Penpal Writing: Scratchie Paper Hides A Surprise!

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Ever scratched out a lottery ticket to check if you have won a prize?

I've actually never bought a "scratchie" but I have made "scratchie" paper before! Check out my previous uses for "scratchie" paper - here and here.  You will also find very simple instructions for making your very own "scratchie" paper.  I have always thought it would be really neat to use "scratchie" paper with the OT kids I see!

Everyone loves a surprise. 

It is now week 7 of school the school term in NSW and time has flown.  The penpal program I introduced to some of my school age students is in full swing and we have had some correspondence back and forth between them. As I mentioned earlier, I wanted to find creative ways for the students to interact with one another and still work on handwriting goals.  OTs are always looking for novel ways to motivate the kids we see to work on goals which they struggle to achieve. 

Why did the banana go to the doctor?  .... Because he was not peeling well.
What did the ocean say to the boat?..... Nothing it just waved.
What is brown and sticky? ..... A stick!

What better way to hide the answer to a joke than to use "scratchie" paper!  Kids love telling jokes! 

One of the reasons I love "scratchie" paper is that it actually works on fine motor skills when the child uses a coin to scratch off the paint. Not surprisingly, some kids just didn't know what to do with the coin to get the paint off. How did they hold it? How did they rub off the paint? How much pressure did they need to place on the coin? 

For the younger kids I was seeing (who's handwriting is still quite large), it became a little difficult to hide their "joke" answers with scratchie paper so I had these kids draw a small picture which we hid for their pen pal to rub off.  It doesn't matter what is hidden; kids love the element of surprise! 

All the kids loved creating and rubbing off the special paint!  I decided to use the same concepts a few weeks later to hide the answer to a description.   The kids wrote clues for "What am I?" and hid the answers with "scratchie paper". The novelty was still there and was motivating for all. 

Remember, you can get your copies of my DIY envelopes and writing paper templates HERE.   
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Have you got a novel way to motivate your kids with handwriting? 
Have you ever made "scratchie" paper?

​Cindy is a registered Occupational Therapist practising in Sydney Australia.  She has two young children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning.  Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT. 

Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog
The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions.

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