Peg, Thread, Write!

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Developing children's finger muscles.

Almost every interaction you have with your child is preparing them to become a reader and writer. Your child has been learning to write since before they could hold a pencil or crayon. Remember when, as babies, they first discovered their toes, trailed their fingers through their food or scratched marks in the ground with a stick? These are all early writing skills. Before your child can become a confident, legible and fluent writer they need to have lots of experience in developing large & fine movements.

Pegs are a fantastic, readily available resource that can be used to encourage young children to develop the muscles needed for writing by pinching and attaching pegs. They can do this by pegging around baskets, attaching pegs to each other or helping to hang out the washing.

Colour pegs can help a child practice patterns of colour and to recognise repeating patterns. They can also be used for matching by encouraging your child to attach the green peg to something in the garden that is green, for example. These are both skills that will also support early reading and writing.


Top Tip

Threading, posting, pulling, pushing, hanging and twisting are all movements that develop finger muscles that are later used for writing. Finding everyday resources that your child can use to practise these skills will strengthen their muscles through play. Playdough is a wonderful resource that you can make with your child to strengthen their muscles. Adding extra items to the playdough can create variety such as children's scissors, twigs, pipe cleaners, rolling pins, cutters, pegs and so much more. All of these resources will help strengthen the muscles that are needed for holding a pencil. For a simple play dough recipe click the link on the sidebar.
Recipe for homemade play dough
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Frequently Asked Questions

Are you looking for advice about your child's learning and development? We answer your frequently asked questions here.

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