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Transcript:

Preparing Children for Pencils

Hi, I am Kathy Moore for About.com Parenting. Long before they are ready to write with a pencil, little kids can benefit from activities that promote increased dexterity in their fingers and hands.

What Skills Contibute to Good Writing

This program will offer specific activities that focus on wrist and finger development, to help your child to build the motor skills they will need to properly hold and use a pencil when they are older.

Pencil Positioning Practice

To write, a child's wrist must be extended slightly. To develop this ability, we play games that encourage our kids to only use their index finger and thumb to grasp things, such as a piece of cloth or dice. Play dough provides a wonderful opportunity for kids to get their fingers moving. Have your child practice making pea-sized balls using only their index finger and thumb.

Grasping Practice

Using tweezers or clothespins to grasp things is a fun way to exercise finger muscles. Have them move cotton balls, or even crumpled up paper from one plate to another.

When playing in the sandbox, encourage your child to fill her hand with as much sand as she can. This will help develop dexterity in the palm.

Seal a plastic bag and practice having your child open and close the bag. This process of using the fingers together is great for building agility in their little hands.

Dexterity Practice for Writing

Practice lacing up things, like stringing large beads or buttons, or yarn through old playing cards. You can use an old shoelace or just put tape on the end of some colored yarn to make it easier to thread.

Squirting spray bottles is another great way to build strength, but it is probably best to practice this outside.

These fun exercises will help children gain the strength and coordination needed to hold a pencil when they are old enough to begin writing. And the more you practice with them, the better they will get.

Thanks for watching. To find out more visit us on the Web at Parenting.About.com.