Circles in the Air

1. To demonstrate, make large circles with your whole arm starting at the top, go counterclockwise and stopping at the top.
   • Be sure to stand beside her when you demonstrate, otherwise if you are across from her, she will be going in the opposite direction.
   • Go counterclockwise because approximately 95% of the round letters are made going in a counterclockwise direction.
2. Have her follow your example.
   • If she is having difficulty getting started, stand behind her and let her select which arm to start with by raising it up.
   • Take her raised arm in your hand and gently guide her hand to make a large circle going in the counterclockwise direction.
   • Have your daughter make the circles several times starting and stopping at the top until she can do it without your assistance.
     
     
   Making large and small circles in the air with the whole arm is a fun activity to begin writing.

Circles on Paper

1. Make a circle on a piece of paper with a crayon and have her trace it several times until she is comfortable with the motion.  Have her start at the top of the circle, go around in the counterclockwise direction and stop at the top.
2. Once she has the hang of that, have her change colors and start again at the top of the circle.
3. If she doesn't understand, you can demonstrate on the paper or holding her hand and guiding her through the motion.
4. She can also practice with sand, bumpy letters, shaving cream or whatever she would like to use.
   Check out our Spelling activities on more novel ideas of how to practice.
   • shaving cream
   • sand
   • hair gel
   • water color paints

Infinity Symbol

The infinity symbol is a difficult skill to master. You should introduce this skill to your child when she is beginning to learn to write and continue to have her practice throughout the time she is learning to writing. It does not come easy to some children, so provide enough time for her to learn to do it.

Doing the infinity symbol is a great way to engage your child's brain as her arm crosses over the mid-line. It also is a great warm up for handwriting as your daughter gets older.

1. Start by demonstrating the infinity symbol (a sideways numeral 8) in the air using your whole body then have your daughter follow. Doing it with music or pretending to be flying adds to the fun.
2. She can also practice using sand, shaving cream, car (race track PDF) or other ways that we suggest in our Spelling activities.
3. Then have your daughter make the infinity symbol with crayons in different colors on paper. The more she does it, the more embedded it gets in her brain.
   Books:
   For additional information on exercises for the brain and the mid-line, check out:
   • "Brain Gym" by Gail Dennison, "Smart Moves:
   • "Why Learning is Not All in Your Head" by Carla Hannaford and
   • "Teaching with the Brain in Mind" by Eric Jensen.