Pre-Writing Sensory Activities Handout
Provided by Pediatric Potentials Rehab, Inc.

There are many factors that need to be considered and addressed when teaching your child to write. Using a combination of the following suggestions will help your child develop the necessary skills to be ready and willing to write!

Good awareness of your child’s body (kinesthesia) is needed in order for him/her to feel his/her hand on the page, know where it is without having to look at it all the time, and to know how hard to press into the paper when writing.

Kinesthetic activities for home:
• Making and .or playing with playdough, putty, clay or a combination of corn starch and water
• Making cookies- mixing cookie dough with hands
• Coloring on paper placed on top of sand paper or cement outside
• Using chalk on a mini chalk board, driveway or sidewalk
• Playing with squeeze balls
• Wheelbarrow walking/or crawling
Playing with vibration toys (pull toys, teethers or jigglers)

Good postural stability of the trunk, shoulder, hand and neck muscles are also very important in order for your child to have the ability to sit on a table with good upright posture and fine motor control. The ability to maintain this posture and perform fine motor skills without tiring easily is necessary for good handwriting skills. Children that have difficulties in the above areas often have low muscle tone (hypotonia)

Postural activities for home:
• Lying on the floor for seconds or minutes (depending on your child’s ability to sustain this position) to watch T.V., have a snack, read a book, or play games
• Wheelbarrow walking and/or crawling games
• Resistive games with body or just hands (i.e.-wrestling with constant pressure to the muscles )
• Climbing on jungle gyms & monkey bars
• Setting up obstacle courses at home (jumping, climbing over pillows, under pillows & hippity hop balls)

Good eye (ocular motor) skills are also very important for handwriting as your child visually follows along when writing or copying. Children often become frustrated and can dislike working on handwriting when their eyes are not working well for them. Difficulties with ocular motor, visual motor and visual perceptual skills often impact handwriting skills.

Ocular activities for home:
• Dot to Dot, tracing or copying workbooks (lying on stomach or seated in a chair w/ feet flat on floor for good postural support)
• Blowing bubbles or whistles that promote both eyes fixating on an object at midline (for good ocular strength)
• Building or copying three-dimensional block designs
• Playing with puzzles (great activity while lying on stomach)
Playing flashlight games-set up a scavenger hunt to find small objects hidden on the floor in a room (have your child crawl to find the objects to promote strength and bilateral coordination)

These are fun activities that can help promote your child’s handwriting skills. They can be practiced easily at home for 5-30 minutes, 1-2 times a day. Please contact Pediatric Potentials Rehab, Inc. if you would like more activities or any clarification. Have fun!

Pediatric Potentials Rehab, Inc.
1973 Longwood Lake Mary Rd., Suite 1001
Longwood, Florida 32750
Phone: (407) 322-3962 Fax: (407) 323-1614
www.pediatricrehabcenter.com