, with the thumb and first two fingers on the pencil. With the wrist, the ring and pinky fingers curl in and rest on the paper. Other mature gasps exist, but the tripod is the most often taught. To foster this mature grip pattern and strengthen the fingers, give youngsters extremely short crayons, chalk, or rock crayons that aren't big enough to fit all four fingers on.
At this time, we at Junior DPS, India's leading playschool, introduce writing to kids so that they may develop a mature grip.
When demonstrated how to draw a triangle and a square, kids can replicate and repeat that ability. Instead of scribbles, they should be able to color with control, cut with scissors, and create images of identifiable things. When a kid can accomplish all of these things, he or she is typically ready to begin learning to write letters and numbers.
Investing in the Process
Some children go through these phases more swiftly than others. Because these talents develop differently in each kid, the age ranges shown above are fairly broad. If you are homeschooling and can determine your own pace for teaching writing, it is critical to prioritize your child's development and teach writing when they are ready.
Children with developmental disabilities progress through these phases at a substantially slower rate. Given enough time and support, they can still move through the stages. Writing for them might happen much later. However, if we bear in mind the steps they must go through, they will be able to get there as well. Providing them with several opportunities to improve their grip and hand strength will allow them to eventually be able to write as well as their classmates.
Junior DPS is working toward a vision of creating an ecosystem that supports child development. Teachers at Junior DPS assist students in progressing through these levels effectively. Instead of asking three and four-year-olds to write, we try to help them establish strong gross and fine motor control via activities like painting and playing with play dough, and we save the writing for later.