National Handwriting Day!

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Today is National Handwriting Day! The Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association established this day in 1977 to promote the use of pens, pencils and paper. Although this may not be the most relevant day of the calendar in the UK, it has got us thinking about how we can help EYFS children to develop their skills ready for when they begin their writing journeys.

You can try art and craft playground equipment in your nursery or school to help with developing handwriting skills for students.

Fine motor movements require control and precision whilst using the small muscles in the hand. These movements are essential for creating a strong foundation that young children can develop into early writing skills. Learning to grip an object with one finger and a thumb or being able to pick up an item without using the whole hand are great ways of beginning this process.

There are plenty of fun ideas for creating engaging activities to help young children develop their fine motor skills. We have compiled a list of our favourite activities that are perfect for both nurseries and parents at home.

Our favourite activities for improving fine motor skills:

• Threading beads, cereal or pasta onto straws and string. Afterwards they can be turned into fun decorations or jewellery

• Sorting small objects like bright coloured pom-poms, cereal or even coins

• Using small pieces of crayon to draw or colour in with

• Cutting thick paper or card with child-friendly scissors

• Using a spray bottle to help water plants

• Putting on a show with finger puppets

• Playing games with wind-up toys

• Having a spinning top competition

• Lining a tray with shiny paper then adding a mixture of dry sand and glitter for children to make shapes and letters with their fingers.

For more ideas, head to our Pinterest board!