DIY Recycled-Container Tracing Tray

DIY Recycled-Container Tracing Tray is an effective way for toddlers and preschoolers to practice pre-writing strokes and lines while strengthening small muscles of the hands and promoting hand-eye coordination | Video Tutorial Included.

We all love reusing! But what if you don’t have a laminating machine or you wish to spend LESS on expensive thermal pouches that a laminating machine requires? Well, recycled salad or berry container to the rescue! Besides, with these pre-writing tracing strips, which are part of the 50+ page Easter pack, your little one will develop fine motor and hand-eye coordination and learn left-to-right progression. Most importantly, the Montessori sensory writing tray can be varied often to ignite new interest, and with this DIY laminating tracing hack, you will save time and money!

He does it with his hands, by experience, first in play and then through work. The hands are the instruments of man’s intelligence!

Dr. Montessori.

This printable is part of the Spring Course; join below

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How to Develop Hand-Strength & Fine Motor Control

Before your child learns to hold a pencil for the first time, s/he needs sufficient fine motor control and hand strength to attempt the pre-writing lines and strokes. So, we must prepare the hand to hold a pen or a pencil way before your child can write! The best way to do it is through simple and engaging invitations to play and various sensory, hands-on Montessori prewriting activities.

Supplies:

Here is a list of supplies you will need to make a DIY Recycled-Container Tracing Tray:

• pre-writing strips (part of the Spring Course)
• cardboard
• *a recycled plastic container
• a hot glue gun
• dry erase marker
• corner rounder (optional)

*For a recycled container, I am using a top of a salad container. You can also use a berry container; just make sure the middle part is flat and the sides are raised).

Video Tutorial

Instructions

Below are instructions on how to make a DIY Recycled-Container Tracing Tray:

First, cut the top of the recycled container.

Secondly, cut around the edges, leaving 0.25 inches of the raised parts (you will need them for hot-gluing). I left two slithers/openings on each side so that I can slide the pre-writing strips, but you can leave an opening on just one side.

Then, insert trace, erase, and repeat.

This DIY laminating hack for tracing is a fun variation to dry-erase board writing or chalkboard tracing.

Left-To-Right Progression

Also, with this laminating Tracing Hack DIY, your little one is learning LEFT to RIGHT progression, a precious skill that sometimes goes unnoticed since it is so natural to us adults. However, it is NOT intuitive to little people, and a lot has to happen in their brain to move objects with hands, as well as eyes from left to right. We want to PRACTICE this skill because this is how we read and write.

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PRE-WRITING Shapes | Strokes

Details HERE.

Letters and numbers are made of lines and curves. And the very first line your little one will master is vertical, followed by curves in a circle, and finally, by a / slanted line.
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So, beginning at about 18 months, children can exercise CONTROLLED scribbling. Toddlers may make repeated marks on the page—open circles, diagonal, curved, horizontal, or vertical lines. Over time, children transition to holding the crayon or marker between their thumb and pointer finger. And this is when you can encourage following lines/strokes using a tracing tray.

Have you tried making a DIY Recycled-Container Tracing Tray? Leave a comment if you did!

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For Spring Crafts,

See here for Easy Straw Flower Printing Painting Toddler-Friendly Kids Craft.

For a fun Fork Craft,

Also, see here Fork-Prints Stamped Tulip Flowers Spring Toddler-Craft

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For Toddler-Friendly Crafts …

See here Brush-Painted Spring Chick Craft.

♡ Enriching the Mind one Heart at a time