Do you have a younger child who is eager to learn to read, but does not yet have the fine motor skills for handwriting? Here are some simple ways to adapt Letter Mastery for little ones.
As each letter is introduced in Letter Mastery, add one of our new Jumbo Handwriting Cards to a wall at your child’s eye level and have him trace the letter shape. If you use school glue to place little dots along the shape of the letters before hanging them, finger-tracing will become a tactile experience, and you may catch your child tracing them throughout the day just for fun!
Before beginning each lesson, have your child also practice writing their letters in a salt or sand tray with the corresponding flashcard in front of them. Note: a simple shallow container from the dollar store will work. Wooden letter trays are beautiful, but not necessary!
Practice the American Sign Language letters they are currently learning. Write letters in the air, in shaving cream, or finger paint in a ziplock bag.
Once you feel your child is becoming comfortable making the letter shapes, encourage him to try using a pencil to trace just one or two of the letters on each handwriting sheet in Letter Mastery. Remember, every child is different and you know your child best. Experiment with different multi-sensory reinforcements to find what works well for him.
Keep in mind that many young children are not developmentally ready to learn to read at a young age so don’t stress if your child isn’t ready yet! If you sense he isn’t ready, set aside the book for a time. Focus on keeping learning fun and practice ear, eye and tongue training as a part of your everyday life.