Tia Aja
Jul 9, 2023
One of the fundamental skillsets that preschoolers need to master are 'pre-writing skills'. These are pre-academic abilities, that become a foundation at school age. Pre-writing skills are part of the motor learning that preschoolers experience in early education settings.
Motor learning is the study of the movement processes associated with the practice, such as experience, motivation, reinforcement, motor skills and developmental progress, that lead to a relatively permanent change in a person’s capability for skilled action (Schmidt and Lee, 2005)
Schmidt (1975) describes the initial conditions in learning a motor skill, which consist of body and limb positions, the environment and sensory input prior to the response. These conditions are defined as:
Response specifications
Specific requirements of the actions to be performed, such as direction, speed, force and height. These must be part of the action plan before the action can be carried out. After the movement is performed, the specific results are stored.
Sensory consequences of skill performance
Received from the sensory systems during and after the movement, providing actual feedback from the senses. Again, the specifics are stored after the movement.
Response outcome
Information about the comparison of the actual outcome (knowledge of results) with the intended outcome. The success of the response compared to the expected outcome in the initial action plan is stored in the schema, after the movement.
To be able to master pre-writing skills, children need to have experience not only in how to hold a pencil and direct/manipulate it (dexterity and fine motor), but also experiences related to their body as a whole.
The building blocks for pre-writing skills start very early in life. Case-Smith (in Henderson and Pehoski, 2006) mention posture and sensory functions for pre-writing skills, developed since infancy. Postural stability, weight-bearing and balance develop from movements experienced:
in a supine position
in a prone position
'on all fours'
during independent sitting
during standing
when walking
Postural control is usually excellent by two years old, as the child begins to concentrate on speed, strength, balance and endurance. The sensory systems that most influence hand skill development are visual, tactile and proprioceptive. By two years of age, improved sensory discrimination and integration enable the child to demonstrate an increased variety and control of perceptual-motor skills.
The trunk will support the body to have a good posture for writing.
The upper body extremity will support the hand to write.
To achieve it, hand dominance must be established; then the hand relies on good body posture and help from the shoulder, upper arm, elbow, lower arm and wrist, in order to produce a letter. By having this support, the child will manage the writing activity over a longer duration.
Below are some activities that support whole-body movement, related to fine motor skills:
Hand-swinging on monkey bars or throwing and catching a ball can facilitate upper body experiences necessary for writing.
Writing on large sheets of paper the floor and walls gives the child experience of writing in the same dimensions because they are within the space itself; they are like the 'visitor' to the paper. Writing on paper puts the child in different dimensions.
Tracing lines with fingers and walking following a painted/drawn pattern on the floor are some pre-writing skill activities that provide a whole-body experience of how to formulate curved and straight lines.
Activities of daily living (ADLs) also support hand abilities for pre-writing skills. For example, using utensils while eating; peeling fruit skins (e.g. orange and banana); opening and closing a lunch box and bottle; stirring drinks; using a (blunt) knife and scissors (close supervision required here!)
Letting children use their hands to play with items that are not just screen-based devices; access to toys that give multiple sensory experiences.
Children need to practice in varied conditions, with varied sensory input, to enlarge the schema and develop more accurate motor acts (Roston, 2020)
Before actually engaging in writing, provide the child with activities that both develop their hand dominance as well as enhance their whole-body experiences (via posture, gross and fine motor activity). Children can do these activities with a teacher’s help and direction in school, as well as with the parents’ guidance at home.
Tia is a school-based occupational therapist in Jakarta, Indonesia, with more than 10 years’ experience.
Since graduating from the University of Indonesia, Tia has been working in the school setting; teaching and coaching have always been her passion. She is a guest lecturer for the occupational therapy major at her alma mater.
Tia is also Student Engagement Lead here at The Occupational Therapy Hub.
Henderson, A. and Pehoski, C. (2006) Hand Function in the Child: Foundation in Remediation. Mosby. Missouri.
Kramer, P. and Hinojosa, J. (2009) Frames of Reference for Pediatric Occupational Therapy. 3rd ed. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Philadelphia.