This document provides guidance for teaching handwriting to young children. It discusses that handwriting instruction should begin in preschool through kindergarten age (ages 3-5) as this is the optimal window for children to learn grip, strokes, and motor skills needed for writing. The program described uses 15 minute daily lessons that follow 3 steps - the teacher models, the student copies, and the emerging handwriting develops. Activities focus on developing motor skills before formal letter learning and use varied materials like crayons, chalk, and pencils suited to different ages. Grip, directionality, and practice are emphasized to build correct memory and skills for future writing success.

2. Fundamentos
0 Porqué enseñar Escritura:
0 ES PARTE DE SER UNA PERSONA EDUCADA.
0 TIENE FUNDAMENTOS DE INVESTIGACIÓN BASADOS
EN EL DESARROLLO DEL NIÑO.
0 ALTAS EXPECTATIVAS DE LOS PROFESORES DE
KINDER 3 Y PRIMERO DE PRIMARIA PERO NO HABÍA
UN SISTEMA PARA ENSEÑARLA.
0 HWT EXISTE DESDE 1975

3. Fundamentos
0 ES UN ENTRENAMIENTO PARA SU VIDA ACADÉMICA
0 NO ES UN PROGRAMA EXTRA AL NUESTRO, A LO QUE
YA HACEMOS, AGREGA MÚSICA, EL MAT MAN,
COLOREADO, APRENDER A COLOREAR, ACTIVIDADES
MULTISENSORIALES, TOMAR EL LÁPIZ Y
ACTIVIDADES DE CONSTRUCCIÓN DE LETRAS.
0 EVITA NÚMEROS Y LETRAS VOLTEADAS
0 EL FIN ÚLTIMO DE LA ESCRITURA ES QUE SEA
FUNCIONAL: RAPIDEZ, DURACIÓN Y LEGIBILIDAD.

4. INSTRUCCIÓN
0 LA INSTRUCCIÓN DEL PROGRAMA TIENE 3 PASOS
FUNDAMENTALES:
 LA MAESTRA MODELA
EL ALUMNO COPIA
EMERGE LA ESCRITURA INCIPIENTE
INFORMAL, INTERACTIVA Y PRÁCTICA
15 MINUTOS AL DIA, NO HAY NECESIDAD DE PAPEL
Y LÁPIZ PARA UNA LECCIÓN DE ESCRITURA

5. INSTRUCCIÓN
LOS EJERCICIOS DE ESCRITURA COMIENZAN EN K3
PK, K1 Y K2 NO UTILIZAN LÁPIZ. SE UTILIZAN
CRAYOLAS, GISES Y PINCELES TODOS CORTOS Y
DELGADOS. NO SE RECOMIENDAN LOS PLUMONES.
K3 INICIA FORMALMENTE EL PROCESO DE
LECTOESCRITURA Y EL USO DEL LÁPIZ.
LAS CRAYOLAS, GISES Y PINCELES OFRECEN
RESISTENCIA SOBRE LA SUPERFICIE DONDE SE
TRAZA AYUDANDO A TONIFICAR LOS MÚSCULOS DE
LA MANO Y LOGRAR LA DURACIÓN (ENDURANCE)

6. INSTRUCCIÓN
DE LOS 2 A LOS 5 AÑOS ES NUESTRA VENTANA DE
OPORTUNIDAD PARA QUE LOS NIÑOS APRENDAN A
TOMAR EL LÁPIZ Y EL TRAZO DE LETRAS. A PARTIR
DE LOS 5 AÑOS ESA VENTANA SE CIERRA
RÁPIDAMENTE Y PARA 2º YA NO ES POSIBLE
ENSEÑAR, SÓLO CORREGIR EN ALGUNOS CASOS.
LECCIONES RÁPIDAS Y CONSISTENTES, LA
INSTRUCCIÓN DEBE SER DIARIA, RECORDEMOS QUE
CADA LECCIÓN DURA 15 MINUTOS. SI SE HACE EN
GRUPOS PEQUEÑOS, 15 MINUTOS POR GRUPO.

7. 2-3 AÑOS
0 READINESS AND SOCIAL (ESTAR LISTOS Y LO
SOCIAL)
0 MI MANO SOCIAL
0 CANCIONES
0 JUEGOS DE DEDOS, MOTRICIDAD FINA, LITTLE O’S
0 ARENERO Y MANOS DE CUCHARA
0 ENTRENAMIENTO PARA LOS DEMÁS GRADOS

8. 3-4 AÑOS
TOMAR EL LAPIZ
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
ES LO MÁS IMPORTANTE DE TODO LO QUE VAMOS A HACER
SE ENSEÑA
SE DEMUESTRA
SE CORRIGE
SE OBSERVA
SE CORRIGE
TENEMOS QUE ESTAR CORRIGIENDO TODO EL TIEMPO EN
TODAS LAS CLASES.
0 LA PRACTICA HACE MEMORIA, PERO EL CEREBRO NO
DISTINGUE SI ES BUENA O MALA PRÁCTICA, HACE MEMORIA
POR IGUAL. POR ESO ES IMPORTANTE QUE LA PRÁCTICA QUE
TENGAN LOS NIÑOS SEA CON EL TRAZO CORRECTO CADA VEZ.

9. 5 AÑOS
COMIENZA LA INTRODUCCIÓN A LA ESCRITURA
FORMALMENTE.
LOS NIÑOS EMPIEZAN A USAR LÁPIZ Y LÁPICES DE
COLORES.
LOS NIÑOS APRENDEN A ESCRIBIR EN DOS O TRES
RAYAS. MIENTRAS MÁS OPORTUNIDADES TENGAN
DE EXPERIMENTAR CON DIFERENTES TIPOS DE
RAYADO, MÁS FÁCIL SERÁ QUE LOGREN ADAPTAR SU
ESCRITURA A CUALQUIER TIPO DE PAPEL.
LO MÁS IMPORTANTE ES SER ACTIVOS EN EL
PROCESO.

10. Tips for teachers:
Use a small pompon or ball for children to hold with
pinky and ring fingers when teaching grip.
Use “small” pieces of crayon, chalk or pencil to force
good grip.
A good grip helps with endurance, speed and legibility
in Primary school.
Mechanical pencils help children that use too much
pressure to write.
Put fat crayons in the art center where you don’t use
them for handwriting.
Special Ed children will need more help in developing
their knowledge, grip is not essencial.

11. Teaching grip is NOT a one day lesson. Use as many
lessons as you need until all your students have the
correct pencil grip.
Use the Crayon Song until children have memorized it
with you, part by part. Use 15 minute chunks each day.
Remember: Quick Consistent lessons!!
For beginners use the Hokey Pokey with the wooden
pieces, Tap,Tap,Tap, play with them and their body
parts. Use them to show prepositions. Use them for
rhythm and patterns.
Build shapes with the WP before tracing them at all.
Alphabet knowledge is first, handwriting practice is
something else, letter formation comes AFTER they
recognize the alphabet. It begins in K1, it’s done as a
whole, not letter by letter.

12. Coloring is VITAL! It is NOT a time filling activity. Use
it to correct
grip, direction, force, endurance, stamina, flipping
colors, etc. Children need to LEARN how to color.
Aim and scribble; aim and color; aim and trace pages
in the book are not activities to fill in the book and
move on. They must MASTER the skill first, look at the
direction and pattern taught in each page. Until
then, move to the coloring pages.
Use “My turn, your turn” to reinforce vocabulary and
different direction tracing before the coloring pages.
Use kraft paper and paint, kraft paper and crayons
markers, colored glue, shaving cream, etc. When you
see that they master direction, then start coloring in
the book.

13. REMINDERS:
 PRACTICE BUILDS MEMORY. HAVE THEM PRACTICE
CORRECTLY TO BUILD CORRECT MEMORY.
 HWT is basically done in Small Group instruction.
 Wet, dry, try is one of the most effective tools for fun
repetition. Use it on the slate or in the Ipad.
 ALL ACTIVITIES ARE TEACHER LED, teacher models and
then “your turn” lesson.
 Alphabet knowledge includes identifying their name in
Title and capitals. That doesn’t mean they need to know
how to write it down.
 Teach them how to write their names as they are ready.
Transition to Title name is done on their own when ready,
it may happen up to 1st grade. Some choose it as their first
option. Let them tell when THEY are ready.

14. THE MAT MAN
Teaches the following:
 How to draw a person
 Body parts recognition
 Shapes for the body
 Describing words:
big, small, one, two, curly, straight, black, ye
llow, brown.
 Action words:
think, eat, hear, smell, see, walk.
 Generalization when comparing him to
them.

15. Why capitals first?
Capital letters:
 They all start at the top
 They all have the same size
 None goes up or down a line
 They learn all the different strokes
 Most ambience print is in capitals.
Lower case:
 Different starting points
 Not all are the same size
 Some go up or down the line
 Some are tall, some are short
 Too much to process at age 4