Challenge: Every Child Ready to Read- Writing challenge

Reading and writing go hand in hand! Even before your child is ready to hold a writing instrument you can begin working on their gross and fine motor skills. Writing helps children learn that letters and words stand for sounds and that print has meaning. Choose 5 activities to complete this challenge.

When you complete 5 tasks, you will earn 5 points and a badge.

photograph of little boy and girl painting letters on paper while sitting on the ground
Task

Check out an alphabet book and have your child trace letters with their finger.

Draw letters and shapes with your finger using different mediums like sand, shaving cream, rice or water.

Have your child help you make a grocery list or a list of things to do for the day. Let them check items off the list as you get things done.

Scribbling leads to writing letters, let your child scribble with a crayon or finger paints.

Peel and stick stickers to paper, this pincer grip will help develop fine motor skills.

Do this fingerplay with your child to work on gross and fine motor skills:

Open shut them, open shut them.

Give a little clap, clap, clap.

Open shut them, open shut them.

Put them in your lap, lap, lap.

Creep them, crawl them

Creep them, crawl them

Right up to your chin, chin, chin

Open wide your little mouth

But do not let them in, in, in!

Do this fingerplay with your child to work on fine motor skills:

Where is thumbkin, where is thumbkin?

Here I am, here I am.

How are you this morning? Very well, I thank you.

Run away, run away.

Where is pointer, where is pointer?

Here I am, here I am.

How are you this morning? Very well, I thank you.

Run away, run away.

Practice catching and grasping different sized toys/balls. This will work on hand/eye coordination and gross and fine motor skills.

Write your child's first name in big block letters. Have them help you color the letters in and decorate together! Talk about each letter as you decorate.

Practice drawing a favorite animal, what sound does it make?