Pre-Writing Skills – North Valley Pediatric Therapy

Pre-writing skills are the fundamental skills children need to develop before they learn to write. These skills add to the child’s ability to hold and use a pencil, and the ability to draw, write, copy, and color. An important component of prewriting skills are the pre-writing shapes. These are the pencil strokes that most letters, numbers, and early drawings are made up of. They are typically mastered in sequential order, and to an age-specific level. These strokes include the following strokes: |, —, O, +, /, , \, X, Δ, and ✦.

What skills are important building blocks to develop pre-writing readiness?

Hand and finger strength: To help with the controlled movement of the pencil	Upper body strength: Good shoulder strength and stability allow for controlled hand movements and good pencil control.
Crossing midline: Crossing the middle of the body	Object manipulation: The ability to manipulate a variety of tools (pencils, scissors, utensils, etc.)
Pencil grasp: How the pencil is held following age-appropriate grasp progression	Visual perception: The brain’s ability to identify and interpret visual images seen by the eyes
Hand-eye coordination: Processing the information from the eyes to control the hands in performing tasks	Hand dominance: Consistent use of one hand for completing tasks (should establish hand dominance by age 5)
Bilateral Coordination: Using two hands together with one hand leading	Hand division: Using just the thumb, index, and middle finger for manipulating objects with the fourth and pinky finger tucked into the palm

Progression of Pre-writing Skills

Age: 1 Year

Pre-Writing Stroke	Description
Vertical and Horizontal Scribbling	Spontaneously scribbles in vertical/horizontal and/or circular direction By 2 years old, children should be able to copy independently

Age: 2 Years

Pre-Writing Stroke	Description
Vertical lines \|	We call this “ZIP” like a zipper, starting the line at the top By 2 years 10 months, the child should copy independently
Horizontal lines —	We call this “ZOOM” like a car, starting from left to right By 2 years 6 months to 3 years, the child should copy independently
Circle O	Starting circles at the top and going counter-clockwise By 3 years old the child should be able to copy independently

Age: 3 Years

Pre-Writing Stroke	Description
Cross +	Making the vertical line first and horizontal line second The lines should be symmetrical By 3 years and 5 months, the child should copy independently

Age: 4 Years

Pre-Writing Stroke	Description
Square	Starting on the left, making a vertical line down, horizontal line over to the right, vertical line up, and horizontal line over to the left – “Down, over, up, over” Making sure all four corners are sharp By 4 years and 2 months, the child should copy independently
Diagonal lines \ /	Making sure both diagonal lines are truly sideways, this will help with letter formation By 4 years 7months, the child should copy independently
X	Making sure to cross in the middle and that both lines are symmetrical By 5 years the child should copy independently

Age: 5 Years

Pre-Writing Stroke	Description
Triangle Δ*After triangles, letter formation can begin	Starting with the left diagonal line first from top to bottom, horizontal line from left to right, to diagonal line from bottom to top By 5 years and 5 months, the child
Diamond ✦	Starting diamond on the left and making four equal sides with sharp corners By 6 years old the child should copy independently

Blog by:

Caitlin O. – MOT, OTR/L

(Occupational Therapist)

Resource: https://childdevelopment.com.au/areas-of-concern/writing/writing-readiness-pre-writing-skills/