10 Fun Writing Activities for Kids to Improve Handwriting Skills
Writing is one of the basic skills every human being needs in their daily life. However, with the increased use of gadgets, kids are reluctant to write by hand and as a result, they tend to develop illegible handwriting. Therefore, it is important to inculcate fun writing activities in kids to improve their habit of writing by hand rather than using the digital medium. This not only improves the clarity of thought but also increases the kids' flow of creativity. It creates a deeper impression in their brains and helps to improve their memory.
Like every important life skill, it is best to improve handwriting skills from an early age. Exposing kids to fun writing activities that develop their cognitive thinking can help them pick the art of good script formation and master it in a playful way which stays with them for life. At our Brainy Write Smart programme, we have experts dedicated solely to creating an environment for your kids to improve handwriting skills naturally.
Good handwriting helps your kid pave the way to good scores in academics as it involves the proper formation of alphabets and numbers, proper spacing between words, uniform sizing of characters and finally good writing speed. All of these can be taught and improved through the following fun activities:
Fun Writing Activities for Your Preschoolers and Toddlers to Improve Handwriting Skills -
Fine Motor Activities
Fine motor skills mean developing the tiny muscles of the fingers and wrist which are needed for a proper grip, and improving hand-eye coordination. These are basic skills needed before your kid can write.
Playing with clay, putting beads in a thread, squeezing water out of a sponge or simply putting cloth pegs around a sheet of paper, are some of the fun ways in which you can strengthen the muscles of the child.
Painting
Kids love vibrant colours, and they enjoy getting messy. Why not combine these two to help them improve their handwriting skills?
Create flashcards of alphabets and numbers, cover them with tracing paper and ask your child to trace them with a paintbrush. You can increase your kid’s skill level by making flashcards of small words.
Sand or Salt Trays
This is another fun way in which you can encourage your child to write. Take a shallow tray and fill it with sieved sand or salt. Then, ask your child to draw out alphabets and numbers with their finger or pencil. Once comfortable with the alphabet and numbers, slowly progress to creating small words.
Experiment with Mediums
Do not restrict writing to pen and pencil alone. Let the child use any medium of their choice like crayons, sketch pens, or brush pens. For instance, you can even let them dip their fingers into paint to write. In this way, kids will be more interested in practising various writing techniques which will help them improve their handwriting skills in the long term.
Tracing Wooden Planks
Another reusable and fun way to make your child practice good handwriting is through the use of Montessori-based wooden planks. They are usually engraved with up and down curves, pointy peaks, slanting and straight lines which help kids to practise the correct strokes needed to form alphabets.
Curves and Strokes Tracing Car Path
On a big chart paper draw curves and zig zag lines. Ask your child to drive their favourite toy car on the "roads" and watch how a fun game becomes another way to improve their wrist movement.
Once the child picks up basic writing skills the next step is to give them regular practice.
Fun Activities for Your Primary Schoolers to Encourage Them to Write More -
Make up Words
Kids have unlimited imagination and they love to invent or discover things. Ask them to create their own words, give each of them a meaning and list them down to create their own dictionary.
Next, you can ask them to make sentences with their words. The sense of pride they will feel in forming the sentences will encourage them to write more.
Coded Message
Another fun writing activity for kids to improve handwriting skills is through coded messages. You can make codes using symbols where each symbol represents an alphabet or number. Create a message using them.
And, ask your child to decipher the code to write down the message given by you. Without even realising it, they will be working on writing actively.
Describe Pictures
Give your child pictures from their favourite cartoon or superhero movies and ask them to describe them in as many words as they can. They can add to it by writing what happens next, and voila they are improving their writing and vocabulary - both at the same time.
Scribbling with Sidewalk Chalks
Take learning outdoors. Kids are more receptive to taking instructions out in the open where they feel more carefree. Give them chalks of various colours and thicknesses and allow them to scribble to their heart's content.
Scribble to Script: Watch How These Fun Activities Improve Handwriting Skills of Your Kid
Using these simple activities is an easy and convenient way in which you can make the children improve themselves without feeling the burden of doing extra work. When the child learns something in a play way method they are more open to experimenting and willing to give it more time. These home-based learnings can be supplemented by sending kids to handwriting improvement classes. We at Brainy, have researched and developed courses to improve children's handwriting which does not tax or burden the child. In fact, our courses make them more receptive to adopting the methods taught here. So sign up for our course today and help your child write better.