6 Pre-Writing Activities for Kids
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Over the last 6 weeks, I have been sharing easy pre-writing activities for kids. These activities are designed for preschool age and today I wanted to share a list of all the activities for you so you can find them in one easy place. Children learn pre-writing lines in a developmental, age-appropriate sequence as well. I wanted to also share this with you so you can see which age your child should know each pre-writing line or stroke by.
Also please remember these are suggested ages, every child develops at their own pace and so the ages may not be exact to your child's development. If you do think your child is behind please consult with your physician or a pediatric Occupational Therapist.
Developmental Sequence of Pre-writing Lines for Preschoolers
- Vertical – (Age 2 imitates, age 3 copies/masters)
- Horizontal – (Age 2 imitates, age 3 copies/masters)
- Circle – (Age 2, age 3 copies/masters)
- Cross shape (+) – (Age 3 imitates, age 4 copies)
- Right/Left Diagonal Line – (Age 4)
- Square – (Age 4)
- X shape – (Age 4)
- Triangle (Age 5)
If you have any questions about age appropriate fine motor skills, you can check out my Age Appropriate Fine Motor Skills for Ages 0-6 Free Printable.
6 Pre-Writing Activities for Toddlers & Preschoolers
You can click each picture to take you to the post with that activity, or click the link directly below each picture.
Straight Lines Sensory Bin – For horizontal & vertical pre-writing lines
Pom Pom Task Tray – For circle shapes
Crossing Midline Parade – For cross (+) shapes
My House is Made of Shapes Puzzle Printable – Squares and Rectangle Shape
DIY Tic Tac Toe Board – Diagonal and “X” Shape
Sensory Tracing – Diamond & Triangle Shape
All of these activities are part of my new ebook: Basic Shapes for Beginners – A Hands-on Approach to Pre-writing Activities for Preschoolers. There are 30+ activities included, designed into a 6-week “program” for your preschooler ages 2-5. 
You can also find more pre-writing and handwriting activity ideas on my Pinterest board below.
Heather Greutman, COTA
Heather Greutman is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant with experience in school-based OT services for preschool through high school. She uses her background to share child development tips, tools, and strategies for parents, educators, and therapists. She is the author of many ebooks including The Basics of Fine Motor Skills, and Basics of Pre-Writing Skills, and co-author of Sensory Processing Explained: A Handbook for Parents and Educators.
Great post. Always good to remember that making diagonal lines is something that is not expected before age 4. We have a precocious 4 year old who can write all of her letters, but of course struggles with “X”, “Y”, etc. Thanks for sharing. Great ideas for writing skills!
Heather – these are some great suggestions for pre-writing activities! Thanks, again, for sharing via our FB wall today! Great fun!
That tic tac toe board is great!
Thanks for sharing at #Pintorials
These are such great ideas, Heather. I really like how you listed the developmental sequence for pre-writing lines too. That is really very helpful!
Great tips Heather – I’ll be trying these with my 4 year old. 🙂
Hello!
Great Post! loved it. My 4 yr son, David, he was an early reader (we speak Spanish), he reads since he was 3, now he reads even better, but his handwriting is not up to his reading development; not sure if is the “table effect”, or if is just normal for his age.
Hi Ana,
At age 4, most children are able to copy or duplicate most pre-writing lines and SOME may start copying their name. Developmentally, kids do not begin writing the alphabet until at least age 5. As always there are some early writers or later writers. Hope that helps you some.