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"My Child Can't Write"

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  image from www. mountvernon.org By the time teenagers enter high school most of their assignments are done in a digital format. Writing as an adult may be limited to writing grocery lists and phone numbers. Handwriting is  still an integral part of school especially at the elementary level, however in comparison to reading and math instruction writing gets little attention these days. The ability to write is a stepping stone for further academic success by having a means to transfer thoughts and ideas into a written format. Handwriting used to be a skill taught and practiced, handwriting was an art.  There are many reasons that cause a child to struggle with handwriting. Research suggest that 5-27% of children in school struggle with handwriting in some way .  Understanding Handwriting Difficulties   Causes: Behavioral Handwriting is a trigger which can be associated with anxiety, low self esteem, perfectionism, not knowing what to do, seeking control Neurolog...
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Handwriting Series: Left Overs

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  Over the past several weeks I have been reviewing letter formation in handwriting. I talked about Magic C letters, letters that all start with the curvature of the letter c. Tall letters all started on the hat line and finished on the boot line.The Trampoline letters all made strokes down to the boot line and back up to the top of the letter. And there were the Fishing letters, they all start on the belt line and go below the boot line. There were only 5 letters left that do not fall in any of those categories the lower case i, e, v , x and z .   Practice these letters, make sure your child continues to use their pencil grip for any handwriting practice. Practice in the same pattern as before.   Make sure your child is  seated comfortably  with his/her feet on the floor Use a proper  pencil grip   Follow the following steps Write  the letter to write  in the air Model  the letter to practice Trace  the letter to practice (3-5...
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Handwriting Series: Fishing Letters

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  Fishing letters,  are those letters that fall below the boot line when writing. There are only five lower case letters that go fishing. To practice these letters use the same strategies as before (see post on Magic C) : write them in the sky, model the letter for your child, trace the letter, copy the letter and finally write the letter from memory. Before introducing new letters do a warm up with the Magic C letters,   Tall letters,  or   Trampoline Letters  .You can also have some fun making the letters out of play dough, painting them with water colors or finger paint, write them in shaving cream on the kitchen counter or dining table, use chalk to write on the side walk.  My next post will be about the "Left Overs"  the letters we have not talked about. Then the there will a post with a quick review to pull it all together and the final post some thoughts if your child continues to struggle with handwriting.  If you have questions or ...
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Handwriting Series: Trampoline Letters

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  Trampoline letters are those letters that require you to trace back on the same line to complete writing the letter. This keeps you from having to pick up your pencil and allows for a more fluent and faster way of writing these letters.  Practicing these letters is the same as described in the previous posts, air write, model, trace, copy and write from memory. Use some of the other letters learned in the previous weeks as a warm up.    How to practice:  b - h - m - n - p - r Practice for  short periods  of time 5-10 minutes Make sure your child is  seated comfortably  with his/her feet on the floor Use a proper  pencil grip   Follow the following steps Write  the letter to write  in the air Model  the letter to practice Trace  the letter to practice (3-5 x)using the hat to boot lines  Copy  the letter to practice (3-5 x) Write the letter from  memory  (3-5 x) Handwriting is an important sk...
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Handwriting Series: Tall Letters

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What do we mean by Tall Letters   these are the letters that are written between the   Hat and Boot line  That means all the Capital letters and only some of the lower case letters. All the letters start at the Hat line except for the lower case f, which starts just below the hat line.    How to practice: Practice for  short periods  of time 5-10 minutes Make sure your child is  seated comfortably  with his/her feet on the floor Use a proper  pencil grip   https://www.elsorourke.com/2020/10/pencil-grip.html Follow the following steps Write  the letter to write  in the air Model  the letter to practice Trace  the letter to practice (3-5 x)using the hat to boot lines  Copy  the letter to practice (3-5 x) Write the letter from  memory  (3-5 x) Related Links Handwriting readiness Pencil Grip Pre-handwriting; Drawing Magic C
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Handwriting Series: Magic C

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  There are many ways to teach handwriting. Years ago I was introduced to Handwriting Without Tears. This program uses a variety of means to teach handwriting. I like the language  used including the Magic C. This refers to the letter C as a starting letter for several other letters. Below I will show you how to write the letters using the magic c.  How to practice: Practice for short periods of time 5-10 minutes Make sure your child is seated comfortably with his/her feet on the floor Use a proper pencil grip   https://www.elsorourke.com/2020/10/pencil-grip.html Follow the following steps Write the letter to write in the air Model the letter to practice Trace the letter to practice (3-5 x)using the hat -belt -boot lines  Copy the letter to practice (3-5 x) Write the letter from memory (3-5 x) To practice handwriting you can use a variety of tools to make the letters such as crayons, pencils, markers, water paint, finger paint, or shaving cream. Next time...
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Handwriting: In Between the Lines

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  When learning how to write we usually start kids with their name on blank paper. For writing instruction though we want to use the lines from the start. Start large and over time move to only two lines to writing in between  smaller lined paper. Any lined paper can be turned into three line writing space (Two solid lines with a dotted line in the middle) The lines are a reference for: Start and finish of the letters Size difference between upper and lower case letters Placement on the line Visual for feedback on correct letter formation and placemen Related Links https://tools.atozteacherstuff.com/printable-handwriting-practice-worksheet-maker/ https://www.studenthandouts.com/handwriting-worksheets/
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