Spring Handwriting Activities

In this blog post, you’ll find Spring handwriting activities that kids can use to work on letter formation, copying skills, line use, spacing, and overall legibility of written work with a fun Spring theme! This is a great set of handwriting activities that are part of our Spring Occupational therapy activities.

Spring Handwriting Activities

These are handwriting activities that you can use to work on letter formation, spacing between letters and words, size awareness, and line use. All of this reflects back on handwriting legibility! And, when it comes to working on handwriting, we’re striving to make practice fun and NOT boring! Read on for some Spring handwriting ideas the kids will love!

First, if you missed the other topics we’ve covered this week on The OT Toolbox, you’ll want to check out our Spring Occupational Therapy Activities page.

Other seasonal occupational therapy activities can be integrated with these sensory ideas. Include aspects of these Spring OT ideas to create a well-rounded lesson plan this time of year:

For a more exhaustive set of strategies, activities, and ideas, be sure to grab the Spring Fine Motor Kit (PLUS bonus kit which covers everything you need for Spring Break) that is on sale now for just $10. You’ll be loaded up on all kinds of tools that will last all season long.



Now, onto the handwriting ideas!

These spring handwriting activities are great for helping kids learn letter formation, sizing in letters, spacing in words, and legibility in handwriting.

 

Spring Handwriting Activities

When it comes to handwriting, sometimes you just have to make it fun. Practicing letter formation or copying skills can be downright boring.

For the child that struggles with these skills, self-confidence can really play into practice. When a child knows they struggle with certain aspects of written work such as letter formation or reversals, it can be hard to get them to want to practice, making home programs or any written work a real struggle.

Spring Handwriting Ideas

That’s why I wanted to pull together some extra-creative and fun ways to practice written work.

  1. Spring Pre-Writing Lines- Kids will like this pre-writing lines activity that doubles as a way to work on letter formation and spatial awareness. We created eggs with wikki stix, but you can definitely modify this activity to a slower theme for those working in schools who can’t cover anything egg or Easter.

2. Spring Cookie Cutters- Do you have any Spring cookie cutters? If not, you can usually find them in dollar stores this time of year. Use butterfly and flower cookie cutters to work on handwriting skills like spatial awareness and line awareness needed for legible written work. This is a great writing warm-up activity this time of year.

3. Use grass seeds or other seeds- This time of year is all about growth, seeds, and new development. Pull together a spring theme with seeds and work on pincer grasp, in-hand manipulation, separation of the sides of the hand with letter formation! Kids can manipulate small seeds like grass seed to form letters or work on the letters of their name like we did in this Grass Seed Handwriting Activity. Then, lay the paper on newspaper, sprinkle dirt on top and see if it grows name-shaped grass in a week or so!

4. Celebrate Spring with rainbows! Pull out the colored chalk to work on letter formation with rainbow writing. On a warmer Spring day, go on out to a sidewalk, driveway, or blacktop surface to gain the resistive input of drawing with chalk on the ground. It’s a great way to really incorporate the motor planning needed for letter formation!

5. Write Spring Lists- A great way to work on handwriting is with lists. With a list of writing practice, kids who struggle with written work tend to not feel so overwhelmed. Writing out a list of words to practice aspects such as letter formation. line use, spacing, and letter size can be more beneficial than copying a few sentences. Granted, there is a time and place for copy work, too. It’s an exercise in visual motor skills, visual tracking, visual memory, and so many other skills. Print off these free Spring List Writing Prompts and start there.

6. Use a Spring writing tray! Writing trays are a fun way to incorporate the senses into letter formation and copying skills. Here are writing tray ideas to spark your imagination. What can you add to give sensory writing an extra Spring-y touch? Maybe write with a fake flower stem, or scatter petals in the sensory tray. In the Spring Fine Motor Kit, you’ll find lots of sensory bin materials to work with. The options are limitless.

7. Write in shaving cream for a multisensory experience with practicing letters. Use the write the room cards in the Spring Fine Motor Kit for words and letters to copy.

8. Use Spring stickers in handwriting. Do you have flower stickers, rainbows, or Easter stickers? Use them as writing prompts. There are so many benefits to using stickers in occupational therapy interventions. So, place them on a page and start writing while focusing on letter formation. Or, use them in a sensory writing bag like we did here. Kids can find the sticker and then write the name out on paper.

9. Spring Write the Room Activity-  Use this Spring Write the Room slide deck to work on handwriting skills over the computer. Kids can write the words on paper or on the screen using an app like Jamboard.

10. Use a cootie catcher- We shared this free cootie catcher to develop fine motor skills, but there are handwriting benefits, too. Kids can write in words, phrases, and sentences while working on spatial awareness and handwriting in a given space. Print off the free template and go! There are several versions included: ones with writing prompts and some with pictures to work on pencil control skills as well.

 
 
These spring handwriting activities are great for helping kids learn letter formation, sizing in letters, spacing in words, and legibility in handwriting.

More Spring Handwriting Activities

In the Spring Fine Motor Kit, you’ll find Write the Room and handwriting tasks designed to help kids with handwriting legibility, letter formation, size awareness, number formation, and so much more.

In just this portion of the kit, you’ll find: 3 pages of handwriting paper in modified lined paper, 8 lowercase copy cards, 8 uppercase copy cards, 8 lowercase tracing cards, 8 uppercase copy cards, 8 cursive writing copy cards. 

Extend the activity: Use to copy words from near and far point copying skills. Use the words in creating sentences, writing lists, or as writing prompts. Incorporate words into scavenger hunt, and obstacle course activities.  

TARGET SKILLS: Letter formation, pencil control, visual motor skills, visual attention, visual memory, line placement, functional handwriting at all levels and stages.

Spring Fine Motor Kit

Score Fine Motor Tools and resources and help kids build the skills they need to thrive!

Developing hand strength, dexterity, dexterity, precision skills, and eye-hand coordination skills that kids need for holding and writing with a pencil, coloring, and manipulating small objects in every day task doesn’t need to be difficult. The Spring Fine Motor Kit includes 100 pages of fine motor activities, worksheets, crafts, and more:

Spring fine motor kit set of printable fine motor skills worksheets for kids.
  • Lacing cards
  • Sensory bin cards
  • Hole punch activities
  • Pencil control worksheets
  • Play dough mats
  • Write the Room cards
  • Modified paper
  • Sticker activities
  • MUCH MORE

Click here to add this resource set to your therapy toolbox.

Spring Fine Motor Kit
Spring Fine Motor Kit: TONS of resources and tools to build stronger hands.

Grab your copy of the Spring Fine Motor Kit and build coordination, strength, and endurance in fun and creative activities. Click here to add this resource set to your therapy toolbox.

Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.

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Spring handwriting activities

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