Tonya Booth MS, OTR/L



Pre-writing skills are lines and shapes children need to learn before they are able to write the alphabet. These lines and shapes include the directional movements required to be successful in writing, such as horizontal lines, vertical lines, diagonal lines, and basic simple shapes. These are strokes that most letters and numbers are composed of. It is important for children to develop these skills to produce legible writing. If a child is unable to produce the pre-writing skills it may lead to frustration and resistance resulting in poor self-esteem and academic performance. Each of these skills are developed in sequence and based on the age of the child.

What are the developmental milestones for pre-writing?

Children develop on their own timelines, so your child may differ from these age ranges.

• 2 years old
• Imitates horizontal/vertical lines (2-2.5 years old)
• Imitates circle (2.5 years old)
• 3 years old
• Copies horizontal/vertical lines (3 years old)
• Copies circle (3 years old)
• Imitates cross (3.5 years old)
• 4 years old
• Copies cross (4-4.5 years old)
• Imitates square (4-4.5 years old)
• Imitates diagonal lines (4.5 years old)
• 5 years old
• Copies square (5 years old)
• Copies diagonal lines (5 years old)
• Imitates "x" (5 years old)
• Imitates triangle (5 years old)
• Copies "x" (5.5 years old)
• Copies triangle (5.5 years old)

What are activities to improve my child’s pre-writing skills?

Squishy Sensory Bags: You can use cotton swabs or your fingers to draw lines and shapes! Source

Sticker Line-Up: Work on pre-writing skills and fine motor skills at the same time. Trace over your lines and shapes with your favorite stickers! Source

Dry Erase Boards: Grab a dry erase board and dry erase markers and practice the lines and shapes. Make this activity more challenging by placing the dry erase board on a vertical surface to improve their pencil grasp! Source

Play-Doh: Use your child’s favorite play-doh color and roll out the different lines and shapes! This also improves your child’s hand strength. Get creative and add glass beads to trace the lines and shapes. Source

Pre-Writing Activity Pages: Print off some fun pages and use your child’s favorite markers, crayons, or colored pencils and make some art for your fridge! Source

These are all great activities to help your child practice pre-writing skills! For more tips and activity ideas, check out our other blog posts and follow us on Pinterest!