Handwriting Practice by Tracing With Yarn

My kids have started to get interested in writing. They are still working at it and I try to find opportunities for them to engage in handwriting practice. Here is an easy and inexpensive way to do that without using a pencil or paper.You will need:

• Yarn
• Sandpaper
• Scissors
• Crayons

Cut your yarn into varying lengths between 2 and 8 inches. The kids will use the different lengths to create their letters.

I bought my sandpaper at the Dollar Store. Did you have any idea they sold sandpaper there? Me neither! They sell it in square sheets and it's just perfect for this activity. For my four year olds, I wrote the letters A-F on the sheets, and for my two year old, I drew some shapes. I found writing and drawing with a brightly colored crayon on the sandpaper worked well.

I then gave the kids the sandpaper to explore. We talked about how it felt when we ran our fingers and nails over it. We discussed the concept of rough vs. smooth.

Next I showed the kids how the yarn can stick to the sandpaper. They were very impressed with this. I explained how we can use the yarn to trace the letters and shapes. Sometimes the yarn ended up being too short. Then the kids would add another piece. If the strand of yarn they were using was too long, they asked me to cut it with a scissor. I had originally given the kids some safety scissors like they use to practice paper cutting to cut the yarn, but those things would not cut any yarn. So I was the designated yarn cutter. Older kids can use their own sharper scissors but please supervise carefully.

The kids really got familiar with their letters during this activity. It helped them build fine motor skills and think about the distinctive shape of each letter. Check out our letters!

After the kids finished their handwriting practice, they decided to freestyle it and make their own designs on the sandpaper.

Then, my daughter "A" saw her stuffed monkey and well...you can see the results for yourself. It suits him don't you think?