Help! I Have a Kindergartener Who Cannot Write Their Letters or Shapes!

 We’ve all been there, it’s the beginning of the year (or maybe further into the year than we’d like to admit) and you are realizing that you have a kindergarten student drastically behind their classmates when it comes to fine motor skills.

You have some students fully able to write their names and draw basic illustrations, and others who know the basics but are practicing away using the Illustration Unit. And then you’ve got a few that can’t hold a pencil, draw a straight line, or a circle for that matter. 

And if you’re like me you’ve had this issue pop up at all points in the school year. 

So what the heck do you do?? 

This is where going back to the basics comes in. 

My Prewriting Bundle is exactly what you need to help those students build a strong foundation and strengthen their fine motor skills! 

I’m Overwhelmed… Where do I Start? 

Don’t be! This bundle is easy to use, and you will see progress quickly with consistent use. 

The activities included are simple and developmentally appropriate! Once you introduce students to the activity once or twice, they will be able to complete nearly every activity and practice page independently. Of course, I still suggest watching to be sure they are taking their time and doing their best, but for the most part, these can be independent. 

This is a time when you need to remember the phrase “go slow to go fast”! Your student WILL get there, they just need some extra support on the basics. The activities may seem really simple, and they are! Keep it simple to help them get the fundamentals down. 

Print off each page and place them in a dry-erase pocket menu. Give your student (or students) a dry-erase marker, and they are good to go! These can be reused until mastery when you can simply print and slide in a new skill! I like to use these activities as morning work, or an independent center activity at some point every single day. 

What will I be getting in the bundle?

When you grab the bundle, you will gain access to 3 different prewriting products. The first is my Prewriting Strokes product, which includes 64 pages of print-and-go worksheets where students can trace and write basic strokes such as vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines. As well as practice tracing and drawing basic shapes. 

Once your student has mastered their strokes, move on to the Alphabet Prewriting product. This breaks down each letter by stroke. Next, you will find the Prewriting Numbers unit which follows the same concept as the alphabet product but, you guessed it, with numbers instead! 

If you want to go a little further with this prewriting practice, grab my Preschool Prewriting and Drawing Bundle. This includes the three products listed above as well as my Preschool Drawing Unit, Scribble Scrabble. You can read all about this unit in my blog post! 

All the activities included follow a similar, simple format so that students can complete their practice independently!

Ready to get started?

Get my Prewriting Bundle here! 

You can find all of my developmentally appropriate reading and writing resources in my TpT Store! And you can check out my blog for so much more information on my resources plus tips on teaching reading and writing in the primary classroom!