The unique ABC-TRACE-123 concept uses technology to teach not only letters and numbers but also develops the fine motor skills essential for handwriting.

Here's how ABC-TRACE-123 works and why:

Similar to old-fashioned letter tracing, ABC-TRACE-123 helps students follow the steps necessary to produce the letters of the alphabet. However, ABC-TRACE-123 creates a technology-based activity which adds both fun and fine motor skill development to a typically boring, rote process.

ABC-TRACE-123 activities are webscenes that accompany each letter's section in The Busy Preschooler's Guide to Learning. Each webscene contains a large letter, such as a capital A. The interior of the letter is wide and open. At the various "touch points" of the letter are tracer pacers. Tracer pacers are icons on which the child clicks to begin the writing process. The tracer pacers for each stroke include Penguin (stroke 1), Rabbit (stroke 2), Turtle (stroke 3) and, Duck (for the occasional stroke 4). These tracer pacers remain constant, so the child always knows that the first stoke will begin at the location of the Penguin.

As the child "clicks and drags" the tracer pacer in the specified direction, colors, designs and/or images appear behind the movement. When all strokes are completed, the letter has a different appearance, changed by the action of the child.

Using a mouse in this click-and-drag process develops the fine motor skills essential in the development of handwriting skills.

Please observe that a child grasps the mouse in the exact same manner as will be needed to hold a pencil. The ABC-TRACE-123 uses the mouse to help the child "memorize" the strokes for each letter. This knowledge of how to "make" the letters is established by employing the gross motor skills-broad mouse movements that the child is capable of easily accomplishing. Later, when the mouse is traded for a pencil, the hand closes from the wide grasp around the mouse to the narrow grasp of the pencil. However, the position of the fingers remains the same. When the child advances to attempting the fine motor skills needed with a pencil, the knowledge of the strokes necessary to make the letters is in place.