When we moved in the middle of the school year, I was thrilled to find a preschool/daycare for my son that said it followed preschool curriculum for learning and writing numbers and letters. And they also said they focused on learning through play.
At 3-and-a-half, he still couldn’t get him to hold a pencil correctly. He couldn’t write any of his letters coming from his his previous preschool. Knowing his numbers and letters was a shaky skill at best.
Worst yet, I kept comparing him to my daughter. She went to a fabulous (Read: Expensive) preschool while I worked outside of the home. She could speak Spanish at 2 and hold a pencil correctly too. (They used to break the crayons down to little numbs so the kids would be forced to grip them properly.)
I knew the one we put him last fall in wasn’t as fabulous, but I just wanted him to have some interaction. I didn’t need him to be a genius, but I did expect basic skills.
New school, new skills
When we moved in December the new school said they really focused on things like their letters, writing their letters, numbers and STEM. I was thrilled. I specifically asked about these skill because I was nervous that he was a bit behind.
A few months in, I was shocked to learn they hadn’t done any of that at all. I was very concerned about him holding a pencil. He will go to real preschool this fall and it is a needed school for 4-year-old preschool.
In June, not only could he not write his letters or numbers, but he didn’t really know any of them either. He could sing the ABCs, but that was it.
When I questioned the school they said it’s something that they really don’t focus on until they’re in the 4-year-old class.
This summer we’ve focused on learning his letters and trying to write them. He’s doing better but I’m dismayed that he’s still somewhat behind.
Our current status
He’s a smart kid so I have no doubt he’ll catch up. It’s just a bummer when you’ve been told they’re going to learn one thing and a school fails to meet stated expectations.
I made this tracing printout that we used to help him with the lines this summer. In case your little one is struggling with pencil grip and writing, I thought some of you might find it useful too. 🙂 It’s also great for those of you homeschooling.
You can find it in the Kids section of the Printables page.
There are three sheets of free tracing letters pages that include all of the ABCs and one page of numbers that include numbers 0-10.
Grab our back-to-school Lunch Box printables here too!
I was excited when I saw this because you can’t find these sheets anymore and you need them for younger students. Thank you
I love these! They would come in handy for small kids learning to write, that’s for sure. My kids had workbooks like this when they were small.
I’ve had so much trouble finding these sheets for my 4yr old! Thanks so posting this! ?
what an awesome idea for kids like my daughters age to help her out- i def have trouble finding these so thanks for having it all right here!
These sheets are great! I will be using these with my kids. They need the practice for the new school year.
I know the internet was around when my kids were babies, but I seriously feel left out. These are such great resources for teaching your littles.
I love these for reinforcement! I really could have used them when my son was in K. He had a hard time tracing and writing letters.
This is great! So useful for so many kiddos! Thank you for the printables.
These are great printable worksheets! Especially for this time of year, right before school starts! Thanks for sharing.
This will come in handy for anyone trying to get their kids to learn how to write. I think I’ll use them to help my preteen practice handwriting skills to write cleaner again!
These printouts are fabulous. We can’t always depend on the school to provide us with what we need.
This is a great practice sheet. I am so glad to see that handwriting is back in popularity! It is so needed.
This is so helpful! My son is not scoring high in writing right now so this will help!
This is a great printable. I always loved these for when kids were just learning how to write. My kids are older now, but I have many nieces and nephews that would benefit from this.
My granddaughter is learning letters and really enjoys worksheets. We need to print these off for her!
Such a great way for the little ones to learn how to write, I love it!!
What a great resource, especially for homeschoolers. Traceable pages are so helpful for kids who are learning to write.
These are such great activities. Especially for those just beginning to learn! I’ll send this to my friend.
Love these tracing sheets!! They are seriously so helpful for younger kids that are starting to learn them, thanks for sharing!
Kileen
cute & little
This is really a fun way to help your little ones learn how to write. They will surely enjoy doing this activity! Thanks for sharing!
I think this is a great exercise to hone their writing skills. It can be difficult for the kiddos sometimes. But I’m glad there are stuff like this that can keep the pain away.
We are teaching our kids to recognize letters & numbers. This is great! Will definitely make that learning much easier!
These sheets remind me of my early elementary years. Glad you shared these printables. They would be great for parents with kids who are still learning how to write.
These will be great for my son!! We are currently working on writing his name and other letters so I know these will help.
This printable is so useful. I wil totally print it out and use it with my younger daughter. She needs to work on her handwriting.
Love this printable!! It is always great to have so many resources like this one..going to print it out and put it in a page protector for my youngest to practice…my son could even use the extra practice in the afternoons after school!
Thank you! This printable is very useful! My daughter could use this, I am sure she is going to love it.
I love these printouts! I remember doing tracing like this when I started school. I will be printing out some of these for my daughter for school practice
A few of my mom friends would love this! I cant wait to share!
My mom and I were having so much trouble finding this for setting up homeschool.Thanks for posting this!!