{"id":119,"date":"2020-12-10T14:14:46","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T14:14:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.createprintables.com\/blog\/?page_id=119"},"modified":"2020-12-10T14:14:47","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T14:14:47","slug":"should-2-year-olds-use-printable-worksheets","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.createprintables.com\/blog\/should-2-year-olds-use-printable-worksheets\/","title":{"rendered":"Should 2 Year Olds Use Printable Worksheets?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Your little one just turned two. Are you nervous about this particular age? Have you heard horror stories about the \u201cterrible twos? \u201cWell, it is definitely up to you to choose to see the glass half full or half empty. But these little guys are more incredible than ever!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, when children turn two years of age, all of a sudden, it seems like they are bursting at the seams emotionally, verbally and physically. They are not babies anymore, but they are not big kids either. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are finding their sense of independence, but their lack of physical and mental maturity still makes them need help with many things. But don\u2019t be fooled! They can do a lot more than you think.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two-year-olds are amazing! It is unbelievable how much they can actually do, given the opportunity and the training. So, let\u2019s talk about how we can help your two-year-old be successful in their pre-writing practice.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember, they are still not writing letters, words or sentences, but they are definitely exploring the pre-writing realm and making great strides in it. By the time they turn two, toddlers are most likely able to trace vertical lines, horizontal lines and circles on paper.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the time they are 2 1\/2 years old, most can copy vertical lines, horizontal lines and circles on paper or on a vertical easel. If you look at the alphabet, you will notice that in order to know how to write the letters, all you need is to know how to write vertical strokes horizontal strokes and circles or curves.<\/a> What a great start!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While two-year olds are more familiar with crayons, markers and pencils, than one-year olds, they are still not ready to make them their tools for pre-writing. We still have some fine motor skill work to do.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s talk about the two best hands-on fine motor skills practice for toddlers this age. The two activities are: sandpaper letters and the sand tray. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Introducing Letters<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But first, let\u2019s talk about introducing letters to your two-year-old many preschoolers and early childhood educators introduce children to the alphabet in the order in which they appear on the alphabet: a, b, c, etc. but there is a different way to do it. The Montessori method, for example, encourages a CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) pattern when introducing letters (always lower case first). <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The order is:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. a, s, m, t, b<\/span><\/li>
  2. i, f, h, c, d, l<\/span><\/li>
  3. o, g, k, n, r<\/span><\/li>
  4. u, j, p, q, y<\/span><\/li>
  5. e, v, w, x, z<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Sandpaper Letters<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Children love sandpaper letters. You can buy them ready-made (insert aff link here) or make them yourself. There are two ways that you can make them yourself. One is using boards, sand and glue and the other method is using boards, sandpaper, scissors and glue.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Sandpaper letters are very helpful when it comes to teaching children how to form letters with tactile sensory inputs as they feel the letter while tracing them. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You will need one board for each letter. The boards can be squares of 4×4 inches for the short letters such as a, n, s, o. And boards for tall and low letters such as h, t, g, y can be rectangular measuring 4 x 6\u201c.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n