Trace & Write Letters Station Summary
Use Tactile Sandpaper Letters and Shaving Cream on Wax paper taped to the table.
Cognitive Benefits
Studies show that writing improves memory; students retain learning better when working with new ideas through handwriting (Oak Meadow, 2020).
Learning the alphabet by interacting with each letter in many different physical ways helps students imprint and retain the letters and the letter sounds for easier recall when learning to read (Oak Meadow, 2020).
Handwriting can help us slow down and fully engage with our thoughts (Oak Meadow, 2020).
Basically, as children write, the hand is communicating with the areas of the brain that process language, and as their visually tracking what they are doing, the brain is even more engaged (Primary Beginnings, 2020).
Children who spend more time working with a pen and paper over typing have stronger reading and spelling skills because writing activates the parts of the brain that controls the ability to read (Primary Beginnings, 2020).
Social and Emotional
Struggling with handwriting takes valuable brain energy away from any writing task, but when that skill is mastered, it makes all the difference. Skilled, fluid handwriting is an asset to learning (Oak Meadow, 2020).
Motor Benefits
Learning letters through writing them involves numerous tactile experiences, engaging the fine-motor muscles of the fingers and hand, and larger muscles of the arm and body, as well as the eyes (Oak Meadow, 2020).
Gripping the pencil strengthens the muscles in the hand and fingers while forming the letters improves control over those muscles and creates a stronger bond between the brain and the hands (Primary Beginnings, 2020).
At Home Strategies
Talk about the name of the letter.
Talk about the way it is formed/what it is made of.
References
Oak Meadow. (2020, January 21). 12 Reasons Why Handwriting Is Important: Oak Meadow School. Retrieved July 21, 2020, from https://www.oakmeadow.com/12-reasons-why-handwriting-is-important/ 
Primary Beginnings. (2020, July 20). Why Handwriting is Important for Preschoolers: Learning to Write. Retrieved July 21, 2020, from https://www.primarybeginnings.com/blog/why-handwriting-is-still-important-for-children

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