Basic Shapes for Beginners (Digital PDF)

Handwriting is one of the most important skills your child will ever learn in their academic life. But the beginning of handwriting starts long before your child ever learns to write their first letter. In Basic Shapes for Beginners, you will learn the age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate ways to encourage pre-writing skills with your toddler and preschooler that are hands-on and fun.

On this 6 week journey you will be introducing the following pre-writing lines to your child:

• Vertical & Horizontal Lines
• Circle Shapes
• Cross (+) Shapes
• Squares & Rectangles
• Diagonal Lines & “X” Shapes
• Triangles & Diamonds

Your toddler and preschool age child will have fun learning these basic pre-writing lines and shapes while working on some important developmental skills such as fine motor strengthening, dexterity, manipulation, and basic letter formation through exposure to a variety of sensory experiences. 

Note to those in the European Union: I am unable to sell to those in the EU at this time due to the VAT tax. You can purchase this book in Full Color Paperback from CreateSpace/or Amazon.

Read More About It

There are 5 activities included in each week, along with 1 bonus activity for each week. There are also 3 bonus activities at the end of the ebook that you can use for kids who are older or ahead.

This book is designed for preschool age children age 2-5. Some of the activities are designed for the older end of that age group, but I also give adaptation ideas to make the activities safe and fun for the younger ages.

A Note For Children with Special Needs

The activities in this book are designed for typical children ages 2-5. However, if you have a child who is struggling with fine motor or handwriting skills due to a special need, the activities in this book can be very beneficial for many ages.

Skills your child will be working on include: 

• Fine Motor Strengthening, Dexterity, Manipulation
• Basic letter formation skills through sensory and fine motor skill practice in a developmental sequence
• Following directions (mostly verbal given by parent – correct verbiage included)
• Exposure to a variety of sensory input

** The activities in this book are not to replace the treatment your child receives from their Occupational Therapist or any other professional for their special needs. If you suspect your child has a special need or developmental delay please seek the consult of your physician or Occupational Therapist. 

What Other’s Are Saying About It 

Basic Shapes for Beginners is a simple, straight-forward approach to begin teaching pre-writing strokes to your preschool child. Heather’s instructions are easy to understand and implement in your home. Better yet, the activities require little prep time and encourage using items you already have lurking in a cabinet. ~ Sara McClure, Happy Brown House

Keeping my first child home for preschool, I had no idea where to even begin with teaching her writing. This book offers recommendations in steps, starting with basic lines and working up to shapes, all the while laying a wonderful foundation for when the child is ready to write letters! ~ Emma, P is for Preschooler

I’m using this book with my youngest son. My older two boys struggled with writing and I didn’t have the skill-set or knowledge to come up with activities for per-writing. With my younger son I want to do better and I’m really loving having this book to help us set a strong foundation for writing. ~ Lisa R,  A Rup Life

I like to engage my boys in play based learning on a regular basis and it can often be hard to come up with ideas. Basic Shapes for Beginners contains many activities using objects from around our house that are easily adaptable to multiple ages. This book will be the “lesson plan” for my two youngest (3 and 1 1/2 years) over the summer. I highly recommend this book! ~ Becky Marie, For This Season