Recommended Age: 3.5y+
Level of Parent Involvement: Low, mostly preparation and supervision
Prerequisites
- Can carry a tray with objects on it
- Can follow instructions and model what he has been shown
Materials
- Shallow tray, wooden box or baking tray
- Light coloured sand
- A short ruler or piece of wood to smooth the sand after writing in it
- Cards with pre-writing lines and patterns for the child to copy
Preparation
- Pour the sand into the tray or box.
- Make the cards out of cardboard, with a variety of patterns drawn with thick lines (see the ‘Pre-writing Pattern Cards’ resource).
Pre-writing Pattern Cards - Laminate the cards if possible, as they are more durable and can be used for other activities.
- If possible, place the sand tray and cards on a larger tray and in a place on a low shelf that is accessible by the child.
Steps
- Explain to the child that you are going to practice writing patterns and shapes in the sand tray.
- Show the child how to hold your hand for writing in the sand tray – keep the index and middle fingers of your dominant hand next to each other and tuck your thumb and other fingers away underneath in the palm of your hand.
- Using these ‘special fingers’, write something in the sand tray to show the child what to do. For example, a circle.
- When you have finished writing, explain to the child that you need to erase what you have written. Show the child how to erase your writing by gently smoothing over the sand with a short ruler/piece of wood or by gently shaking the tray.
- Choose one of the pre-writing pattern cards. Place the card on your non-dominant side of the sand tray (this means that you will naturally hold the card steady with your non-dominant hand as you trace over the pattern with your dominant hand). Using your ‘special fingers’, trace over the lines of the pattern on the card, then draw the same pattern in the sand tray. Look at the pattern card and the pattern that you drew in the sand tray, indicate that you are pleased with your work. Erase your writing in the sand tray.
- Invite the child to have a turn.
- Encourage the child to try to copy all of the pattern cards.
Variations
- When the child can copy these pattern cards with ease, replace them with more difficult patterns and shapes.
- If the child shows an interest in writing his name, make up a set of cards with the letters from his name so that he can practice writing each letter by itself before he tries to write his whole name. Remember to only use a capital/uppercase letter for the first letter of the child’s name and lowercase letters for the others.
Download: Moveable Alphabet Vic Cursive
Download: Sandpaper Letters Vic Cursive
