Before Teaching letters do this Valentine’s Day Pre-reading Activity

Learning letters requires a lot of pre-writing and pre-reading skills to be developed first. Use this Valentine’s Day matching game to work on an important pre-reading and pre-writing skill: Visual Discrimination.

Visual discrimination is a crucial skill for toddlers to develop before they begin to write letters. Here’s why:

1. Letter Recognition: Visual discrimination helps toddlers differentiate between different shapes, sizes, and orientations, which is essential for recognizing and distinguishing letters from one another.
2. Fine Motor Skills: Writing letters involves intricate hand movements and control. By working on visual discrimination, toddlers enhance their fine motor skills, which are necessary for holding a pencil or crayon properly and forming letters accurately.
3. Letter Formation: Recognizing subtle differences between letters (such as the distinction between ‘b’ and ‘d’) requires strong visual discrimination skills. These skills lay the foundation for proper letter formation when toddlers start writing.
4. Reading Readiness: Visual discrimination is closely tied to early literacy skills. Developing this skill early on helps toddlers prepare for reading by enabling them to identify and distinguish letters and eventually words more easily.
5. Attention to Detail: Visual discrimination involves paying attention to detail and noticing slight differences. This skill is essential for accurate letter formation and overall writing proficiency.
6. Confidence Building: As toddlers improve their ability to discriminate visually between letters, they gain confidence in their writing abilities. This confidence encourages further exploration and refinement of writing skills.

Overall, visual discrimination provides toddlers with the necessary foundation for successful letter recognition and writing. It enhances their fine motor skills, attention to detail, and reading readiness, setting them on the path toward proficient writing and literacy development.

Looking for more Valentine Day’s Lesson Plans? Check these out!