Teaching Writing and Pencil Hold

Young children when they begin to write they face a hardship in holding the pencil. As a parent we will not be able to guide them in a proper way. That's where Maria Montessori brings in hands on approach in young children for it prepares the child's pencil control for writing in several ways.Pre-writing activities designed to prepare the child’s hand for handwriting can be found throughout the entire Montessori classroom.parents can help the children making these activities at home.

Practical Life – Tools
Activities include tonging, tweezing, stringing, and twisting.

Materials: pasta different shapes,tweezers/tongs..two similar containers,and a tray.

Preparation:

• place the bowls in a tray.
• put a handful of pasta in the left side bowl
• place the tweezers/tongs in the middle of the bowl
• bring the work to the floor or to the child size table n chair set
• show the child to transfer the pasta from left to right with the help of tongs
• then back to right to left.
• left to right concept indirectly helps the child prepare for reading and writing.

you can use beans,big beads, etc.Make sure you have an eye on the child so that it doesn't put the things in the nose. these activities surely help the little finger get trained to hold the pencil later.“Little fingers” include the thumb and first two fingers – the same ones that hold a pencil.

Art – Coloring and Painting

When a child started to color or draw most of the parents doesn't appreciate it rather they think that its a scribble.what the parents and the child may not know is, when the child uses art materials for free expression, he is gaining important writing skills. The marks at first appear random, then with maturity, become more controlled and purposeful. Letters, as well as shapes, will start to appear. Lessons in this area focus on the proper use of the various art media, including markers, pencils, chalk, and paintbrushes. Scissors activities also provide pencil control.