The holiday season is a wonderful time to engage children in enriching activities that foster creativity and developmental skills. Scott and I, and our team, are passionate about blending occupational therapy with learning to enhance children's abilities, especially when it comes to reading and writing.
In this blog post, I'll explore two effective strategies to ignite your child's love for writing during this festive season.
This is by no means an exhaustive list (I could be here all day!) but it will get you started.
Enjoy!
1. Multisensory Writing Activities: A Sensorimotor Approach
The magic of multisensory experiences can significantly impact a child's writing development. Incorporating touch, hearing and speech, vision and movement provide multiple pathways for learning. Engage your child in tactile activities like creating holiday-themed textures with playdough and cookie dough (but watch out for raw eggs!) or exploring textured writing surfaces like sandpaper or the carpet. If they are practicing their letters, guide them in saying the letter's name and sound as they make the movement.
I love ‘sky writing’ where a child uses their arm to write words in the sky. This gross motor movement comes from their shoulder and children are encouraged to write as large as they can in the sky while saying the letter sound aloud. Next we refine the size and have children write on the wall or easel. Of course you will want to tape a big piece of paper to your wall! Writing at a 90 degree angle (on the wall) encourages the strengthening of the muscles that children need to write. Writing is not only about finger strength - it all starts at our core.
You could make sky-writing into a quick game that can be played anywhere...like the waiting room at the doctor's office....or while waiting for a flight. Take turns drawing pictures or words in the sky and have each other guess what the other has drawn or written.
2. Visual Supports and Writing Prompts: Guiding Creative Expression
Implementing visual supports and writing prompts can provide structure and inspiration for young writers. I love to have children draw and then use that drawing to come up with a well crafted sentence that they can then read and reread to others. There is so much that can be done to extend this activity. I am wildly (yes, that’s right) excited about using childrens’ drawings to stimulate writing - but I won’t go into it all here. Another time. Or reach out to me. There is so much potential here!
You can also use Christmas cards that you’ve received in the mail (wow - old fashioned!) to spark their imagination. Instead of creating their own illustration, you can guide your child’s writing by asking them what they think is happening in the picture on the card. This discussion helps grow your child’s vocabulary, which then supports their reading and writing.
Depending on their abilities, your child will dictate to you and you write, or you can gently help your child write on their own.
Fill in the blank type books are an excellent way to get your child writing. The open ended sentences take any fear of 'how to start' away from children. I've been using this type of activity with my students for decades, and my own children still talk about these books. We've saved them and bring them out to reminisce each year when we bring out the Christmas decorations. You can find one version here at my TpT store.
The possibilities are endless here and I could go on forever!
These are just two ways that you can blend a little occupational therapy with writing to gently and joyfully get your children reading and writing this holiday season.
Enjoy!
To be continued.......
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