First Writing

 
When the child is learning the sandpaper letters, he can be introduced to writing, especially if he does well with the insets for design and is controlling a pencil well.

MATERIAL:

The sandpaper letters. Blank paper. A normal sized pencil.

Presentation:

The teacher takes one of the sandpaper letters the child has learned, a piece of blank paper and a pencil to the child's table. She asks him to feel the letter a number of times. She then writes the letter on the paper. She then gives the child the pencil and asks him to do the same. She shows the child how to feel a letter a few times, then write it, feel it again and then write it.

Exercise:

The child chooses a sandpaper letter, takes paper and pencil and practices writing.
 
The teacher is careful to see the child writes the letters in the correct direction without lifting his pencil from start to finish. He only lifts his pencil to put a dot on an "i" or a "j," or cross on the "t" and "f." It is essential that care is taken to see that the child write correctly. It is easy to learn the right way in the beginning but very difficult to correct a bad habit.
 
The child writes the size letter that is natural to him at first. The child holds the paper at the angle that suits his own eyes. Most children write an upright letter at first and when they are older, they adopt a slant. The slant should not be taught as each child will take the slant that suits his own eyes. Some children adopt a backward slant and need to do this.