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Fine and Gross Motor Developmental Milestones – Ages 4 and 5
This fine and gross motor development milestone poster/sheet for 4 and 5 year old children outlines tips for home and causes for concern.
Designed by Occupational Therapists this resource promotes awareness of early motor developmental milestones. The sheet outlines: What children be able to do with their body. Tips
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Getting Ready for Writing (Pre-writing patterns) Factsheet
A downloadable factsheet which identifies the six basic (Pre-writing) patterns that form the basis of all alphabet letters.
Throughout the early years, children are encouraged to participate in a range of fine motor activities that develop: their manipulative skills a dominant hand the
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Am I ready to handwrite? A3 Poster
Am I ready to handwrite is a poster providing solid introduction to the beginning of handwriting
Ideal for student and teacher reference, this poster is designed to provide explicit instruction on the following: Letter formation and size Letter placement Reminders of
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The Development of Appropriate Pencil Grip and Drawing Skills – Ages 1 – 6
These milestone and information sheets identify the age-related milestones for hand function, pencil grip (grasp) and drawing skills in children aged 1 to 6 years. They present images of good and NOT good pencil grip and also outline hints for making a good pencil grip easier.
When children first begin to draw using crayons, pencils or brushes they use a dagger grasp. In a natural developmental sequence, they will hold the
Phases of Writing Development
A milestone and information sheet which identifies the four phases of writing development. It includes age related examples.
Just as children make many “mistakes” or approximations as they learn to talk, the development of writing skills is also a process. At each phase of writing development, children demonstrate what they know about written language and all their writing efforts need to be recognised and encouraged as steps towards conventional writing skills.
The four phases of writing development are listed out below:
- Phase 1: Role-play Writing
- Phase 2: Experimental Writing
- Phase 3: Early Writing (or Phonetic Writing)
- Phase 4: Conventional Writing
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Preparing Children for Handwriting – Step 1
From $65.00$65.00 incl. GST The range of motor skills that support handwriting in Early Years students.
Early childhood education is a critical time for consolidating the fine motor skills necessary for efficient pencil grasp, developing good strong habits for directionality and pre-writing skills, making sense of increasing complex visual information and storing and retaining information for future use (memory). For this reason, we have created a 232-page Movement and Motor teaching guide to complement any early years program. The book contains clear information on developmental expectations for 4 and 5-year-olds and the foundation skills necessary for handwriting development, with a guide to handwriting readiness in addition to a wide range of activity suggestions. Features: Developed by an Occupational Therapist, this resource provides early childhood workers and parents with easy-to-understand information and activities focused upon fine and gross motor skill development for 3 to 4 year olds. Contains cutting, colouring, drawing, playdough, pre-writing, along with ball, balance, eye tracking, and body control activities Expectations, support, and guidance on pencil grip and posture, among other skills. Following Step 1 with Preparing Children for Handwriting – Step 2 provides children with the essential preparation that is needed for letter formation. This publication is mentioned within the Whole School Literacy Strategy booklet on page 7 & 12.
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Pre-writing Patterns
From $65.00$65.00 incl. GST Preparing children for letter formation
Throughout the Early Years, children are encouraged to participate in a range of fine motor activities that develop: their manipulative skills a dominant hand the ability to use both hands together Introducing Pre-writing Patterns for 3 to 5 year olds which aids the smooth transition to writing alphabet letters. Pre-writing patterns presents a simple, systematic and fun approach for teaching the foundation skills that are necessary for fluent handwriting. This resource for parents and teachers provides information on posture, grasps, pencil control and pre-writing patterns. The manual outlines big body movements, art activities and pre-writing pattern worksheets. It outlines six basic movements that are essential for children to learn the pre-writing patterns used to make pictures and then combined to make letters and numbers. The six basic patterns that form the basis of all alphabet letters are: Sideways, sideways left to right. Tall lines and short lines. Zig Zags. Circles, drawn forwards and backward. Up and overs. Down and unders. Down, back and unders. This publication is mentioned in the Whole School Literacy Strategy on page 7.
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Alphabet Letter Sounds
From $57.00$57.00 incl. GST An instruction manual (with games and worksheets) targeting letter sounds and letter formation for 4 to 6 year olds.
Children require knowledge of the alphabet in order to learn to read, spell and write. Designed by Speech Pathologists and Occupational Therapists, Alphabet sound knowledge for 4 to 6 Year Olds is the key to early literacy learning, rather than letter naming. For example: In order to read the word ‘dog’ a child must recognise each letter symbol and convert each symbol into the correct sound ‘d’, ‘oh’, ‘g’ and then the child must blend the sounds together (phonemic blending ability). In order to spell the basic word ‘cup’ a child must first ‘sound-out’ (or phonemically segment) ‘c’, ‘u’, ‘p’ and then the child must recall and apply in the correct order the alphabet symbols. As these examples illustrate, alphabetic letter naming does not help a child to blend nor segment the sounds in words. It is their knowledge of the alphabet sounds which allows them to read and spell the words. This resource, therefore, focuses on alphabet sounds for early literacy learners. The recommended order of presentation is: Group 1: s, p, n, i, a, t Group 2: m, r, h, e, d, c Group 3: f, l, g, o, u b Group 4: w, j, v, k, z, y, q, x The resource provides multiple opportunities to rehearse the recognition, application and letter formation of the alphabet sounds. Features: Instruction manual (156 pages) Games and worksheets Alphabet sound knowledge checks Screening formats to track student performance on letter-sound recognition and letter formation.
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Letter Formation for Little People – Foundation Font – Step...
From $65.00$65.00 incl. GST An early childhood approach to instructing letter formation in FOUNDATION FONT.
Handwriting is fundamental to literacy. Once children have mastered the essential pre-writing patterns, they are ready to start learning correct letter formation. Getting body posture right, whether in a standing or seated position, is essential prior to commencing any drawing or writing activity. This posture should also be monitored throughout the activity to ensure a child has sufficient core strength to maintain their position for the length of the task. With a stable body young children are more likely to progress to using an efficient pencil grasp, which will allow their hand to produce the movements necessary for good letter formation and handwriting. The most recent research shows that using a ‘cognitive’ approach (saying cue words out loud) incorporated with writing the actual letter, is the most effective way to learn and retain correct letter formation. In Letter Formation for Little People – Step 1, each letter shape, with corresponding verbal cue words, is presented and learned in the same PLD groupings as the letter sounds. This will reinforce the acquisition of both of these vital skills simultaneously. This early childhood approach, with both standing and seated activities, presents activities in four sequential levels for each letter. This developmental approach allows for differentiation between children in the classroom, with the scope to cater for a wide range of abilities. It is important that the core skills required for correct letter formation are a strong focus in the early years of schooling, to avoid the development of ‘bad habits’, such as an inefficient pencil grip, letter reversals, or incorrect direction of letters, which may affect academic progress in future years. Letter formation and subsequently, fluent handwriting, must become an automatic skill so that the child can process their ideas as they write, without having to think about the construction of each letter they produce. Letter Formation for Little People provides a research-based program for introducing children to the early stages of handwriting, providing them with the fundamental skills they need to achieve literacy goals. Developed by an Occupational Therapist, this easy-to-use resource contains an early childhood approach to developing positive letter formation skills. The process commences by targeting letter formation in a ‘big way’ on A3 sheets, then progresses to A4 sized letter formation before mini letters. Each activity provides scripted instructions for the supporting adult. Additional information on pencil grip, posture, positioning of paper etc. Foundation Font, also available in Cursive font here Includes: Instruction manual (264 pages) Step 1 has been created for use in the Early Years – Kindergarten (WA, QLD, SA, TAS) and Preschool (ACT, NT, NSW, VIC). Click here to view Step 2 for the Foundation Year – Pre-Primary (WA), Prep. (QLD, VIC, TAS), Reception (SA), Transition (NT). This resource is mentioned in our ‘Whole School Literacy Strategy’ booklet pages 7 and 12.
