What are Pre-Writing Skills?
Pre-writing skills or handwriting readiness involves practicing writing different shapes and fine motor skill development. Children move along a progression of learning how to make marks on paper. At first, children begin to scribble on paper. Then children learn to make marks on paper along a timeline starting at around 2 years of age:
- vertical lines
- horizontal lines
- circle
- plus sign
- square
- diagonal lines
- X
- triangle (about 5 years+)
Pre-writing skills are the fundamental skills children need to develop before they are able to write. These skills contribute to the child's ability to hold and use a pencil, and the ability to draw, write, copy, and colour.
Why are Pre-Writing Skills Important?
Pre-writing skills are the building blocks for efficient handwriting. Research indicates the following:
- early fine motor writing skills are an important school readiness skill associated with later academic success.
- writing by hand in the early years helps to support the development of reading skills.
- kindergartner’s visual-motor integration skills predict achievement in reading, math, writing and spelling.