Pre-school writing preparation (part 2)

Author: Xu Mingwen, Yi Long Graphic Arts
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Starting school is a significant turning point in every child's life journey. Teachers and parents have the responsibility to help them prepare adequately for this transition. This preparation should not merely involve the rote learning of pinyin, recognizing Chinese characters, or solving arithmetic problems, but rather a series of psychological, cognitive, learning habits, and interest-related preparations related to learning. This series of books is developed based on the principles of scientific rigor, systematicity, practicality, and operability, drawing on the research findings of the "Kindergarten and Primary School Transition" project by the Ministry of Education, and tailored to the current physical and mental development characteristics of young children. It is a set of kindergarten readiness teaching materials specifically written for 5-6-year-old children by early childhood education professionals.
Writing is a series of eye-hand coordination and precise movements controlled by small motor skills in the hand. It is both connected to and distinct from the process of drawing. The connection lies in that both use a pen as a tool to move on paper according to human intention. The difference is that writing, due to various constraints and stroke limitations, is more specific and less spontaneous than drawing. Based on their connection, we can conclude that drawing activities are beneficial for practicing eye-hand coordination and hand control over the pen, or that drawing provides young children with opportunities for practice similar to that of writing.
This book is designed with this consideration in mind: it breaks down the strokes of pinyin letters, Chinese characters, and numbers into "drawings," guiding children to practice these related strokes in advance while drawing these special "drawings." Additionally, these "drawings" are smaller than regular drawings, making them closer to the concept of writing, thereby achieving the goal of preschool writing practice. If children show high enthusiasm for practice, parents and teachers can, based on these principles, incorporate additional practice content tailored to the child's living environment.