Building Stamina in Preschoolers: Simple Ways to Help Your Child Stick with Writing

Whether it’s following directions, completing a puzzle or game, or learning to write, kids need stamina to stick with a task—especially when it get’s hard.

Writing is a laborious task. It takes focused attention and physical strength to color a picture, trace a shape, or write a letter. What we take for granted as relatively easy and automatic, if done for any length of time will reveal its true taxing nature. Writing requires stamina and stamina needs built up over time.

In this post, we’ll explore three simple strategies you can implement at home to help your preschooler build the mental and physical endurance to stick with challenging activities.

Start Small and Fun

Any big task needs worked up to. You don’t run a marathon out of the gate. You may start with walking or running a mile then two, eventually 10 and continuing on until you get to 26.2. You don’t go from the couch to the finish line. You won’t make it. The same is true for kids, but they need to start even smaller.

If your child has trouble focusing for 6 minutes, work on focusing for 3, then 4, etc.. If your child has trouble following two-step directions, work on one-step, use first, then language to work up to two. If your child has trouble keeping at a difficult task for 5 minutes, start with trying it for 3. This is true for writing. As your child learns to write, start with focusing on the task for a couple minutes. Make sure the task is engaging for them. If they like to color, start there. If they like stickers, great! Start small and find their fun.

Change it Up

Sometimes kids have trouble sustaining effort in a writing task because they are using a lot of energy keeping their mind focused, remembering the directions, or keeping their body upright. Take away visual or auditory clutter. Help them to know what comes next, first color this, then you can have a snack. Or let them eat first, they might be hungry. Start with open ended play, dot wherever you want, or put stickers anywhere. Then add in directions. Dot inside the circles. Put the stickers on the line. Last, try having your child complete the task standing at an easel or window, or even laying down on the ground. This helps support the rest of their body. Different positions also feel more playful and less like work. 

Break It Up

If a task is too hard, we’ll likely want to throw in the towel. Breaking up a task into manageable pieces helps us keep at it. The same is true for kids. If a task is particularly hard, take a break. Go outside. Do something else and come back. Movement can especially help with releasing energy and helping focus. 

Stamina takes time to build. It’s both a physical and mental muscle that needs strengthened over time. Note where your child is at. Celebrate any movement forward. Every small stretch of sustained effort is building strength, skill, and confidence for the task ahead.