Written by Cali @chasing50toes
None of my little ones have ever gone to preschool—and because of that, they couldn’t write their letters perfectly by age five (or even six). Why? Not because I was against tracing letters or using workbooks, but because we didn’t spend a lot of time sitting at the table. And when we did, I let them color, draw, and explore freely. Most of the time, they just wanted to master their name—and the second most important word in the world: Mama.
That doesn’t mean I didn’t support their early writing skills. We just didn’t do it in the traditional way. Long before they started writing letters, we worked on the fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination they’d need to feel confident when the time came.
Some of our early games included pulling tape from surfaces, unwrapping tiny packages, and dropping coins or cards into slots cut in a cardboard box. These types of activities helped build finger strength, grip control, and coordination—all without a single pencil in sight.
When my kids started picking up crayons and markers, I still didn’t go straight to worksheets. Instead, we leaned into fun, open-ended activities that felt like play. And over the past two years, our D&J Alphabet Placemats have taken those early writing experiences to a whole new level.
One of the earliest ways my kids start “writing” is by building letters accidentally—lining up silverware, sticks, or crayons in a way that suddenly looks like an L or a T. That’s when I know it’s time to introduce more intentional play.
Using the Alphabet Placemat, I’ll set out pipe cleaners or Wikki Stix and encourage my kids to build the letters on top of the mat. My older kids can usually make them to scale, while my little ones prefer oversized versions. I’ll cut down a few sticks to help them get sharper corners or let them use safety scissors if they’re ready.
The same idea works beautifully with playdough. I give my three-year-old a chunk of dough and he usually builds four to six letters before moving on to something else. My older learners often go further, using the placemat to build names, full words, or the entire alphabet. If we’re playing during snack time, I’ll offer cereal pieces or dry pasta and challenge them to form letters using food. One time we used green beans—and they were thrilled.
Once my kids are ready to start tracing, I pull the placemat back out—no workbooks needed. Tracing with a finger is a great starting point. It’s mess-free, simple, and helps build familiarity with the shapes and movements behind each letter.
When they’re ready for more, we add a little mess. I’ll offer washable paint for finger tracing or hand them a Q-tip and a dollop of paint for more controlled tracing. Sometimes we use a wet paintbrush and just trace with water. It’s the same movement, but with less cleanup.
I always encourage starting with straight lines before introducing curves. It helps kids build success early on and feel more confident as letters get more complex.
Eventually, when they’re ready to use a pencil or crayon, I’ll hand them a post-it or a scrap of paper and let them copy letters from the placemat onto their own surface. They can even line up the paper next to the mat to match what they’ve written. Dry erase boards work great for this, too—easy to erase and forgiving when things don’t go quite right.
Whether your child is tracing with a finger, painting with a brush, or building letters out of snacks, it’s all prewriting. It’s all progress. And it doesn’t have to look like school to build the skills they need to become confident, capable writers.
Tag us @dominoandjuliette if your little ones are using the Alphabet Placemat at home—we’d love to see how you’re learning and playing together.
