• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

What Do We Do All Day logo

  • Start Here
  • Books
    • Classics
      • 20th Century Classics
    • Early Chapter Books
    • Easy Readers
    • Folktales
    • Holiday Books
    • Middle Grade (8-12 years)
    • Nonfiction
    • Picture Books
    • Read Aloud Chapter Books
  • Games
    • Traditional Games
  • Kids Activities
    • Arts and Crafts
    • Literacy & Writing
    • Math
    • Playful Activities
    • Science
    • Toddler
  • Parenting
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Books for kids
  • Games
  • Indoor activities for kids
  • Parenting
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  • ×
    You are here: Home / Literacy / Preschool Fine Motor Development Activity: Journal "Writing"

     

    Preschool Fine Motor Development Activity: Journal "Writing"

    5300 shares
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    We are working on developing fine motor skills a lot around here lately. Four year-old New Kid was recently diagnosed with some fine motor delays. Even though he now receives occupational therapy services at school we are supplementing with a range of fine motor skill activities at home to strengthen those important finger muscles!

    Preschool fine motor activity with a journal. Helps prepare kids for writing.

    Fine Motor Skills Activity for Preschoolers

    One of our activities is scribbling in a journal. While New Kid cannot yet write letters he will scribble. He likes the sense of ownership over his "writing" that keeping a journal gives him and that motivates him to keep practicing. Scribbling is also very important for developing pre-writing and pre-reading skills.

    Using different types of writing implements and materials increases the variety of sensory experiences, so I like to mix things up during our journaling sessions. I include:

    • Stubby crayons with the paper removed. Using a short crayon requires a stronger pincer grasp than using a long one.
    • Colored pencils. They require more pressure than markers.
    • Markers. Ink provides a satisfying saturated color, but mix up the size: include both fat and skinny pens.
    • Oil and chalk pastels with paper removed. Pastels' textures offer a new sensory experience.
    • Stickers. Peeling stickers off the backing takes work and feeling the sticky side adds in a bit of sensory fun.
    • Writing tools with triangular barrels. The unusual shape encourages children to use the correct pincer grasp.

    Do you encourage your preschooler to write in a journal? Does he or she have a favorite type of crayon or marker? Want a fun journal to inspire your child? We have a book list of creative journals.

    Read next: 

    Fine Motor Activity: LEGO Head Rescue

    My Kid Hates Art: Tape Project (works fine motor!)

    Creative Journal Ideas for Kids

    Tandem Drawing Activity (Encouragement for Reluctant Artists)

    Want Your Kids to Love Being Unplugged?
    Subscribe to our newsletter and as a thank you, receive 10 waiting games kids can play anytime anywhere.
    Your email will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party. Click here to view our privacy policy.
    « Game of the Month: Skippity
    Early Chapter Books about Girls {Stand-Alone Novels} »
    5300 shares
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. maryanne @ mama smiles says

      January 17, 2013 at 1:54 pm

      We do this, too - and my kids love it!

      Reply
    2. Jenny says

      January 17, 2013 at 3:14 pm

      I love the journal idea- we could each have one and have a set time to do it together while making them available for the girls to do on their own too. Carly can write letters but she doesn't use the correct grasp- and she's stubborn. What is the reasoning behind removing the crayon paper?

      Reply
      • Mom and Kiddo says

        January 17, 2013 at 4:07 pm

        If you remove the paper then kids can use the crayon as a sort of "roller". It just expands the options, plus feeling the crayon instead of the paper is a different sensory experience. His teacher also told me to have him remove the paper himself because that in itself is a good fine motor activity.

        Reply
    3. Kelly at Little Wonders' Days says

      January 17, 2013 at 5:40 pm

      These are great writing activities. My oldest was diagnosed with the same thing at 4. He still has to work at the mechanics of writing. Some of his favorite activities at 4 were finding hidden objects in play dough or clay and coloring with crayon rocks. Playing on the piano really helped build hand strength too.

      Reply
      • Mom and Kiddo says

        January 17, 2013 at 5:44 pm

        Thanks for the suggestions. Now this is motivation for me to get our piano fixed.

        Reply
    4. Anna says

      January 17, 2013 at 11:05 pm

      Thanks for these ideas! My four-year-old boy is a leftie, so I am not always sure how to help him position his hand across the paper. He often has his hand floating above the paper when writing. I'll be sure to give him a variety of tools to practice writing with.

      By the way, I'm new to blogging and was wondering how you do those beautiful titles on your pictures. Do you have a certain program you use for that? So far all I've used is creative kit in Picasa.

      Thanks for all your fabulous work!

      Reply
      • Mom and Kiddo says

        January 18, 2013 at 5:57 am

        Anna - I use picmonkey to create the photos. It's so much fun to use.

        Reply
        • Anna says

          February 28, 2013 at 6:54 am

          I just wanted to follow up to thank you for sending me to Picmonkey. I just love it! I really appreciate your taking the time to let me know what you use. Have a great day!
          Anna

          Reply
          • MomandKiddo says

            February 28, 2013 at 2:21 pm

            Haha, I can't even remember when I did that, but you're welcome! 🙂

            Reply
    5. PragmaticMom says

      January 19, 2013 at 12:24 am

      My kids loved markers. We also would melt down crayon stubs into cupcake cups and they liked those when freshly made.

      Reply
      • Mom and Kiddo says

        January 19, 2013 at 6:28 am

        We once made crayons in the shape of numbers. They loved those.

        Reply
    6. Shaunna @ Fantastic Fun and Learning says

      January 21, 2013 at 5:40 am

      My daughter has a few notebooks that she likes to draw in or take with us when we go places. She likes to sit outside sometimes and draw what she sees. You mentioned stickers...she loves those, too! When she first started using stickers we bought the ones that were a bit puffy and raised off the paper so they were a little easier to peel off.

      Reply
      • Mom and Kiddo says

        January 21, 2013 at 6:07 am

        Oooh, puffy stickers would be lots of fun.

        Reply
    7. Aleacia says

      January 21, 2013 at 8:34 am

      I never thought to sit down and have a journaling session with my 3 year old. I bet she would love that. Do you think it would be alright to write down (maybe on the back) what she says about her picture? Or would that defeat the purpose of the journaling?

      Reply
      • Mom and Kiddo says

        January 21, 2013 at 1:07 pm

        I don't think it would defeat the purpose and it would be nice to look back and see what she said later on. I think your idea of writing on the back is good, though, that way she is the sole "owner" of the page. As an alternative you could write it down in a separate place just to keep for yourself! 🙂

        Reply
    8. Lori Summers says

      January 21, 2013 at 11:19 am

      I have just had my daughter start journaling. I found a composition book that is blank at the top and lined at the bottom and I let her draw a picture on her own or I will give her a topic to draw about and then I write what the picture is or a story she tells me about the picture. She loves it and sometimes she wants to do 2 or 3 pages!! 🙂 Stopping by from No Time for Flashcards link-up! 🙂

      Reply
      • Mom and Kiddo says

        January 21, 2013 at 1:03 pm

        That's nice that you create the stories and pictures together!

        Reply
    9. Dresden (@DresdenPlaid) says

      January 22, 2013 at 5:38 pm

      great idea! My son is also a bit delayed on letter writing and his teachers have suggested we find fun ways to practice. This is so perfect for him.

      Reply
      • Mom and Kiddo says

        January 22, 2013 at 6:06 pm

        Thanks! New Kid isn't writing letters as all and I'm trying to be relaxed about that -- not always easy! 🙂

        Reply
    10. Kristin says

      April 03, 2014 at 2:03 pm

      My boys LOVE peeler beads. I never would have thought to buy them, but a friend had them and my oldest (almost 5) begged for some. Even our (just) 3 year old sits and does them. It provides great bouncer grasp practice! Our AC Moore even has small sets in the $1 bins. I don't always iron them - often they dump the beads in and start over! 🙂

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        April 03, 2014 at 2:03 pm

        Perler beads - oops!

        Reply
        • Erica MomandKiddo says

          April 03, 2014 at 2:06 pm

          I knew what you meant. 🙂

          Reply
      • Erica MomandKiddo says

        April 03, 2014 at 2:04 pm

        That's a great idea. I'd also rather not iron them, then I'd have to keep the finished product around forever, LOL.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Erica! I believe parents can stay sane without giving their kids an electronic device. Learn how!

    More about me →

    Newsletter

    Join over 19,000 subscribers who said "Yes! I want to unplug my kids!" We'll send you 10 waiting games your kids can play anytime, anywhere. Join here -->

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • About the Site

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and join over 15,000 other families finding ways reduce screen time.

    Other Stuff

    We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

    Copyright © 2023 What Creative Media LLC

    Want Your Kids to Love Being Unplugged?
    Subscribe to our newsletter and as a thank you, receive 10 waiting games kids can play anytime anywhere.
    Your email will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party. Click here to view our privacy policy.
    Want More Free Activity Ideas?
    Join our email list and as a thank you gift I'll send you a list of 10 waiting games that will make your kids smarter.
    Your email will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party. Click here to view our privacy policy.
    Want your kids to love being unplugged?
    Join our newsletter and as a thank you, I'll send you a list of 10 waiting games.
    Your email will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party. Click here to view our privacy policy.
    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you keep using this website we will assume you are OK with that. Read our privacy policy for more.OKRead more