Learning About Pre-Writing Skills

Children are in a constant state of learning. Most people are aware of this fact on at least the most basic level of understanding. Sure; it can be hard to embrace this truth when a child is pursuing his or her artistic development on freshly painted walls or proudly displaying a melted crayon mosaic on your car's upholstery. Sure; it gets old answering the fifteen follow-up questions to why apples come in so many different colors. On the upside, reminding oneself that development is occurring can be encouraging in and of itself.

"Scientists have discovered that different parts of the brain develop at different times. Certain types of cognitive development occur during a single period of a child's early years. Each development area has its own "window of opportunity."

• The part of the brain that controls language develops during the first two years of life.
• The part of the brain that controls social development begins developing from birth.
• The critical period for acquiring the ability to play an instrument or learning a second language ends by age ten.

Children can obtain these skills later, but their brains offer the learning pathways in early childhood (Stephens and Hammonds-Smith 34-41)."

This is one of the many reasons we are so pleased to be able to offer free kids educational printables, draw and write templates for kids crafts, and of course: Coloring Pages Galore!

Here is a great article: Pre-writing Skills for Children Under Five written by Dianne Saunders. It is well worth the read and offers excellent suggestions from the viewpoint of an Occupational Therapist.

So, with this in mind maybe you can motivate yourself to answer that sixteenth or sixtieth question about apples and pat yourself on the back for contributing to the literacy development of a child!