Tot Talk ABC Animals Placemat 1009

This was exactly what I wanted for my 5 y.o. great-grandson to practice letter recognition and writing - my 2nd grade teacher-daughter said just teach him LOWER CASE letters since 2nd graders will continue to mix capital letters in woRds. The erasable letters on the back demonstrate the correct way to print the letters - important because my daughter said some of her children print from the bottom up. This is a high quality product useful as a learning tool w/youngsters - and as a placemat. I bought a second one for him to have at home and a set of erasable markers for more color choice in practicing letters. Somehow - I don't think tracing letters is as effective in teaching him to write because, now when he "writes" on his drawing, all letters are sort of round circles - which a lot of letters are as far as he can see, except the 'l" at the end of his name - which he does fine with.

This placemat makes it fun to learn cursive. Did you know that many schools are cutting the amount of time they spend teaching cursive handwriting? Some schools are dropping it from the curriculum entirely as they focus on other requirements. This placemat is large, well designed and sealed in high quality lamination. Each letter begins with a dot and arrows lead the student through the strokes... which is important to correctly link the letters together. Some of the practice workbooks I purchased did not have the arrows and were difficult for a beginner. Use your own dry erase markers to trace the letters. Space is provided to practice each letter on your own without tracing. On the flipside there are words and short sentences as well as blank lines to write your own compositions. Recent studies from Norway's Stavanger Univeristy - and linked to U.S. universities, including Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma Washington - show that writing original thoughts in cursive stimulates more regions of the brain than any other form of written / typed communication. We can't ignore this skill. Our kids deserve what they can gain from this skill and this placemat can encourage them to learn at home if our schools aren't able cover this topic.

Great placemats! Our two year old loves them.

Perfect for keeping my toddler busy while waiting to be served. They are easy to clean and durable. We've used them daily for a few months now.

My son has been loving practicing cursive with this mat. It is laminated and sturdy, not flimsy like many other mats. I like that it’s reusable, much unlike similar products that are disposable, so it’s more earth friendly. I immediately ordered another once this one arrived.