Before children are ready to pick up a pencil, they need to develop strong, flexible fingers and hands. In Nursery, we give children lots of fun activities that prepare them for later on.
- Spraying bottles- children love squirting water outside. This helps strengthening their hands and wrists, ready to hold a pencil.
- Using pipettes and droppers- carefully squeezing water from a pipette, builds finger control, an important step towards neat writing.
- Threading beads or pasta onto string- this activity encourages concentration and helps the children practice the pincer grip they will need for drawing and writing.
- Playdough fun- squashing, rolling and pinching playdough strengthen muscles and develops coordination.
All of these playful activites are small steps for preparing children making marks, drawing shapes and eventually writing letters with confidence.
