Caterpillar Garden - A Looping Line Practice Picture

Get ready for writing letters by practicing a clockwise and counterclockwise loop pattern in your pre-writing and early handwriting lessons in kindergarten.

Practicing different lines and patterns with fluency helps children 

• develop the fine motor skills necessary for writing
• learn the circular motion ready for letters like e, o, p, a, c and more
• strengthen the muscles in the fingers, hands, and wrists
• develop spatial awareness and coordination. 

Both the clockwise and counterclockwise loop pattern requires children to move their hands in a specific direction and to control the size and shape of the loops. This helps them develop the ability to judge distances and to control their movements in writing. 

After some practice with a loop pattern across a large sheet of paper (ideally on an upright easel to allow for big arm movement) your children can make some pictures from loops - like flowers and foliage around a caterpillar or butterflies. 

Incorporating line and pattern drawing into your classroom routine is a fun and effective way to support your students' writing development. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• set up a "drawing center" in your classroom with a variety of materials, such as markers, crayons, and play dough - display some art or drawing ideas that students have created to guide imagination
• encourage students to draw lines, patterns, and shapes during free time and during literacy centers and rotations
• se line and pattern drawing as a warm-up activity before writing lessons
• incorporate line and pattern drawing into your writing lessons by having students trace, copy, and create their own patterns or use tracing pages as a guide

You may also like:

• more caterpillars to draw
• more spring garden pictures to draw