Integrating Handwriting Practice Into Your Everyday Activities

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We know your days are hectic and adding in handwriting practice can be very hard.  Try to use a few of these ideas during your everyday activities:

  • While you are fixing dinner have your child help you by picking out a word or letter from the recipe or ingredient list to write.
  • During a commercial break from their favorite show, have the child write a word or letter from the show or commercial they are watching.
  • During bath time have your child write words or letters in soap or shaving cream.
  • Keep a white board with washable dry erase markers or window crayons in the car. At each red light they can try to write as many words or letters as they can before the light turns green.
  • While your child is playing outside have them practice writing with sidewalk chalk. Make it a fun game!
    • Have them race down the end of the driveway and write a letter or word then race back. You can time them to see how fast they can go.
    • Have a scavenger hunt. Have them write down one item you need to go find.  Then you write a word of something they need to find  (grey rock, small leaf, grass, flower, etc).
    • Make a road with a few pit stops along the way.  At each pit stop have a letter or word written on the concrete. Have them ride their bike to the “pit stop” and write the word or letter that they find.

10 Ideas To Make Handwriting Practice Fun!

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Handwriting is not always the first activity that your child will ask to do when playing at home, but here are a few ways the make handwriting practice a little more fun for your kids.  Remember to have fun and encourage proper letter formation, but any practice is beneficial!

1.    Sand

Put colored sand in a cookie sheet or small container, it is nice if the container has a lid so you can keep it for more practice later.  Have your child write letters or words in the sand using their finger or an unsharpened pencil.

http://oneextradegree.blogspot.com/2011/08/word-work-center-etc.html

Colored Sand

2.    Sand paper

Have your child write using a crayon on paper placed over sand paper. Sometimes just writing on a bumpy texture makes it more fun.

3.    Paint in a baggy

Fill a freezer sized zip-lock bag with paint and tape the top closed .  Have your child use q-tips to write words or letters in the paint. http://lets-explore.net/blog/2009/10/paint-bag-writing/

Paint In A Baggy

4.    Shaving cream

Spray shaving cream on a table or cookie sheet for your child to write words or letters using their finger ( Be careful of spraying shaving cream on wood surfaces! Sometimes the shaving cream can take off the finish!)

5.    Rainbow writing

Have a child trace a word or letter with all the different colors of the rainbow.
http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2012/02/rainbowing-colorful-handwriting-practice.html

Rainbow Writing

6.    I-spy bottle

Fill an empty water bottle with rice or beans and small words or small silly objects (buttons, marbles, small plastic toys, beads, etc) Have your child shake the bottle to try to find all the objects. They can write down the objects that they find.  http://www.meetthedubiens.com/2010/11/i-spy-bottles.html

I-Spy Bottle

7.    Sidewalk chalk

Play outside and write words or letters with chalk.

8.    Write with something silly

Have kids write using something other than a pencil or crayon. They can use a q-tip dipped in Kool-aid or paint, a feather dipped in paint, something they find in the kitchen like a sponge or the end of a fork or spoon.  Let them get creative and choose something around the house to write with!

9.    Flashlight writing

Have your child practice writing letters using a flashlight on the wall of a dark room.

10.    Write in clay or playdough

http://nurturestore.co.uk/autumn-play-planner-play-ideas-for-every-day