I have loved my son’s name since we picked it and I could not wait to help him lean how to write it. To get started writing we needed to go over some basics first to get him comfortable writing.
The best way to help your four year old to write their name is daily practice. Start helping them form letters by teaching them to draw simple shapes that they can transform in to letters when writing. It is recommended to start with a horizontal line, vertical line, square, circle, triangle, diagonal lines and “X” when learning letters.
When a student enters kindergarten and can recognize their name it makes the day easier! On their first day they will be able to find their seat, find their cubby and be ready for the day. If they can write their own name at the top of papers teachers are ecstatic. So let’s get your preschooler name writing to give them a little extra moral boost.
Start Writing with Basic Shapes
Assuming your child has the fine motor skills required to hold a pencil or crayon lets begin the basics of writing. Letter basics are simple lines and shapes. You can introduce these lines and shapes by modeling your examples. Have them write their version next to yours. Or if they need a little more assistance you can have them trace your example and progress to independently writing the line or shape next to yours. Start with a horizontal line, vertical line, square, circle, triangle, diagonal lines and “X” and move on to each once they have mastered it. If your child is having trouble writing lines independently you can place small stickers or dots on a paper and have them connect the stickers.
Once lines and shapes are mastered we can introduce letters and name writing. You will need to decide on the letter format you introduce and how many letters you start with. Keeping the learning fun is key to keeping your little one learning.
Learning Upper or Lower Letters.
Once your child can draw basic shapes on their own they can master letters. They are going to love name writing because it is all about them!!! Generally capital letters are easier to form because they use more basic lines and shapes vs the curves in lower cased letters. However kids will most likely see their name with the first letter capitalized and following letters in lower case in day to day writing. Starting them with all caps can be less frustrating so I would encourage this format first. Then add lower case letters when they are a little more confident with writing.
Once your child gets frustrated it can be difficult to get them to continue. I know my son pretty much quits once he gets frustrated with a letter. We started with all capital letters and then progressed to lower letters when he was ready. Also keep in mind the length of your childs name when deciding on capitals or mixing lower in. My daughter decided to give herself a nickname “Ella” when she was starting to write in Transitional Kindergarten because it was shorter than her full name “Eleanor”. Most recently my son has become frustrated with writing his full name “Anderson” multiple times on school work and was excited to learn how to shorten his name “Andy”.
Writing Milestones
All children develop at different rates. So if your child is not ready to write his or her name at 4 that is OK. Typically children are able to hold a crayon or pencil around 1-2 years old. This can be reinforced by coloring in coloring books or on restaurant children menus. Beginning writing is also the time they learn to scribble, scribbling then progresses to line formation. Waves and coloring in the lines come with a little more time.
Preschoolers, ages 3-4, can typically draw wavy lines. They will also start a line and pick up the crayon and then start again which helps with the idea of forming letters. They will even start mimicking letters with spaces and dots for punctuation.
As your child’s doodling and coloring progresses you will be able to gage whether they are ready for writing letters. This is such a fun age because they are learning so much and pick things up quickly.
Making Name Writing Fun
It was pretty important to make name writing fun for my kids. I wanted to avoid frustration as much as possible. I know when my son struggles he will shut down if I don’t re-direct quickly. If he gets frustrated I usually suggest taking a break, doing something I know he loves like imaginative play or snack time. We then come back to practice when he is feeling more confident and less tired or frustrated. When kindergarten starts I know he will need to be writing his name a few times a day and he will become a pro fast. I hope I am giving him a small little leg up when school starts.
Here are some ideas of ways I make name writing fun at home. Here are some fun ways to start tracing:
- Write out your child’s name in highlighter and have them write over it. If they need a little extra help with the direction to form letters you can add arrows or dots to the points in letters.
- Print their name on Handwriting Worksheets and have them rainbow write over it. Rainbow writing is using a crayon, colors pencil or marker in every color of the rainbow to write their name 6 times over the dotted line. By the end their name will look rainbow pretty.
- Use a game like Letter tracing game to help them form the letters with their fingers. Tracing on fun colors with sound effects always perks my little ones up!
- Write their name on a piece of paper and have them use a cotton swab and paint to trace the letters. You can vary this with having them dot their name or drag the cotton swab along the letters.
- Print out their name and put the paper in a sheet protector. Have them trace the name with a dry erase marker. This is a great activity to use over and over by simply erasing the marker.
Once your preschooler masters letters have them practice writing them independently. These are a few ideas we use at home to write independently:
- Letter writing in sand or salt. Pour some sand or salt into a tray or baking pan and have your child practice letters with a finger. You can even dye the salt with food coloring for fun.
- Mess free letter writing in paint finger or cotton swab. Fill a sandwich sized ziplock bag with about 2 tablespoons of craft paint. Seal the bag and use tape over the opening to secure. Flatten the bag and have your child practice writing letters with a finger or cotton swab on the outside of the paint. You can even try mixing paint colors to see how they blend with each letter stroke.
- Shaving cream letters. Use a cookie sheet and spray a layer of shaving cream on top. Then have your child practice writing letters in the cream. If your child is prone to licking their fingers this can also be done with whipped cream.
Remember all children develop at different rates. If your little one doesn’t get name writing on the first try that is ok. They will get better with time and practice. Most children can write their name by age 6. Getting them started is just that, a start. Have fun with it. Please share if you try any of these activities and let us know how your child liked them.