Vertical writing is a fantastic way for children to strengthen the muscles needed for writing.
As any teacher who has stood in front of a whiteboard demonstrating during a writing lesson for just a bit too long can tell you, writing on a vertical surface can be a workout! Young children are still developing the muscles needed for pen control and this includes both the fine muscles in their fingers and the larger muscles needed for gross motor actions.
You can present vertical writing to your classroom as a play opportunity, or you can present an activity you already have planned in this novel way. And it’s not just for writing! Any mark marking on a vertical surface, from keeping tallies to drawing, can provide these same benefits.
Benefits of working on a vertical surface can include:
Improved core stability - children use all the muscles in their body to keep them steady while they are working
Strengthened shoulder and elbow muscles - children need to hold their arm up rather than letting it rest on the table while working
Improved visual tracking - children track their movements across a greater field of vision, they can also see their work more closely when it is right in front of their eyes!
Improved bilateral coordination/crossing the midline - bilateral coordination is a skill that can take time to develop, essentially it’s using both hands together to complete a task effectively, in this case, using their second hand to stabilise their body. Children cross the midline when they work on large spaces and move their dominant hand from one side of their body to another. This all helps to get both sides of the brain working together.
Children can move! Some of the restless little ones in your classroom may respond really positively to being able to stand and move about while writing
So what kind of things can be done on a vertical surface? Just about anything you can think of!
In younger classes, children might benefit from non writing activities, those which focus on finger and gross motor strengthening. As they progress through school, writing and drawing on a vertical surface can continue to be of benefit. This might look like;
Chalk drawing on outside walls
Pencil drawing on paper on inside walls, either free drawing or using stencils
Spray bottles on windows
Placing objects against the wall and spraying them with a water bottle to see a silhouette
Paint brushes with water on walls
Reusable or window stickers on windows
Bath or window crayons on windows
Reversed contact that you can stick objects to such as tissue paper, buttons, counters, etc
Shared writing on large pieces of paper
Shared illustrating
For something completely different, stick paper tubes to the walls to create ball runs!
There are multiple ways you can find opportunities in your day to allow children to work on a vertical surface, be it during literacy, numeracy or inquiry related lessons. Children can practice their names, spelling words, complete equations, draw shapes, and more. Let me know if you try this with your class!
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