Meaning Matters

Written by Lauren Mitsis

It’s amazing to watch the growth from scribbles to drawings to writing. A fascinating journey!

What can you do to help this development?

Seize the opportunity!

My student shared that he felt cheated by his oatmeal. He was so passionate when he described his disappointment about his oatmeal having much smaller strawberries within the packet than shown on the box’s picture. So I seized the opportunity to have him write. He wrote a persuasive (and threatening!) letter to the food company explaining that they were “false advertising” and he would “call a judge or police officer if they did not change their picture or the strawberries.”

• Let students see you and others writing
• Create inviting space within the classroom or home that contains fun and cozy writing spots
• Invite the students to participate in purposeful activities (thank you cards, invitations, lists, labels for the classroom or home to help organize)

    Scribbles

 Drawing

  Writing

 So what comes before "writing?"

Building hand strength

• Mold playdough and clay - enjoy sculpting, mixing colors, rolling snakes, rolling balls using the pointer, middle, and thumb fingers
• Play finger games – tap each finger to the thumb and then tap each finger again in the reverse order; finger songs like “Open Shut Them” or “Where is Thumbkin?”
• Use tongs - pick up different items using tongs. Have a relay race (cotton balls, crayons, legos) to fill a bucket with your items
• Tear paper, staple, punch holes using a hole punch
• Wring out sponges
• String beads, sew yarn through cards

Searching for Surfaces

• Chalkboards, white boards, interactive white boards, ipads, iphones
• Clip boards with a book under one end so it becomes a slanted surface. Or you could turn a 3 inch binder sideways so the bound part is farthest from you and the open ends are closest. It becomes a slanted surface to write upon.
• Tray or 13 x 9 pan filled with sand or rice. Draw with your fingers and shake to erase
• Rolls of paper or large pieces of paper taped to a wall. Recycle old boxes for decorating, drawing, or writing.
• Driveways / sidewalks (Be safe! Block the end of the driveway so cars cannot enter)

Variety

 My students are always more eager and motivated to draw and write when they have “new” materials to use. What do you have available at home or in the classroom to inspire drawing and writing?

Using Tools:

• Chalk, crayons, colored pencils, window markers
• Paint using paintbrushes, fingers, Q tips, or cotton balls
• Bendaroos or wikki stix allow you to make designs and creations
• Sponges on chalkboards
• Magnadoodles, aquadoodles, etch-a-sketch
• Stamps 

 Some resources for parents:

- Brain Gym

- Therapro

- How to Build an A 

Some resources for teachers:

- Handwriting without Tears

- Brain Gym

- Therapro

What is your favorite resource?