Prewriting Hanging Boards

Children can trace the prewriting patterns with their fingers along precision-cut grooves. The grooves are hand-sanded for an optimal sensory experience. 

There are ten boards to choose from, each with one of the pre-writing patterns that are important for them to practice and learn in preparation for handwriting. 

Additional Features

• Easy to clean 
• Large size of patterns, important in preparation for handwriting 
• Clever, easy-to-use hanging design allows children to independently hang and place the boards on other Crafted Wood play furniture such as the Caravan , Small Playstand or Play Chairs This feature helps bring the play side of learning to the fore, and allows children to practice the pre-writing patterns while being a vet, having a shop, serving at a café etc! 
• When placed on flat surfaces, the boards will rest on an inclined angle, which is useful as they develop and the brain does not need as much shoulder movement as when they are first learning these movement patterns.   
• Also available as a set with a storage box and lid which has all ten prewriting hanging boards, a storage box with the patterns in miniature on the lid 

Choice of Patterns

Why are Prewriting Patterns Beneficial?

Pre-writing patterns are designed to encourage a series of basic movements in the child’s upper limb (hands, fingers, wrists and even shoulders when in large form like this) that will assist their brain to learn the movements required to produce the basic shapes needed in preparation for learning handwriting. 

It is important for a child to develop their handwriting gradually.   

Which part of the body learns to do handwriting? 

• The brain needs to learn about the direction and shape of the movement.  This can only be learnt by doing and feeling the movement, providing sensory input (with large upper limb movements and the grooved patterns with a textured finish).  Lots of repetition is needed to help the brain learn this. 

• The body needs to be strong (good core strength).  This will free up the child’s hands so they can sit and do tabletop activities like writing. Lots of big play movements are important for the body to have good core strength – climbing a tree or a rope net or a tree, or pushing a heavy trolley are some ideas.   
• The whole upper limb initially – when preparing to for handwriting, movements need to happen all the way up at the shoulder, and down the whole arm.  Gradually the movement will change, so that more occurs at the hand and less at the shoulder.   

How does a child learn the foundations of handwriting?

Handwriting is a complex task!  Before being able to pick up a pencil and write letters or words, a child needs to have some foundational skills and experiences.   

Some key aspects of learning handwriting are that the movements need to start larger, and gradually become smaller.  A child will begin with making more simple, and later, more complex movement patterns.   A child will be able to learn to do straight lines before curved lines, and moving in a single direction before they will manage a pattern that requires a change of direction.   

These pre-writing boards provide the gradual change from where a child will start, through to more complex patterns – allowing them to then move onto forming letters and start learning handwriting.   

When a child is starting to write, it will be easier to hold a thicker pencil or crayon and as they develop more strength in their small hand muscles, they will be able to hold and use a thinner pencil or crayon. 

Materials Used

• 18mm hoop pine plywood
• Water-based coating, environmentally friendly and low in VOCs

Dimensions 44cm (l) x 17cm (h) x 4cm (d)