Lacing at Leisure: An Intervention in Developing the Level of Handwriting Skills of the Kindergarten Pupils

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Handwriting skills develop before children enter formal schooling has been shown significantly to predict academic achievement years later (Dinehart, 2014). However, it was found that there were six of twelve kindergarten pupils of Umbay Elementary School who are still at the beginning level in terms of writing their own names as well as writing the uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet. With these, the kindergarten teacher has created an intervention that would uplift the level of handwriting skills.

METHODS

Lacing at Leisure activity as an intervention was used primarily. The identified pupils were engaged in this activity daily during their leisure time. They kept on lacing a particular card until they master it already and found it with ease. And as their small muscles repeat motions over and over again, those muscles remember the movement (called"muscle memory”) and the movements become automatic. The teacher-made Kindergarten Writing Alphabet Letter rubric and the Kindergarten: Writing Name rubric were used for the pre and post assessments.

RESULTS

After the intervention has been utilized by the identified pupils, the level of handwriting skills was developed. In terms of writing the uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet, it has increased from 36.11% to 77.78% with an adjectival rating of "developing”. In writing their own name it developed from 35.56% to 77.62%, rated as "developing”. It manifested that the strategy used was developmentally appropriate and effective in developing the fine motor and visual skills as well as the hand-eye coordination of the pupils. This led them to write correctly and precisely the upper and lowercase letters and their own names.

DISCUSSIONS

Kindergarten teachers should continually provide meaningful and engaging activities appropriate to the different needs of the pupils. Making sure of course that each activity would be fun for them and will not be a burden on their level. The use of developmentally appropriate practices was a vivid example of bringing the pupils into the world of play-based learning. In addition, kindergarten teachers should ensure that every child has the benefit of positive early childhood experiences that support literacy development. At the same time, regardless of children's prior learning, schools have the responsibility to educate every child and to never give up even if later interventions must be more intensive and costly.