Forming Letters Activities for Preschoolers: 26+ Ways to Teach Your Preschooler How to Write Letters Correctly

by | Oct 31, 2022

Teaching preschoolers about letters and how to write them correctly can be so much fun. Seeing their curious little minds work and put together the pieces is so rewarding.

It may feel like the pressure is on to teach them about letters and writing them correctly. I have put together some important information and activities to make teaching letter formation fun and seamless!

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Is Forming Letters Correctly Important?

Yes, forming letters correctly is very important. If children do not learn how to correctly form letters, writing can become very difficult and time-consuming.

Imagine for a second writing a word, but instead of writing from top to bottom, you write from bottom to top. That is a very inconvenient way of writing.. not to mention, learning to write in cursive would be almost impossible!

When is the Best Time to Teach Letter Formation?

Typically, around preschool age is the best time to teach letter formation. Children should be able to identify, copy, trace, write lines, patterns and shapes before teaching letter formation.

How do You Teach Forming Letters?

Teach Top to Bottom

Teach children to write from top to bottom.

Use Starting Points

Give children a starting point for writing letters. I like to choose printables that have a starting dot and arrows for them to follow.

Teach both Upper AND Lowercase Letters

Many times, people focus on just uppercase or just lowercase, however teaching both is important! I like to phrase it as every letter has a big pal and a little pal!

Strategies for Teaching How to Write Letters Correctly:

Pre-Writing Practice

Before beginning to form letters, it is important to make sure that your little one is ready. Ensuring that they can do things like hold a pencil properly, trace a line, make shapes, and color.

Easy No-Prep Prewriting Practice Printables (FREE) | 3 Dinosaurs

Free Pre-Writing Printables – The Kindergarten Connection

Related Blog: Letter T Printables: Alphabet Learning Activities for Preschoolers

Practice Similar Letters Together

Practicing similar letters together is beneficial for a few different reasons.

Similar letters require similar hand motions, so the repetitive motion is good for hand-eye coordination. It is also beneficial for kids to be able to distinguish letters that are similar.

Exposure to Properly Formed Letters

Expose your little ones to letters that are properly formatted. Use visual cues like dotted lines, a highlighted bottom line, different colored lines, etc so they can see how to format their letters.

Practice makes perfect!

Make it Fun

Kiddos learn best when having fun! Ensuring that your little one is having fun is very beneficial because they will not grow sour towards the activity or task you are asking them to do.

26 Activities for Teaching How to Write Letters Correctly

Fun activities are probably one of the best ways to teach anything to kiddos.

Use Wikki Sticks

Wikki sticks are a low-pressure way of teaching letter formation and recognition.

Pipe Cleaners

Pipe cleaners are similar to wikki stix, and an equally great way to learn letter formation!

Dot Markers

Dot Markers are a phenomenal way to teach proper letter formation.

Crayons/ Markers (amazon link, blurb, plus link to letter color sheets *check TL for some)

Having some different items to write/color with is so important to switch it up!

Coloring Sheets

Coloring printables are a great way to expose little ones to properly formed letters and allow them to have fun and color at the same time.

Rainbow Writing

Rainbow writing is where you use different colored markers/crayons/colored pencils to trace over a letter and make a rainbow letter. The adult can make the first letter trace, and then the little one can take over!

Dry Erase Markers

Dry-erase markers are great to use on laminate sheets that you can use over and over!

Q-Tip Painting

Grab some q-tips, paint, and some paper. Draw out the letter you want them to paint (if they are more advanced) skip this step. Then have them paint with the q-tips! They can dot the paint or use the q-tip like a paintbrush.

Stickers

Stickers are a fun and simple way to practice letter formation. Have your little ones make the letters with stickers!

Washi Tape

Washi tape is a unique and fun way to work on letter formation. You can use the tape to make the different letters that you are working with.

Playdough

Playdough is great for little hands to play with, but also serves as a fun way to form letters!

Stampers

Stampers, similar to dot markers can be used to dot around a letter that you have traced for your little one.

Watercolors

Watercolors are a great way to get little ones engaged! Have your little one paint the letter(s) they are working on!

Salt Tray

Simply add some salt to a tray or plate and have your kiddo start tracing different letters with their fingers.

Practice Finger Tracing

Show your preschooler how to use their finger to trace imaginary letters or letters that you have drawn out for them.

Jelly Beans or Cereal

This is a fun one! (make sure to have extra as a snack!)

Use jelly beans, cereal, or whatever you have laying around to make letters with!

Pom Poms

You can use this activity as a fine motor skill activity if you have your kiddo use tweezers to pick up the pom poms and form letters!

Pattern Blocks

Pattern blocks are a great way for little ones to learn letter formation while doubling as a way to learn about shapes. You can get these free pattern block letter templates here.

Shaving Cream

This is a classic activity for littles learning to form letters. Dispense shaving cream onto a table or flat surface and have your littles create letters.

Related Post: Shaving Cream: A Fun Learning Activity

Incorporate Gross Motor Movements

Have your little ones use their bodies to make letters or have them write letters in the air with their whole arm.

Ghostwriting Trick

Your little ones will be in awe when they discover this ghost-writing trick!

Related Post: Hand and Finger Strengthening Activities

Alphabet Printables for Practicing Letter Formation

CreatePrintables – Free A-Z Letter Formation Tracing Worksheet Preschool & Kindergarten

I love these printables from CreatePrintables. They have letters A-Z and have both upper- and lower-case letters.

Free Alphabet Letter Formation Cards – Stay At Home Educator

I love these sheets! I really like that there is a picture associated with the letter as well!

Letter Formation Cards (Free Printable Set) (natureinspiredlearning.com)

These letter-formation cards are wonderful! After tracing the letters, help your little one cut out the cards and now you have letter flashcards!

Fun Alphabet Learning Worksheets – Raising Hooks

These sheets are very dynamic and keep your little one engaged because of all the different activities there are to do on the sheet.

Free Letter Tracing Worksheets – Paper Trail Design

These sheets are more of a classic sheet like we grew up with. I love the sign language letter at the top of the sheet!

Frequently Asked Questions about Forming Letters

How many letters should I teach at a time?

Pick 2-4 letters per week to teach. After a few weeks of adding in letters, be sure to review a few that you’ve already taught.

Should I teach them their name first?

I would teach them the letters of their name using the 2-4 a week rule. Then, you can have them put it all together once they’ve learned all of the letters of their name.

Related Post: 12 Fun Activities to Teach Letter Recognition

Should I teach uppercase or lowercase first?

You should teach them simultaneously! This way your child understands that they are the same letter, making the same sounds, just used differently.

What do I do if my child is forming letters incorrectly?

If your child has picked up a bad habit of incorrectly forming letters, you can gently correct them with a fun tracing printable!

What is the best activity for teaching letter formation?

Doing a variety of different activities is great for teaching letter formation. Using different activities helps to stimulate different parts of the brain and allows for a deeper learning experience.

Learning letter formation is a big step for younger kids. It means that they are well on their way to reading and writing.

It can seem stressful, but don’t let it be! Have a good time and create a fun learning experience for your little ones.

What are your favorite letter formation activities? Let me know in the comments!