I could go on and on about all the ways your child is preparing for writing as they play, but I will sum it up briefly for you. A child begins preparing for writing when they are an infant. When they are able to roll over, they are using their core muscles. Core muscles are…well, for lack of a better word, at the core of handwriting. Our bodies develop from the inside out. So, first the core muscles must be strong and coordinated, then the shoulders and back, then the biceps, then the forearms and then, and only then, can we expect a child to be strong and coordinated with a crayon in hand. Handwriting does NOT begin when we place a writing tool in a child’s hand. It begins at infancy.

writing at Kaleidoscope looks like playing with the parachute, climbing up the slide, standing on our hands, pulling bags or boxes full of heavy pumpkins, playing with shaving cream, dumping and pouring, scooping and shoveling, painting, coloring, scribbling and yes…writing their names, as well as words of interest to them and lots and lots of pretend writing. All of these things lead to success in writing.