The Write Start (7 page)

Once children have gotten in touch with the letters, it’s time for them to work on their moves. Their letter moves, of course.

When you first introduce letter movements to children, think big. Gross-motor movements are the easiest for young children to imitate. Children can practice “writing” letters in the air using large, sweeping arm movements. Big movements send big feedback to kids’ brains. This also helps them experience success at learning the movements of writing, by isolating out the fine-motor factor. In other words, children can concentrate on the concept of letter formation, without struggling to control their tiny finger muscles at the same time.

Want another great way to get emerging writers to focus on letter formation? Try writing on them. Yeah, I’m serious. Only skip the ink and use your finger instead. Trace letters in the palms of their hands or on their backs. Once they get the picture, so to speak, write little messages on them, such as “I love you” or “You are cute.”

When it’s time to take it to the next level, combine tactile input with the movements learned to create the ultimate multisensory learning experience. I have found sand to be the perfect medium for providing really powerful feedback for practicing writers. Fill a shallow box or tray with about a half inch of sand, and then show your children how to practice writing their letters.

DIY:
Touchy-Feely Letters

 

When you combine the sights and sounds of letter shapes with tactile and movement input, information travels along an express train to the brain. Showing a child how to trace over sand letters with their finger capitalizes on the multisensory connection.

MATERIALS

 

colored index cards (unlined)

glue

sand

box for storing cards (optional)

HOW-TO

 

1.  “Draw” a letter of the alphabet with glue on an index card. If your child is right-handed, place the letter to the right of center on the card; if your child is left-handed, place it to the left of center. (This allows room for children to stabilize the card with their helper hands while tracing.)

2.  Sprinkle sand over the glue, covering it thoroughly.

3.  Wait two to three minutes, and then shake off excess sand. Let it dry.

4.  When the letter is completely dry, show your children how to trace over it (following the right path) with their fingers, while saying the letter sound out loud.

 

Which letters should you show kids first? The letters of their name (first letter capital, the rest lowercase) are a great place to start. Then, instead of presenting letters in alphabetical order, try progressing from easiest to hardest. The easiest letters to write are made up of straight lines, then come curves, and finally letters with diagonal lines.

Remember, you can also retrace many of these steps with older children who are beginning the process of learning to write in cursive. (I’ve included a
cursive alphabet chart
in the templates section, for future reference). Newbie cursive writers need to master new letter movements, and they will surely benefit from this approach as well. It definitely beats learning penmanship by writing over and over again in a copybook, like they did in the good old days.

Whether letters are manuscript or cursive, multisensory experiences bring them to life for children. Try them, and you’ll see (and feel) what I mean.

Write On

On a final note, I’ll quote my son, who told me emphatically, at the wise old age of four: “You know, things don’t have to be perfect to be just right.” So very true indeed, especially when it comes to learning to write.

In the early stages of writing, it’s much more important to help children learn the right process of forming letters, without focusing too heavily on the product. If my writing wishes could all come true, I would much rather see children learning all the right moves rather than achieving perfect penmanship at the expense of efficient, effective methods that will better serve them down the road.

Writing is “just right” when it flows easily from a child’s hand without excessive effort. Children’s minds should be free to focus on the content of their writing without getting overly bogged down by worrying about mechanics. Good habits learned early are the secret to pointing children in the right direction, writing-wise. And once our young writers are on their way, well, let’s just say they can pretty much write their own ticket to anywhere they want to go.

The Write Stuff

Tools, Materials, and Spaces That Promote Writing

T
O TURN AN IDEA
into reality, a young writer requires only a few simple tools. Like a carpenter who always looks into his toolbox for a hammer and nails, a child needs only the most basic tools—a pencil and paper—to build a story. Add some crayons to young writers’ toolboxes, a handful of colored pencils, maybe a few washable markers, and writers will be geared up for constructing an endless array of bright ideas.

The just-right tools get the job done. Decidedly un-fancy, they seem to pale in comparison to the bells-and-whistles educational toys on the shelves. But don’t be fooled. Even though batteries aren’t included, that small cardboard box of crayons or forty-nine-cent pack of pencils has a power all its own. The less that an “educational” thing does by itself right out of the box, the more children are required to do for themselves. No-frills writing tools are educational in the truest sense of the word, not to mention empowering, and that is, of course, priceless.

Well-equipped young writers are ready for anything. With a natural sense of wonder, newly acquired skills, and good tools at their disposal, they are all set to rise to the occasion. A parent’s role at this stage is easy yet essential. Simply keep a stash of writing tools well-stocked and within reach. And remember, when it comes to useful utensils, you can’t beat the basics. Why? Because children have a wealth of amazing stories inside them already. All they need are a few carefully chosen tools to help them get their ideas out and onto the page.

Tools of the Trade

More than mere school supplies, writing tools are required gear for kids at home too. From pencils to markers, crayons to chalk, these simple tools are a young writer’s self-expression essentials.

Pencils

Seriously underrated in this age of techno gadgetry, the pencil has been the workhorse of both young and established writers for generations. And although it may not be able to send and receive text messages (yet), it gets points for working underwater
and
in outer space, writing fifty thousand words without having to be charged or plugged in, and having its own built-in delete function. All that for about ten cents a pop. Not bad at all.

FYI:
Get the Lead Out

 

Pencil leads are actually lead-free (and always have been). Pencils make marks using graphite, a nontoxic carbon-based substance. Before the discovery of graphite, the ancient Romans used lead to make light marks on parchment, leading them to mistakenly call graphite “black lead” when they found that it made similar yet darker marks.

However, the paint covering pencils can contain trace amounts of lead. Pencils certified by the Pencil Makers Association conform to regulatory standards regarding lead in the paint, so look for the PMA seal when your purchase your pencils. But if you have a pencil biter at home, opt for unpainted pencils, just to be safe.

 

Pencils are a wonderfully forgiving medium for young writers. Like a tiny beacon perched on top, that little eraser reassures, “Don’t worry! Everyone makes mistakes. No problem!”

Pencils are also available in varieties beyond the familiar No. 2. For example, newbie writers might like a softer lead (such as is found in drafting pencils), which makes a darker mark on paper with less effort.

Shape and size can make pencils more comfortable for developing hands to hold. I prefer smaller pencils for new writers. Golf pencils work well, but they don’t have an eraser, which many kids miss. So I usually modify standard pencils by snipping a few inches off the end with pliers before I sharpen them. Triangular-shaped pencils are also worth a try. Some children find them easier to hold because they can put one finger on each of the three sides, making it slightly easier to achieve the sought-after tripod grasp.

For children who crave a little more bling than the basic pencil has to offer, there is a plethora of ways to personalize your pencil. There are pencils with pictures of favorite characters, exciting pencil toppers, pencils with built-in grips, even pencils scented with your child’s favorite flavor. There are “green” pencils made from recycled materials such as newspapers and (yes!) car tires. And, of course, mechanical pencils can dispense leads with a mere click (sharpener not required).

Pens

All kids are eager to try their hand at writing with a pen, because that’s what they see the grown-ups doing. Pens, however, present some unique challenges for children. They need to be held at a precise angle. Only the perfect amount of pressure will result in a mark. The ink smudges (especially if you are a leftie). If children hold the pen at an awkward angle or use a light touch, even for a moment, their writing disappears. How frustrating! Luckily there are plenty of other, more suitable, options.

Crayons

Crayons are an ideal medium for emerging writers because they provide valuable feedback to little hands learning their craft. When children apply light pressure on a crayon they get a fine, faint mark. Firm pressure produces strong, bold strokes. And since every color imaginable is offered in the iconic box of sixty-four, they inspire a full spectrum of self-expression.

Colorful crayons can be like eye candy to children, so, although it’s wonderful to have a full range of colors available, you might not want to offer them all at once. The sheer volume of choices can be overwhelming and may even distract from the task at hand. I tend to present the rainbow of options in a way that is enticing (I like to keep them in a glass jar), and invite kids to choose a few of their favorite colors before they get to work. Then I put the big container aside. That way the choice is all theirs, but they can move on from the decision making and get on with the work of creating.

High-quality beeswax and soy-based crayons are a luxury appreciated by the artistically inclined, but definitely are not essential for writing success. Typical petroleum-based wax crayons are the best choice for prolific young writers; they are a good quality and affordable staple to stock up on.

Another advantage of these crayons is that they are sharpened to a point, which offers better control for more distinct marks. Eventually, as children’s writing improves and they are able to write more words at a smaller size, crayons will no longer be the tool of choice for writing. Yet they will continue to be useful indefinitely, for illustrating all the short stories of childhood.

Colored Pencils

Functionally speaking, colored pencils are actually more closely related to crayons than pencils. Like their waxy cousins, colored pencils are good for early letter-writing practice. They vary considerably in quality, however, so it’s good to test them out to make sure they make a smooth mark without excessive effort.

FYI:
Size Wise

 

If you’re shopping for writing supplies for your children, you may realize you’re getting some mixed messages. Some items, like primary pencils and chubby crayons, are oversized, supposedly easier for small hands to grasp. Other items, like mini markers and colored pencils, are scaled more in proportion to smaller hands. What’s up with that?

For beginning writers, I choose tiny tools for little hands. Oversized utensils can be hard to maneuver, heavy, and difficult to control. Smaller tools encourage the small muscles to do what they’re supposed to do, and put little hands in a position of greater control.

 

There is one important (and apparent) way that colored pencils resemble the graphite variety: their shape. This similarity comes in very handy. You see, every time kids use colored pencils, even if they are using them for activities other than writing, they are reinforcing and refining their pencil grasp. Any creating that incorporates colored pencils therefore supports writing, making them a young writer’s best friend.

Markers

There’s a reason they call them “magic” markers. These aptly named tools are so responsive, kids think they’re just amazing.

Right out of the box they produce consistently colorful print. No matter whether a young writer is self-assured or tentative, bold streaks of color appear with seemingly little effort. They are the great equalizer of writing tools, always responding to both the big and small movements of little hands with vibrant marks.

The downside of markers is they can be high maintenance. But teach your children to care for their markers (constantly replacing caps is a must), and it will soon become habit. And be sure to pluck dried-up markers out of the bunch as soon as you notice them so they don’t dull your kids’ brilliant ideas.

DIY:
Quill Pencils

 

Whimsical quill pencils will tickle any young writer’s fancy. Luckily, they’re super easy to whip up.

MATERIALS

 

colored pencils

colored craft feathers

white glue

embroidery floss

HOW-TO

 

1.  Glue the stem of a colored feather to the top of a colored pencil. Let it dry.

2.  Apply more glue to the top of the pencil. Starting at the top and working your way down, wrap embroidery floss around the pencil until you have covered the bottom of the feather.

3.  Cut the embroidery floss, and fasten the cut end to the pencil with a final drop of glue.

Write and have fun!