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You are here: Home / Fine Motor / How to Set Up the Preschool Writing Center

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How to Set Up the Preschool Writing Center

July 16, 2015 by Sheryl Cooper

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Inside: The preschool writing center is an important area of the classroom for exploring writing tools while also working on fine motor and literacy skills. Here are some of our favorite tips and activities!

Providing a writing center in the preschool classroom is a fun way to encourage young children to use writing tools.

This area can have a variety of materials that strengthen the hands and fingers, while also exposing children to the alphabet.

While some might be able to write some letters, or their names, others might be working on circles and lines.

Having an open-ended center allows children of different learning levels to explore in their own way.

Make sure to scroll down to find all the free printables, including our list of favorite writing center materials!

How to Set Up the Preschool Writing Center

How to Set Up the Preschool Writing Center

get the hands ready for writing

The writing center is considered one of the quieter areas of the classroom.

I like to make sure there is a small table with at least 2 chairs, so that a couple of children can work at the same time.


toddler and preschool writing center

(Sometimes our children will find another chair to make room for a 3rd child.)

This is also a good spot to keep journals, either on a shelf or in a basket.

Related: How to Introduce Journals to 3 Year Olds

toddler and preschool writing center

There are a lot of fun materials that can be used in the writing center.

When choosing these materials, keep your pre-writers and your writers in mind.

Sometimes pre-writers are reluctant to sit and hold a writing utensil, especially if they are working on building those fine motor skills.

For this reason, I make sure to always have materials in this area that pre-writers will feel comfortable using. Some of the materials mentioned below are for those who have developed stronger fine motor skills. After observing your children, you can determine which will work best.

Also please note that this collection does include some materials with small pieces. If you are working with children who are still putting items in their mouths, do not include them.

Crayons and Markers

toddler and preschool writing center

The free circle printables, shown above, can be found in our circle packet located in this post.


Stamps, Stickers and Stencils

toddler preschool writing center

toddler preschool writing center


Magnetic, Dry Erase and Chalk Boards


Paper and Tape


Other Items

  • Envelopes
  • Blank cards
  • Old mailing stamps
  • Stapler
  • Scotch tape
  • Hole punch


Free Printable List

Download and print this pdf to save as a reference when purchasing supplies!

Favorite Writing Table Materials for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Centers Time Resources

Our Favorite Toddler Learning Centers

How to Set Up Your Preschool Learning Center

How to Set Up Your Preschool Science Center

The Best Activities for the Bock Center

25+ Ideas for the Dramatic Play Area

How to Set Up the Preschool Writing Center

New Teacher? 

Check out the Preschool Teacher Survival Guide!

guide for preschool teachers

 

Free Printables to Put in Your Writing Center

Click on each photo below for the pdf download:

Free preschool fish pre-writing printable

free toddler preschool dot uppercase alphabet printables

free toddler preschool dot lowercase alphabet printables

free preschool scissor practice printables

More Ways to Strengthen Fine Motor Skills

25 Easy Toddler Fine Motor Activities

10 Fun Ways to Strengthen Scissor Skills

17+ of the Best Preschool Fine Motor Activities

 

Toddler and Preschool Activity Plans

Looking for an entire year’s worth of learning activities? We’ve done the work for you!

I have helped create each of these packets, along with a team of talented educators and homeschoolers.

Easy to follow activity plans include activity modifications and adaptations to meet the needs of all learners.

Every theme comes with recommended reading lists, songs, material lists, and more.

Click on the graphics below for more details.

Toddlers (18 – 36 months):

toddler lesson plans

Preschool (3 – 5 Years):

preschool lesson plans

 

How to Set Up the Preschool Writing Center

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Filed Under: Fine Motor, Literacy, preschool, Preschool Fine Motor, Preschool Literacy, Teachers, Toddler Fine Motor, Toddler Literacy, Toddlers Tagged With: back to school, fine motor, literacy, preschool, printable, printables, teachers, toddlers

About Sheryl Cooper

Sheryl Cooper is the founder of Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds, a website full of activities for toddlers and preschoolers. She has been teaching this age group for over 20 years and loves to share her passion with teachers, parents, grandparents, and anyone with young children in their lives.

Previous Post: « Fun Independence Day Art with Painted Stars
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anonymous

    September 2, 2012 at 5:15 am

    such a great idea:))

  2. johnpeterjohn

    September 27, 2012 at 10:10 am

    innovative ideas .. photos are very impressive!
    cool math 4 kids

  3. Hi I'm Emaline

    April 8, 2013 at 2:53 am

    I wish i could do something as lovely…my classroom is just over 1/2 the size of the area seen in that last picture…Everything in my room must be MULTI-purpose!!

    • Sheryl Cooper

      April 22, 2013 at 2:05 pm

      I feel for you! At one time we had to put EVERYTHING away and it was so hard. Doable, but very hard. We share our space with the church’s Sunday School, but over the years they have really worked with us and we now share a lot of the furniture and toys. It’s made it much easier! As for space, I can’t imagine having half the space of ours. Perhaps this picture makes it look larger!

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