My preschooler is a pre-writer who loves scribbling, drawing and other mark-making. We have lots of crayons and pencils (also charcoal, oil pastels, and, chalk) available for drawing but I still keep a look out for other interesting ideas that involve creative mark-making. My older children have enjoyed using Spirographs but we hadn't used the Spirograph Junior Set before. 

I was hesitant to try the Spirograph Junior Set as I couldn't find a detailed review and I didn't know how durable or suitable it would be for this age. I also couldn't find a set second hand, this needed to be a new purchase. 

It worked out so fabulously that I had to share. It really worked easily for my four-year-old who has average hand/pencil control. The cogs are nice and large and move smoothly. I also love that the Spirograph Junior set comes in a case so all the pieces are stored together.

The Spirograph Junior set comes with ideas on what to create and how to make it, and what cogs to use. 

To begin with, the child needs to move the marker slowly and deliberately, this is fantastic for developing fine motor skills.

As with stencils, the helper hand is really important here to keep the base in place. 

It also shows children how to use different drawing tools. 

The Spirograph Junior set is compatible with different types of markers, the markers just need a thin-ish tip. Also, the paper is A5, it's easy to restock using A4 paper cut in half.

These are all the designs my four-year-old made within a couple of days of using the Spirograph Junior set. This is a fun idea for pre-writers who are working on hand strength, and coordination!

 The Spirograph Junior set is hard to find in Australia, the older set is available at Big W. 

Available in the US at Amazon and Montessori Services, UK here.

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