Swrite the first words, we know, it represents a special moment for children. A goal which, however, to be achieved, requires children to acquire a series of skills to be trained in the first years of life: for this reason we speak of pregraphicism.
«The formal acquisition of handwriting begins in preschool age and requires several years of practice to achieve an adequate level of automation necessary for writing – he explains Marcella Mauro, Developmental Psychologist at Humanitas PsicoCare. – The ability to write requires indeed the integration of motor, linguistic, visual-perceptive, attentional, emotional, memory skills and anticipatory strategies which organize themselves under the command of the brain.”
What is meant by pregraphism
So what is specifically meant by pre-graphism?
“With the term pregraphicism in fact it means the condition that comes before handwriting, or rather the first attempts to graphically represent, through signs or drawings, objects, ideas or concepts – explains the specialist. – Refers to all those activities and exercises that prepare children in their first years of growth to acquire writingThat it is not innate ability. To learn to write fluently, it is necessary to develop various skills that go beyond simply writing letters. Writing is a complex and sophisticated action, result of a series of cognitive, neurological and muscular processes, which must be automated and which for some children can represent a real obstacle.
Prewriting and prewriting: is there a difference?
Pregraphism and prewriting However, they should not be confused because they are different concepts: while prewriting develops basic motor and visual skills, prewriting is more specific.
“Both they are related to learning to write but differ in their objectives and approach – explains Dr. Mauro. – In the pregraphism the goal is to prepare children for writing, through activities that focus on the development of fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, spatial organization and visual discrimination skills. Activities include exercises such as drawing straight lines, curves, circles and other basic shapes. Pregraphism also focuses on familiarization of children with hand and wrist movements needed to write letters and numbers. In the prescriptionthe next stage after pregraphism, theobjective is the formal learning of the letters of the alphabet and numbers. Activities include exercises focus on teaching specific formson the direction and order of the strokes that make up letters and numbers.
Pregraphicism: why it is important
Writing is therefore a process that begins long before a child forms letters with a pencil: this is why pre-graphism is very important.
«Pregraphism prepares you for success in writing, developing fine motor skills, necessary to use the pencil correctly, improving eye-hand coordination and precision of movements – specifies the expert. – It is also important because promotes visual memory and concentrationthe development of creativity, experimenting with shapes, colors and materials to get closer to writing.”
The skills to acquire before learning to write
As mentioned, although we often tend to underestimate this aspect, for a child to learn to write it is necessary that acquire many other specific skills.
«Hand and finger strength, for example – specifies Dr. Mauro. – The ability to exert force against resistance using the hands and fingers is what allows the muscular power necessary for the controlled movement of the pencil. Or even there object manipulation: there ability to skillfully manipulate toolsincluding holding and moving pencils and scissors, e the use of everyday tools such as cutlery or toothbrush. Hand-eye coordination is also crucial, i.e ability to process information received from the eyes to control, guide and direct the hands in performing a task such as handwriting. And then grab the pencil: the efficiency with which the pencil is held, which allows age-appropriate movements to be generated.”
The controlled movement of the hand
Added to these are even more specific skills.
“There strength and stability provided by the shoulders to allow controlled movement of the hand – continues the expert. – The the brain’s ability to interpret and make sense of visual images seen by the eyes, like letters and numbers. L’constant use of one hand, usually the same, for the execution of tasks, which allows you to develop refined skills. And then again the use of the thumb, index finger and middle finger for gripping and manipulation, leaving the fourth and fifth fingers hidden in the palm of the hand to stabilize the other fingers.”
What activities are recommended to train pre-graphism
Many parents often wonder which pre-writing activities are best suited to help their children.
«In a typical day of school for children they must be integrated lots of outdoor play opportunities with spaces to crawl and climbto develop the gross motor skills and lateral transverse movements – explains Dr. Mauro again. – They are also fundamental activities to strengthen the upper limbs, as the walking with the wheelbarrow and games for fine motor skills to control small movements precise with your fingers, wrists and hands.”
Tracing dots and lines and coloring
«They also have to be including activities such as tracing shapes and patterns, connecting the dots, copying lines, drawing, and coloring with finger paints, brushes, or crayons – continues the psychologist. – Other important activities are work with modeling clay, draw on a vertical surface like a blackboard, use tweezers and pliers, string beads on a threador, write in the sand and cut out with scissors. These are all good pre-writing exercises for the child.”
Pregraphics: games to play
If children’s interest in writing usually manifests itself around 4/5 years of age, Isi can start training pre-graph skills around 2-3 years of age through play.
«At this age children can begin to practice games that require the manipulation of moldable material – explains the expert. – But also dress up dolls or play other games that require threading and fastening with laces of various sizes. Cut out shapes with scissors to then glue to create figures such as robots, trains or houses. Create crafts using old boxes, egg cartons, wool, paper and tape. Or even building with colored bricks.”
Can workbooks be useful?
Many parents wonder if they can be useful classic workbooks for pre-graphism.
“The Pregraphics teaching cards are a particularly useful tool to introduce children to writing gradually – specifies the expert. – Through the use of cards you become familiar with the graphic spacegradually refining the “doodles” that they are used to sketching from the early years of their lives and transforming them into increasingly defined lines.”
Avoid boring and repetitive exercises
However, be careful not to focus on exercises that are too repetitive.
«Exercises on cards that require letters to be traced are not beneficial for learning writing if not preceded by well-organized proprioceptive, bodily and sensorial activities – concludes Dr. Mauro. – The first step is alternate them with other activities and games, combining useful with funto help the little ones to start their journey on the right foot it’s at prevent any difficulties in terms of handwriting and writing over time».
iO Donna © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED