Getting Ready for Primary School โ Handwriting Preparation Exercises 
Handwriting is a crucial part of childrenโs learning in primary school. 
However, handwriting is so much more than just coordinating finger movements. Do you know that your childโs handwriting performance has a lot to do with their visuospatial development and visual perception too? 
Today, weโll be sharing some underlying components that affect a childโs handwriting, as well as providing home activities that you can implement at home to support your little oneโs handwriting journey in a fun way. 
Opposition and in-hand manipulation: Correlated with the ability to control angles and sizes of letters during writing.
Activity idea 1: Finger Roll Call
Equipments: NA
Instructions: Touch the tip of index to little finger one by one with the thumb of that hand as if you were doing a roll call. Make it harder by completing 2-3 rounds in a row. The movement should be smooth and without putting too much force on the fingers.
Activity idea 2: Caterpillar Climb
Equipments: Pencil or marker (The wider in diameter the more difficult)
Instructions: Start by holding one end of the pencil with one hand, move your fingers up bit by bit like a caterpillar climbing up a branch till you reach the other end of the pencil. Note that your wrist, elbow, and shoulder should be relaxed during the process.
Hand strength and endurance: Direct correlation with the endurance of handwriting.
Activity idea: Push Pin Art
Equipments: Push pin, cork/puzzle mat, and a printed template of any character/shape of your choice.
Instructions: Put the template on the mat. Use a push pin to poke small holes on the outline of the picture.
Visual perceptual skills: Involves the ability to differentiate, memorize, and execute with good accuracy and spacing during handwriting.
Activity idea 1: I Can Do The Same
Equipments: LEGO, blocks, or tangrams
Instructions: Build a pattern/model with blocks/LEGO/tangram and encourage your child to copy what you just did. Taking turns and giving your little ones the opportunity to be the one creating the model sometimes will make the game more fun!
Activity idea 2: Draw the Magic Code
Equipments: Paper and drawing materials
Instructions: Draw 2-3 shapes on the paper, give your child 10-20 seconds to observe, then cover it. Encourage your child to draw the shapes out from their memory. Increase the level of difficulty by adding more shapes to the pattern or make shapes overlap with each other.
