La Horquetta North Government Primary School

Ladybird Avenue, La Horquetta, Arima.

Phone: 643-4727

Teacher: Miss. J. Castillo-Martinez

Phone No.: 761-1156
Email: reachjanice@hotmail.com

PENMANSHIP PROGRAMME GUIDE

Infant One

Mrs. Janice Castillo-Martinez

Curriculum Guide Information
CONTENT
16.1.1 - Copy basic shapes and patterns in preparation for writing numerals and letters.
16.1.2 - Know how to extend and practice motor skills through drawing, painting and tracing.
16.1.3 - Know how to write some lower and upper-case letters of the alphabet, and numerals.
16.1.4 - Know how to write neatly and legibly.

SKILLS
16.2.1 - Show the Handwriting Readiness skills of grasp of pencil, line awareness, directionality, Correct stroke, appropriate size, and spatial and
temporal words.
16.2.2 - Reproduce letters, numerals, words and simple sentences using correct strokes and patterns, direction, neatness and appropriate size.
16.2.3 - Produce drawing, painting and writing in response to stories and rhymes.

OUTCOMES
Show handwriting readiness by writing neatly and legibly, showing proper formation of letters and
numbers, and appropriate letter case application.

DISPOSITIONS
17.3.1- Be proud of their writing.

ELABORATIONS
Students trace and copy shapes and patterns of letters in the upper and lower-cases and numerals with neatness, correct strokes, direction and size.

SOURCE:
Republic of Trinidad And Tobago
Ministry of Education
Primary School Curriculum
Curriculum Guides
Infants 1
Curriculum Planning and Development Division 2013
Infant One - Pre-writing Activities
Pre-writing activities are important because they are foundation skills that help children master writing letters and numbers, drawing and colouring.
Students will begin with play activities that strengthen gross and fine motor skills.
Directed play activities for the development of the larger muscles of the body and arms precede exercises for the development of the finer muscles of the
hand and fingers. Here are some examples of activities to develop large muscles should include (but are not limited to): (make a game out of them)
 throwing
 rolling
 catching
 bouncing balls
 dancing running
 jumping
 pretending to be branches of trees in the wind
 ball walk - walk” the ball up the wall until the centre of the ball is just above shoulder level.
 crab walks
 pushing the wall
 air writing
 climbing
Here are activities to exercise smaller muscles of the hand and fingers and to develop coordination of hand and eye can include:
 Using screw toys
 opening and closng bottle caps
 modelling with clay or play dough/plasticine rolling it into small balls, long rolls etc. (Often both hand eye coordination and strengthening)
 cutting out strips with scissors
 folding paper and tearing paper into fine strips – use them for collage or crumple them into balls.
 drawing in the sand
 building and stacking blocks
 playing with tactile letters and putting together jig-saw puzzles
 Threading beads or macaroni onto string. (pinching objects between fingers)
 Lacing activities and using a tweezers
 Performing finger plays.
 Manipulating clothes pegs to pick up small objects.
 Building Blocks
 Finger painting (Hand eye coordination)
 Tracing-Get tracing paper and have your child trace pictures out of a coloring book (hand eye coordination)
 Buttoning and unbuttoning
 Zipping and unzipping
 Stirring
CORRECT PENCIL GRIP
The right hander should hold the pencil in a tripod position. Using
the long finger, the thumb and the index finger. All five fingers
should be slightly bent but not pulled into a fist. “Ideally left-
handers should hold the pen or pencil 2-3cm from the point to
enable them to see round their fingers and avoid “hooking” with the
writing hand or adopting and awkward neck posture when writing.
Initial guidance towards the correct method of holding and using a
writing instrument – crayon, paint brushes, chalk, also help in
acquiring posture.” Pencil grips may be used to assist young writers.
CORRECT SITTING POSTURE
When sitting, it is important that the height of the table does not
cause the child’s shoulder to shrug. It is important that the size of
the table and chair is just right for the child. The quality of
handwriting can be easily affected due to poor sitting posture. Feet
should be planted flat on the floor. Check that a left-hander is not
sitting too close to the right of a right-hander. This will avoid their
arms colliding.
CORRECT PAPER POSITIONS
The position of the paper matters and depends on whether the
student is heft handed or right handed. If the paper is placed in the
same position for the lefthanded child, it may make learning to write
an uncomfortable and difficult process.
 HANDWRITING OBSERVATION GUIDE
Name: __________________________________________________________________________

General handwriting skills Comments

Sitting position / posture

Pencil grip

Paper placement

Uses spacing appropriately

Correct orientation
In addition to the fine and gross motor activities, learning to trace and write patterns prepare students for formal letter writing. In First year, the following
are a set of basic patterns that students will need to master before they begin to learn to write the alphabet and numbers.

1. Horizontal: left to right lines 2. Vertical: top to bottom lines 3. Diagonal: slant lines
and back up

4. Zig zag lines 5. Circles/Half Circles: clockwise 6. Bumps: / up and overs

and anticlockwise

7. Down and unders 8. Hooks and Loops. 9. Spirals:

 SAMPLE ACTIVITIES
OF
PREWRITING
PATTERNS
(These are done two on a page so that the teacher can print and cut and stick in copybooks for children without having to resize worksheets)
Name:_______________________________ Name:_______________________________

Trace the lines from left to right. Trace the lines from left to right.
Name:_______________________________ Name:_______________________________

Trace the lines from top to bottom. Trace the lines from top to bottom.

Now trace the lines of the flower stems from top to bottom. Now trace the lines of the flower stems from top to bottom.
Name:_______________________________ Name:_______________________________
Trace these lines from top to bottom. Trace these lines from top to bottom.
Name:_______________________________ Name:_______________________________

Trace these lines from left to right. Trace these lines from left to right.
Name:_______________________________ Name:_______________________________
Trace these slanted lines. Trace these slanted lines.
Name:_______________________________ Name:_______________________________

Trace these slanted lines. Trace these slanted lines.

Name:_______________________________ Name:_______________________________

Trace these zig-zag lines. Trace these zig-zag lines.

Name:_______________________________ Name:_______________________________

Trace these zig-zag lines. Trace these zig-zag lines.

Name:_______________________________ Name:_______________________________

Trace the circles. Follow the arrow. Trace the circles. Follow the arrow.
Name:_______________________________ Name:_______________________________

Trace the circles. Start on the star. Trace the circles. Start on the star.
Name:_______________________________ Name:_______________________________

Trace the half circles. Trace the half circles.

Name:_______________________________ Name:_______________________________

Trace the half circles. Trace the half circles.

Name:_______________________________ Name:_______________________________

Trace the half circles from top to Trace the half circles from top to
bottom. bottom.
Name:_______________________________ Name:_______________________________

Trace balloon strings. Trace balloon strings.

Colour the balloons. Colour the balloons.
 Name:_______________________________ Name:_______________________________

Trace the humps. Go up and over. Trace the humps. Go up and over.

Help the lost babies get to their mothers. Help the lost babies get to their mothers.
Name:______________________________ Name:______________________________

Trace the humps. Go down and under. Trace the humps. Go down and under.

Trace the waves. Trace the waves.

Name:______________________________ Name:______________________________

Trace the lines. Trace the lines.

Name:______________________________ Name:______________________________

Trace up then down. Trace up then down.

Name:______________________________ Name:______________________________

Trace the hooks. Trace the hooks.

Name:______________________________ Name:______________________________

Trace the hooks. Trace the hooks.

Name:______________________________ Name:______________________________

Trace the hooks. Trace the hooks.

Name:______________________________ Name:______________________________

Trace the loops. Trace the loops.

Name:___________________________ Name:______________________________

Trace the spirals. Trace the spirals.

 Name:______________________________ Name:______________________________

Trace the spirals. Start at the centre. Trace the spirals. Start at the centre.