Occupational Therapy - Fine Motor Skills

Occupational Therapy -> Fine Motor Skills -> Pre-writing / Copying / Drawing

Pre-writing / Copying / Drawing

Pre-Writing skills involve a child tracing and forming proper strokes (horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines). Success with tracing and pre-writing skills can have a positive effect on handwriting abilities, as tracing lines are the prerequisite to letter formation. Pre-writing skills are the fundamental skills children need to develop before they are able to write. These skills contribute to the child’s ability to hold and use a pencil, and the ability to draw, write, copy, and colour. A major component of pre-writing skills are the pre-writing shapes. These are the pencil strokes that most letters, numbers and early drawings are comprised of. They are typically mastered in sequential order, and to an age specific level. These strokes include the following strokes: |, —, O, +, /, square, X, and Δ.

Reference links

Pre-Writing Skills/Strokes | Handwriting 1
www.toolstogrowot.com
Author: Tools to Grow - Handwriting is a complex process of recording language by hand, often by using paper and a pen or pencil. The production of legible and efficient handwriting requires intact skills in the areas of postural control, eye hand coordination, visual perception, fine motor control, ocular control, and pencil grasp. A child’s handwriting abilities have significant influence on their academic performance.
Handwriting: A Matter of Affairs 2
files.eric.ed.gov
Author: Iman M. M. Muwafaq Al-Ghabra, English Department, College of Education For Women, Baghdad University, Baghdad - Mangen and Velay (2010) state that in handwriting, visual attention strongly focuses on the movement of the hand, while in typing, the visual attention scatters between hitting the keyboard and watching the screen. Thus, tracing letters is important for children to improve their writing because they can focus only on drawing letters. Hence, handwriting is better for students than typing to gain more information; Alleyene confirms this (2011). In his article, Alleyne states that handwriting lets the information stick in the brain rather than typing; writing the piece of information is like imprinting it in the brain. In addition, FYI Health Writer (2011) states that since handwriting requires using motor skills which take some time to copy letters, this process helps children to develop their learning and cognition.
Effectiveness of a 10-Week Tier-1 Response to Intervention Program In Improving Fine Motor and Visual–Motor Skills In General Education Kindergarten Students 2
research.aota.org
Author: Ohl, Graze, Weber, Kenny, Salvatore, & Wagreich - Tier 1 RtI approach to be effective in improving the fine motor and visual–motor skills of kindergarten children at the beginning of the school year. Occupational therapy practitioners have a beneficial role in contributing effective Tier 1 strategy and practices that support the needs of students in the classroom environment. Short-term interventions can have a significant effect on the fine motor and visual–motor integration skills required for handwriting readiness. Collaboration provides teachers with skills and tools they can use in the future with or without the occupational therapy practitioner present Citation: Alisha M. Ohl, Hollie Graze, Karen Weber, Sabrina Kenny, Christie Salvatore, Sarah Wagreich; Effectiveness of a 10-Week Tier-1 Response to Intervention Program in Improving Fine Motor and Visual–Motor Skills in General Education Kindergarten Students. Am J Occup Ther September/October 2013, Vol. 67(5), 507–514. doi: https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2013.008110
Handwriting Development, Competency, and Intervention 0
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Author: Feder, & Majnemer - Handwriting difficulties may be the result of intrinsic factors such as poor component skills, extrinsic considerations such as academic environment and biomechanics. Developmental Stages of Handwriting: Scribbling Imitating vertical strokes (age 2y) Imitating horizontal strokes (age 2y 6mo) Imitating circles (age 3y). Imitating and copying a cross (age 4y) Copying square (5) Copying triangle (5y 6mo) Quality Development: Quickly (grade 1 6–7y) and plateau (grade 2 7–8y). Automatic, organized, tool for idea development (grade 3 8-9y) Speed of writing is somewhat linear Handwriting measures: Letter formation, spacing, size, slant, and/or alignment, speed, Citation: Feder, & Majnemer, A. (2007). Handwriting development, competency, and intervention. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 49(4), 312–317. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8749.2007.00312.x
The Impact of An Occupational Therapy–Based Handwriting Program For a Preschool Student 0
watermark.silverchair.com
Author: Breanna Taylor, Hailey Speight, Margaret McKinney, Elizabeth Carter, Lesly James, Denise Donica - Population: Pre K Results: Improvements in letter formation and posture. Learning the structure of each letter and how to increase fine motor abilities. Implication: A structured, occupational therapy led handwriting program with ongoing collaboration and coaching maximizes student performance Citation: Breanna Taylor, Hailey Speight, Margaret McKinney, Elizabeth Carter, Lesly James, Denise Donica; The Impact of an Occupational Therapy–Based Handwriting Program for a Preschool Student. Am J Occup Ther August 2020, Vol. 74(4_Supplement_1), 7411515453p1. doi: https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S1-PO9130
The Importance of Cursive Handwriting Over Typewriting For Learning In the Classroom: A High-Density EEG Study of 12-Year-Old Children and Young Adults 1
www.frontiersin.org
Author: Eva Ose Askvik, F. R. (Ruud) Van Der Weel and Audrey L. H. Van Der Meer* - In a recent EEG study, Van der Meer and Van der Weel (2017) found that drawing by hand activated larger networks in the brain compared to typewriting and concluded that the involvement of fine hand movements in note-taking, as opposed to simply pressing a key on a keyboard, may be more beneficial for learning, especially when encoding new information.
Writing Readiness (Pre-Writing) Skills 0
childdevelopment.com.au
Author: Kid Sense Child Development - What are writing readiness (pre-writing) skills? Pre-writing skills are the fundamental skills children need to develop before they are able to write.

Activity List(s)

Visual Schedule Cards

Goal Bank

Peter will trace a horizontal line without modeling 2 out of 3 times by March 5, 2023 to enhance handwriting ability. 0
Peter will trace a triangle without demonstration 2 out of 3 times by March 5, 2023 to enhance handwriting ability. 0
Peter will trace a vertical line without demonstration 3 out of 5 times by March 5, 2023 to enhance handwriting ability. 0
Peter will trace a diagonal line without modeling 2 out of 3 times by March 5, 2023 to enhance handwriting ability. 0
Peter will trace a square without demonstration 2 out of 3 times by March 5, 2023 to enhance handwriting ability. 0
Peter will trace a circle without demonstration 2 out of 3 times by March 5, 2023 to enhance handwriting ability. 0
To demonstrate improved shoulder range of motion and proximal strength, Peter will create vertical and horizontal lines with demonstration 8 /10 times by the end of the session. 0
Peter will demonstrate a dynamic tripod grasp when holding writing utensils with the usage of a pencil grip in order to improve fine motor functions on 9 /10 times by May 5, 2023 . 0

Resources

Top 20 (View all)

Baseball Mazes

Glenna Nave

Fine Motor Resource. Writing Resource. Playdoh. Occupational Therapy Resource. Board game Resource. OT. Follow the path through the numbers or letters by drawing a line to connect the baseballs.

4
Tracing

Ambiki

Fine Motor Resource. Pre-writing Worksheet. Occupational Therapy Resource. Practice pre-writing with this tracing activity. The child can use the whiteboard tools to trace straight, curvy, and zig-...

1
S is For Shaving Cream - A Sensory Activity

Bethany Ayer

Sensory Integration Resource. Occupational Therapy Resource. This is meant to be a sensory activity which can assist with reducing tactile sensitivity, encourage pre handwriting skills (by drawing ...

2
Hearts Visual Perceptual Coloring Activity

Glenna Nave

Directions: Follow the color code below to color the hearts in each row from left to right.

1
First Day of School Activities

Bethany Ayer

Caregivers Handout. Teacher Handout. An easily scalable exercise with the First Day of School theme.
Includes activity list

4
Baseball Tracing

Glenna Nave

Pre-Writing Worksheets. Tracing Resource. Fine Motor Resource. Occupational Therapy Resource. Address distal motor control with this activity while tracing the curving and zig zag lines.

4
Fun Ways to Work On Grasp

Glenna Nave

Handout showing picture of tripod grasp and pincer grasp.

3
St Patricks Day Activities

Krystan Inman

St Patricks Themed activities including: Handwriting (writing upper case letters) Motor control exercises, Visual perception, Matching game, What is your leprechaun name, Pre writing lines

2
Occupational Therapy: Candy Corn Theme

Glenna Nave

Visual Perception Resources. Handwriting Resources. Occupational Therapy Resource. Playdoh. This bundle includes worksheets to work on visual perception, fine motor, and handwriting skills.

4
Pre Writing Cutting - Spider Web

Krystan Inman

Cutting builds the muscles in a child's palm and hand during open and close of scissors. Cutting enhances hand-eye coordination. Scissor skills also encourage the child to use bilateral coordinatio...

1
Spring Handwriting Resource

Virginia Ingram, CCC-SLP

Use these handwriting worksheets to practice letter formation. This will also help test receptive language skills as the child will match the word to the picture of the concept.
Includes activity list

6
Kiki's Rainbow

Bethany Ayer

Fine Motor Resource. Cutting. Scissors. Occupational Therapy Resource. In the first activity, you can help Kiki put the rainbow back together by cutting out each color strip and placing them back i...
Includes activity list

4
Earth Day Activities

Krystan Inman

Earth Day packet addressing handwriting, visual skills, problem solving, and motor control.

2
Kiki Plays Tic Tac Toe

Bethany Ayer

Teletherpy. In-Person. A quick way to play tic tac toe! Print out or play on teletherapy!

2
Handwriting With Joke Concepts

Virginia Ingram, CCC-SLP

April Fools Day. Use these handwriting worksheets to practice letter formation. This will also help test expressive and receptive language skills as each of the terms are synonyms for jokes or joking.
Includes activity list

4
Pencil Control Exercises- Vertical Lines

Glenna Nave

Writing Resource. Pre-writing Worksheet. Fine Motor Resource. Occupational Therapy Resource. OT. Pencil Control. Directions: connect the dots while keeping marks inside the pathway.

1
Make With Shapes -- Before School Hygiene and Health

Nate Hill

This resource provides shapes that can be traced and steps for laying out the completed shapes to create an image. The patient can then match the completed image they created with one of 3 photos. ...
Includes activity list

5
Let's Draw A Sun

Kimberly Luster. COTA

Drawing and coloring activity with simple step by step directions.

6
Back to School Word Hunt

Bethany Ayer

A quick 1 page printout to get back in the 'back to school' mindset. Have your client write as many items as they can think of for each category.
Includes activity list

4
Pre-Writing Progression Handout

Glenna Nave

Pre-writing Resource. Tracing Worksheet. Occupational Therapy Resource. Writing Resource. Handout to provide parents or teachers with the progression of pre-writing lines from imitating to copying.

2