This information pertains solely to our practice at Pediatric Building Blocks. 

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How to Prepare a Child for Handwriting

Adequate physical development is very important when children are beginning to write.  There are certain physiological developments that are needed for success in writing.  Components of movement needed span the entire trunk and upper body, not just the fingers and wrist.

Components of Movement Needed for Writing

1. Stable postural muscles (the large muscles of the trunk, abdomen and back.)  The muscles of the abdomen must be as strong as the back muscles.  They need to work with equal strength to maintain the trunk in an erect alignment with gravity.  This provides a stable foundation for the shoulder and arm movements.
2. Adequate trunk balance.  As we move our hands, our trunk muscles are constantly making small adjustments to this movement.  These adjustments allow movement to flow in a smooth precise manner rather than appear labored, choppy, and disorganized.
3. Midline stability.  The muscles all along the spine must be well developed so that movement of the arms across the midline (middle) of the body can occur with the trunk erect or stable.  If there is no midline stability, the trunk will lean in the direction of the arm movement.
4. Stable shoulder musculature.  A hand capable of grasping is of little use if there is no stable base from which it moves. Use of hands begins at the shoulders.
5. Dynamic forearm rotation.  Ease of arm rotation is essential to allow correct positioning and shifting of the wrist for writing.
6. Trunk, shoulder, forearm and wrist movements.  These must form a coordinated whole.
7. Wrist adjustments.  These are essential to maintaining optimal position for writing
8. Subtle feedback from muscles and movement system to monitor movement. This feedback is needed to help establish a memory of past movement experiences.  In order to adjust grasp to the size and the weight of an object, we must have a memory to anticipate the motor planning (movement planning) necessary to accomplish the act.  Our grasp when picking up a 2 lb weight is quite different from that of picking up a paper cup.

As grasp becomes refined we learn to adjust our fingers to the size of the object being picked up.  The infant approaches an object with wide opened fingers, later learning (through the adaptive process) to adjust his fingers to accommodate the size of the object.

9. Precise interplay between opposing muscle groups.  In example, the front (palmer) and back (dorsal) of the hand.  As one group contracts, the opposite group relaxes with precise timing allowing the hand to grip and release.
10. Blending of mobility and stability.  This is gained after a great deal of movement experience.  Stability of hand muscles support well coordinated finger movements (mobility.)
11. Good tactile discrimination.  This is necessary so the child does not have to rely too heavily on visual feedback.

Readiness for writing begins on the playground and the park, not in the classroom. Children need to have many whole body experiences to provide this trunk, shoulder, arm wrist, and ginger control necessary to produce written work comfortably.  Large wooden blocks for construction, wings, slides, climbing, sand play, tricycles, and other wheeled toys are essential to kindergarten classrooms and playgrounds.  They provide the physical activity essential for developing postural stability and upper body strength so critical to reading and writing.

Chalkboard, easel painting, clay, and other standing pre-writing experiences provide the opportunity to use the whole arm instead of just bracing the wrist on the desk while making finger movements. 

Pre-cursors to Writing Letters

To develop pre-writing skills in developmental sequence, a child must practice the following items in order.  Moving down the sequence with mastery of each skill and daily practice of acquired skills leading to the ability to form letters and numbers.

Horizontal Line

Vertical Line

Circular Line

Squares

Plus/Cross

Diagonal Left

Diagonal Right

X's

Waves

Excerpts from the booklet created by Peg Bledsoe, MA, OTR/L/L, FAOTA, BCP. "Journey to the End of the Arm, the Hand"