Set up a special place at home or in the classroom for children to practice writing. A table and chair of their own, painting in a color of their choice is a great way to individualize that space. In the classroom, designate a section of the room for writing exercises, including a bulletin board, chalkboard and a clothesline for hanging children's finished assignments.
Young children have yet to learn how to control their small motor muscles, which make writing legibly between the lines a possibility. Supplying various writing implements and surfaces help train not only the necessary muscles in their hands and arms, but also help them with hand/eye coordination. Chalk, chunky and skinny crayons, paintbrushes, nontoxic washable markers, thick pencils, colored pencils, and erasable markers are all excellent tools to help preschoolers learn control when writing. For special-needs children, typewriters, computer key boards and Braille materials will be helpful for their specific learning challenges.
Offer children a variety of writing surfaces to pair with appropriate writing implements. Chalkboards, easels, paper with and without lines, and dry-erase boards are all excellent surfaces for children to practice their new writing skills.
As children get used to handling writing materials and controlling their movements, they should be introduced to various exercises and worksheets that help them refine skills. For example, worksheets can combine writing skills along with learning the alphabet, such as alphabet handwriting worksheets, days and months worksheets, numbers worksheets, and colored words spelling worksheets. Each worksheet should have lines to help children continue to learn small motor control, and images of letters, and numbers of articles they must copy to perfect hand/eye control.
In addition to learning their letters, preschool children always need to continue perfecting their small motor abilities and hand/eye coordination. Providing them with exercises to increase handwriting skills is important for continued development. For example, mazes, connect-the-dots and printed story paper can help improve abilities and refine skills.
As children progress in their writing education, they need a variety of papers with lines and no lines so they can practice. Papers encourage independent writing and can be oriented either vertically or horizontally, helping children develop their handwriting skills.