A preschool writing activity involving sand provides a tactile experience for young children. Pour enough sand in a shallow pan or plastic container so it is about half an inch deep. The kids use a finger to write letters in the sand, then they erase the letters by brushing the sand back into an even layer. This preschool writing activity allows repeated practice without using up several sheets of paper or other resources. It also provides the kids with a more entertaining format for practicing their letters.
Other materials work in a similar manner. Try using salt, rice, shaving cream or whipped topping in the pan. Always supervise the children closely so they don't throw the material or put in in their mouths.
Learning to hold and control a pencil is one of the basic steps in preschool writing skills. If a child can't control his pencil, he won't have much success writing words. Give the preschool kids lots of chances to practice using pencils.
One entertaining and useful method of improving pencil control is by tracing either letters or shapes. Tracing shapes and letters with a pencil helps the kids practice control. It also improves the fine motor skills necessary to write specific letters. Provide worksheets with letters and shapes made of dotted lines. The students trace the dotted lines to complete the shapes. Another option is to provide the kids with tracing paper. They place the tracing paper over a written word or shape and follow it with a pencil.
This writing activity focuses on the shapes of letters, which helps the students as they write. Cut out each letter's shape from sandpaper or other textured materials. The students trace the letters with their fingers, feeling the texture as they go. They can also place a piece of paper on top of the textured letter and color over it with a crayon. The textured letter will appear on the paper. Once the students have traced the letter, have them practice writing it with a pencil or crayon on another sheet of paper.
Strength in the hand is necessary to properly hold and use a pencil. Preschool children often need to develop these hand muscles to write for extended periods of time. There are several activities the kids can do to work the muscles in the hand in preparation for writing.
Cooking uses a lot of activities that involve the hand muscles. Using a whisk, spreading peanut butter and jelly on a sandwich, using measuring spoons and squeezing bottles are all examples. Play Dough also gives kids a chance to build the hand muscles. Squeezing the dough and rolling it out with a rolling pin both help develop muscles in the hands.