Colored Glue Tracing: Pre-Writing

Michael has only recently started to demonstrate a hand preference (leaning towards right hand). He starts with his right hand when cutting, using utensils, and when writing. Perhaps because he used both hands equally for so long, he still struggles with his writing grip. He still usually grabs writing implements with his fist and gets frustrated with crayons, markers, and paintbrushes because he doesn't have the fine control he wants.

He does well when tracing in sand though and enjoys that activity so I decided to do a similar activity with the children yesterday. I wanted to do another activity that would exercise pre-writing skills while removing the frustration of an actual writing implement.

I mixed up some colored glue using white school glue and liquid tempera paint and put them in small squeeze bottles I got here. (Those two ounce squeeze bottles have been a great purchase. I've used them to hold colored water, puffy paint, and colored vinegar for a wide variety of projects. They are the perfect size for toddler/preschooler hands.) I also printed some pre-writing strips I made in publisher on cardstock (Feel free to download them and use them yourself. They are at the bottom of the post.).

As you can see, Michael started with his right hand, but as he fatigued, he switched to using both hands. This activity was much more difficult for Ava. She started by trying to fill in the lines, but quickly switched to simply playing with the colored glue on the paper.

Michael also traced over some words. He was still excited about the project when I ran out of printed strips so I suggest we make a card for his Daddy. He dictated a message. I wrote it on construction paper. Then he traced it with glue.

All in all, the activity kept the children entranced for at least 45 minutes. Michael had more fun than Ava, but she struggled with it more. I have lots of colored glue left over for another project (yet to be determined) and Ava will enjoy it more when she can use it creatively. For the purposes of this project, I couldn't have been more pleased.

Here are the strips for anyone who is interested. Click on the image to open to full size. Then right click and save to your computer.