08/03/2025
"So many parents are often worried about why their child is not able to write by the age of 4 and why instead of writing, the teacher is allowing them to play, or be creative with intricate or fine motor materials?
This picture explains why.
Up until 6 years of age, their tiny hands are still developing and are not fully formed. Children require progressive development in their hands to enable them to grasp and hold things and eventually develop their writing skills.
Like any muscles, we must train them, strengthen them and ‘work out’ to get them stronger - this is just the same for the muscles in children’s hands.
So what should be done to support this?
PLAY! Playdough, colouring, tearing, sensory play, beading, picking cotton balls with tweezer/cloth clips, cleaning, wiping, holding, grabbing, sweeping, cutting, planting, digging etc.
These types of activities may not seem like education to you, but they are the foundations of what is to come. Rush the process and the results will be catastrophic.
We must allow our children to develop their fine motor skills which in turn, develop the skills required for early, emergent writing and later full writing skills.
When children are ready to write, they will. No need to rush them, they will show you when they are ready.
© Gavin McCormack— at National Child Development Center - Antipas.
