Ideas for writing and drawing warm up activities

These activities can prepare your child for drawing and writing activities. They can be carried out in
any order and should ideally be practised daily for 5 minutes.

• The child completes activities lying on their tummy and weight bearing through their elbows
  e.g. watching television, reading a book, completing a puzzle
• Place a firm elastic band around the tips of their fingers and thumb. Open and close the
  elastic band 10 times with each hand
• Play dough and plasticine – pinching, poking, squeezing
• Playing with spinning tops, jacks, marbles and card games
• Posting coins or small objects into jars. Holding all items in your palm and post one by one
• Picking up items with tongs / clothes pegs / hanging out laundry.
• Threading beads to make jewellery
• Turning keys
• Walking fingers. Place a piece of tape along the table. ‘Finger walk’ index and middle fingers
  (ring and little fingers curled out of the way) along the tape. Change hands
• Craft activities involving cutting, scrunching, gluing and ripping paper and bending pipe
  cleaners
• DIY game – toy tools such as sawing, drilling, hammering, screws and bolts
• Games involving flicking small objects e.g. flicking paper balls off a table into a ‘goal’
• Climbing, seesaw, tug of war and swing activities, with the child holding onto ropes

Classroom warm up exercises

The following activities need to be carried out as a block of exercises together. They should be
worked through before any written work is carried out.

• Start by making stars with both hands by stretching out the fingers wide. Now make a tight
  fist with both hands and stretch the fingers wide again
• Put palms together and open and close fingers. While in that position, keep the tips of their
  fingers together and move their wrists apart. Make sure pressure is being put through the
  fingertips, pushing each fingertip pair in turn
• Chair push ups – sit on hands, palm side towards the floor or chair. Lift bottoms off the chair
  by extending the elbows and pushing down. Repeat this pushing activity at least 10 times
• Monkey grip – hook fingers together and pull with elbows extended away from the body
• Wring hands as if it is a really cold day
• Be creative and encourage the child to think of ideas that involve movements of the hands
  and fingers