Childhood development is complex. Between fine motor and gross motor development, and the variability between children, it’s not always easy to tell if your child’s development is considered “typical.” If you’re worried that your child’s writing and pre-writing development may be atypical, here is a tool for you to use. These are the developmental milestones in writing that average children meet by certain ages. Also, there are lists of indications that your child’s fine motor/handwriting development may be atypical.
1. Between 12 and 18 months, typical development includes:
- Scribbling with a crayon, marker or pencil – Babies will usually do this when imitating an adult or older child who’s doing the same thing. At this age, in addition to imitating scribbling, babies will also begin to show ability to make purposeful marks (instead of just banging the crayons or markers against the paper).
- Crayon in the fist – Not all fists are for fighting! A closed fist is how children hold crayons, markers, etc. at this age.
- Scribbling on non-paper surfaces – Hey, if your child is writing on your wall, that may not be great for your wall, but it tells you his pre-handwriting development is on point!
