When is your child ready to write?

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The importance of handwriting readiness

A few years back I screened a 3 yr old during our annual child find. The child had just started preschool and did well with the screen, there were no concerns. The following year the child was screened again and the minute the crayon and paper came out the child became non-compliant and refused to do any more. 

What happened to this child. There could be many reasons however the trigger was the crayon and paper, which  was not a problem the year before. Was actual writing pushed  despite the child not being ready for  handwriting?  Now there is so much frustration, apprehension and anxiety build up around crayons and paper that the child just shuts down. 

Is it possible that this could have been avoided by making sure the pre-handwriting skills were mastered and that pencil and paper activities were presented in a fun and play full manner without any pressure to perform. 



From a developmental perspective actual handwriting, instruction before the age of 6  should focus on pre- handwriting skills such as gross and fine motor skills, visual spatial skills, pencil grip, tracing and copying skills. Lets take a closer look. 

  • Motor Development: From large to small movements (Gross motor to Fine motor)
    • Gross motor: 
      • Large body movements and control (force and speed)
      • Spatial/directional awareness 
      • Core and upper body strength 
      • Brain integration ie left right coordination, crossing the mid-line
    • Fine motor: 
      • Object manipulation ie puzzles, beads, legos
      • Finger strength
      • Hand dominance 
      • Hand division; the ability to move the thumb separate from the fingers
      • Pencil Grip
  • Visual Development: 
    • Visual Perception; The ability of the brain to interpret visual input, the link between vision and cognition
    • Part to whole integration 
      • 0-3 yrs focus on the whole picture (Forest)
      • 4-5 yrs shift to parts (Trees in the forest)
      • 6 yrs further focus on details (leaves on the trees in the forest)
      • 9 yrs well integrated system of parts to whole (Forest with trees and leaves
    • Visual Motor: The ability to coordinate what we see with physical movement (ie handwriting)
      • 1-2 yrs scribbling      
      • 2-3 yrs imitating 
      • 4-5 yrs copies and imitates
      • 5-6 copies can learn to write letters, differentiate between large, small, curves

Ideas to strengthen pre-handwriting skills

  • Gross Motor Play:  
    • Climbing (playground, trees)
    • Running games  (kick the can, tag)
    •  Jumping games ( hopscotch)
    •  Ball games ( soccer, basketball, catch )
  • Fine Motor Play: 
    • Building  activities (blocks, legos, knex, magnets)
    • Arts and Crafts (cutting and pasting, painting, coloring, drawing)
    • Puzzles, beads, play-dough
  • Pre-Handwriting: ( 4 years and up if the child is interested)
    • Tracing and Copying (shapes,patterns,  letters in their name)


How do you know if your child is ready to write. Is it when your child starts pre school at age 3. Not necessarily there are many factors that determine a child's readiness to write. One thing is for sure if we push handwriting to hard when the child is not ready, guaranteed there will be many bumps ahead in the future. ranging from academic delays to frustration, refusal and total melt downs when pencil and paper are presented. Handwriting should be introduced through a variety of activities that focus on pre hand writing skills and playful introduction into writing letters and numbers. 


Els O'Rourke PT

Related Links

Pre hand writing skills: Drawing

Eye Hand Coordination

Old Time Favorites

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