To complement the finger play we shared with you earlier this week we added a tracing page to our free coloring page library.
Tracing is a great prewriting activity to help your students get their eyes, hands and fingers ready for writing!
Think about:
- letting them use a writing tool that will make them feel successful - a texta, marker or crayon gives a good solid clear line more easily than a thin, fine pencil
- encouraging your learners to trace the picture with their finger prior to starting - guide them around the page with verbal cues and encourage them to listen to you as you direct them with support for correct formation - e.g. let's start at the top of the rain and trace downward - zig, zag, zig, zag
- embed early writing skills - top to bottom strokes, left to right direction etc
Extend the prewriting into a more creative art experience by giving your students soft pencil or chalk pastel to shade with. They can glue some small pieces of cotton to the clouds, using fine motor skills to pull the cotton apart and attach with glue to their page.
A basic lesson outline in the classroom, using this page, may look as follows:
- Read and learn our Across the Sky Finger Play
- Show students the tracing page
- Tell students that today they will trace the picture to help their writing skills
- Model how to hold a pencil correctly
- Put the page in front of the students and model how to trace carefully - verbalize how you are selecting a part to trace first, keeping your eye on the line, putting the tip of the pencil down on the page and following the line with your eye. Verbalize also how to keep your eye and hand moving together along the line until you complete the shape. Make a few mistakes where your pencil leaves the tracing line to demonstrate to the students that this is OK, and how to self-correct and find the line again. Model persistence and trying hard to keep the pencil moving.
- Distribute a paper for each student and provide appropriate writing tools for them to complete the page.
- Encourage students to trace the picture first with their finger, especially the rain - encouraging the downstroke and top to bottom movement.
- Monitor your students and give them verbal support and encouragement.
- When all student work is complete, display them to celebrate your students' hard work!
We have available to you from our store, a pack full of additional pages should you wish to extend your learners or provide more opportunities for them to trace and have fun! Don't forget to find the free finger play too!
