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Maggie
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| Posted: Aug 19 2008 at 12:10pm | IP Logged
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Hi Everyone,
I have not posted much at all, but I thoroughly enjoy reading posts. Now that I am doing a bit more hsing with my preschooler (we are doing Little Saints), I am looking for more ways to supplement the program.
My preschooler (3.5) is very interested in writing letters...however, I am at a loss as to how to actually "teach" her how to write letters. I have sat down with her a couple times, and I realize that I am speaking a completely new language to her...she wants to write badly, but she is frustrated.
Any ideas?
Thank you!
Maggie
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Maryan
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| Posted: Aug 19 2008 at 1:41pm | IP Logged
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Maggie, I'm certainly not an expert, but if I meet frustration in my kids, then I change medium.
So... if she's having a hard time with a pencil, I switch to writing letters in shaving cream... or rolling them with clay, etc.
I really like Barbara Curtis' books on teaching these skills -- in particular Mommy Teach Me, and Mommy Teach Me to Read found here
I'm sure other people will give their opinions too. 
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Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: Aug 19 2008 at 9:30pm | IP Logged
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I would suggest focusing on the sounds of the letters (giving those names to begin with rather than their actual names) - it will help her sound out words later.
For the writing portion, I have always been a fan of the Montessori style of making the letters out of sandpaper (or stiffened felt or another sensorial texture) glued to stiff boards (card-board or the like) - made fairly large size, she'll trace the letters while saying the sound (you'll show her first and say the sound towards the end of the tracing). She can later trace the letters in a tray (I've used the cardboard cartons that waterbottles come in, or what the store uses to hold cans) filled with cornstarch or sand or whatever you have around. Then when her hand is ready to hold the pencil properly, she'll already know what to do!
But then the question should be asked if you want her to use cursive or print - there are arguments for both and traditions of various sorts supporting both.
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fivenoises
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| Posted: Aug 21 2008 at 2:49pm | IP Logged
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I have a preschooler who is suddenly very desperate to be reading and writing too! At first I starting panicking, thinking about the "right" way to teach these things, wondering if I should buy a curriculum...
Then I remembered to breathe. 
My older two learned reading and writing practically spontaneously and I don't remember how, or if, I helped.
For specific "how to" advice, I would say start with the basic shapes: circles, and straight lines. Think how you make those letters (start at the top, circle letters go counter-clockwise) and go from there. Teach groups of similarly shaped letters together, rather than starting with A and moving to B.
(I am not a Montessori expert but I think they encourage learning the lower-case letters first? And that is how I have tried to help my kids.)
Good luck and have fun!
-Rita
wife to one
mom to three
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Aug 21 2008 at 3:22pm | IP Logged
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remember for little hands... go big. preschoolers often have better control of large movement than small. my oldest wrote her name the first time on a strip of butcher paper with paints and a brush that was at least an inch wide. The letters were probably 6-12 inches tall.
So if you think of doing things with the letters each the size of a piece of printer paper.. fat crayons, fat pencils, draw in sand/salt/baking soda/wet cornstarch finger paints.. coloring pages maybe?
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: Aug 21 2008 at 10:33pm | IP Logged
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Yes on the lower case, because most of what we read and write is lower case!
I personally go back and forth on the big things (crayons and such - I'm all over the big paper!). There is definitely a such thing as too small, but at the same time, my son is only now coordinating the use of a thick-ish marker, whereas he could "write" with a colored pencil properly at age 2 and I've seen it with so many of the children I used to have in my daycare. I got the impression it's because they weren't holding the tool properly when it was so thick - they had to wrap their entire hand around it instead of holding it with their short fingers... but then, we also had other exercises that (I didn't even know then) helped with coordinating the use of the fingers in a writing grip.
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hereinantwerp
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| Posted: Aug 21 2008 at 11:45pm | IP Logged
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I remember my ds's preschool teacher (back when I did that ) telling me to have him just make C's. Lots and lots of c's.
Tracing in sand or cornmeal on a tray is fun, too.
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Angela Nelson
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mooreboyz
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| Posted: Aug 22 2008 at 7:51pm | IP Logged
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Couple things...
show him how to write the letter with his finger first...in shaving cream, tracing puzzle letters, in sand (very fun)
do some tracing stencil work or tracing dotted lines (horizontal, vertical, zig zags)
do some making shapes work like circles (make dotted things for him to trace)
then move to markers or chalk on the sidewalk
handwriting without tears starts with making "magic C" which I think is a cool concept because several letters start be making the "magic c" first
Also, help him build his hand/finger muscles with other activities like scissor cutting, beading, work with playdough.
I've learned over the years that they need this prep work to make nice writing.
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Jackie
7 boys - 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 15, 17 years
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blairb4
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| Posted: Aug 22 2008 at 10:27pm | IP Logged
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We've been really happy with Handwriting Without Tears. My 5yo did the K one last year (age 4) and is now doing the 1st grade book. My 3yo is working on the preschool one every now and then. I like the way they start teaching letters on a little rectangle, so they have an exact space in which to write. Hard to explain, but I think it's a great program for teaching letters. Of course, along with all the other recommended hands-on activities :)
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Blair in Texas
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4Real Forums : Language Arts Come Alive
Topic: Teaching handwriting to preschooler
