Pre-writing is the foundation of learning to write. In fact, during this stage, children learn to control the movement of their hands to develop the precision skills that will be necessary for writing. It is important to say, however, that this process does not only concern the ability to trace letters and numbers, but is also connected to the development of other skills that allow children to write effectively and understandably.

• fine motor skills;
• the language capacity to understand and reproduce it;
• the processing of sensory stimuli (textures, shapes, colors, ...) and spatial stimuli (above-below, inside-outside, ...);
• visual memory to reproduce shapes and figures;
• attention and concentration;
• hand-eye coordination;
• praxis, or the ability to perform an accurate gesture.

It is possible to identify 3 stages of preparation for writing by the child.

In the scribbling stage, children begin to make random, messy marks on paper or other surfaces. This can include irregular strokes, circles, broken lines, and abstract shapes. The purpose of this stage is primarily to familiarize children with writing tools and to understand that they can control the movement of their hands to produce marks on surfaces.

In the spontaneous writing stage, children begin to produce lines and shapes that are more defined and intentional than scribbling. While still somewhat messy, their productions become more deliberate and purposeful. They may begin to experiment with the direction and length of their strokes, producing shapes that show greater intentionality.

In the controlled writing stage, children develop greater precision in controlling the movement of their hands. They begin to produce more defined and recognizable shapes , such as circles, straight lines, squares and are able to color inside the spaces. This stage is crucial for the preparation for alphabetic writing, as children acquire the ability to trace and reproduce letters in an understandable way.

There are many activities related to pre-writing that can help develop writing in children. Below you can find some that you can also propose at home to play with your little one:

• Tracing Lines and Shapes : Fill a tub with cornmeal and encourage your child to trace the line you draw on a sheet of paper with his or her finger. This is one of the most popular Montessori pre-writing activities.
• Drawing with different materials : Offer a variety of drawing materials, such as colored pencils, colored chalks, crayons, markers, and water paint brushes. The child will learn to manipulate different tools that require different pressures to make marks.
• Manipulating plastic materials : Use modeling clay or play dough to create three-dimensional shapes and figures. Children can model balls, snakes, cones and other objects, thus developing hand-eye coordination and fine motor control.
• Sensory activities : depending on the age of the child, you can propose the treasure basket or a heuristic game to stimulate the processing of sensory stimuli.
• Montessori Activities : Among the Montessori activities that can be adopted are cutting lines with scissors, threading beads, playing the decanting game, gluing beans or seeds on drawn lines to develop the little one's fine motor skills.

According to a study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics, pre-writing activities promote the development of children's motor, cognitive, and language skills , effectively preparing them for formal learning to write. In addition, pre-writing has been shown to contribute to the growth of children's confidence in their creative abilities and learning potential. Here are some of the main benefits associated with pre-writing in detail:

Pre-writing helps children improve their hand-eye coordination andfine motor control . These skills are crucial for manipulating writing tools and producing precise, controlled strokes.

Through activities such as tracing lines and shapes, children acquire the basic skills needed to write letters, numbers and words in a comprehensible way.

Pre-writing activities also stimulate children's cognitive skills , such as visual perception, visual memory and concentration, which are important for recognising and reproducing shapes and figures.