Montessori daycare is where children should be introduced to the idea of writing, but the process begins even earlier, by developing the muscles and coordination necessary to grip and use a crayon or pencil. During the first few years, developing fine motor skills is a critical part of education, because those skills affect all other segments of the child’s life, including performing basic skills like eating, tying shoes, and more.
Gripping and Maneuvering
Using the fingers to pick up, hold, and draw require refinements of fine motor skills. As children build stronger muscles and learn how to use them more appropriately, they progress from crude drawing to the ability to draw individual letters and then entire words. The first 2 years are focused on simpler forms of expression and language development, including activities like drawing and learning to pronounce and identify different colors.
Manipulate Small Objects
Small daycare children are not able to form legible words, but every apparent scribble on a page brings them one step closer to literacy. Small daycare children are not able to form legible words, but every apparent scribble on a page brings them one step closer to literacy. Until she is able to manipulate the tip of a pencil with some precision, every attempt to write may appear meaningless, but words will become clearer and more recognizable with practice and development.
Whole-Child Development
Montessori education works to develop all aspects of the child. This includes physical abilities, social skills, academic abilities, and critical thinking, in addition to teaching children important life skills that will make them more productive, interactive members of the family and community. This is done through self-directed activities that combine multiple learning opportunities with engaging and enjoyable hands-on activities. And because children do not all learn at the same pace, classrooms are divided into 3-year age groups to provide every kid with an opportunity to learn at their own pace.
The real focus on handwriting won’t come until a few years later, but developing the skills necessary for handwriting should begin as early as possible. Realistically, the development begins with an infant gripping her parent’s finger and is practiced regularly for years to come in every activity from drawing to cutting paper with scissors.