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Another Handwriting
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Handwriting frustrations here!
Ok, before I started homeschooling, I read up on handwriting, and decided from what I read that doing cursive first was the way to go. I am really starting to wonder here now.
I started cursive with my son when he was 6 – I started with the Cursive First program, and eventually added in Pencil Pete. after learning the lower case letters, I wasn’t happy with how it was going, and switched last year and he did Peterson Directed Handwriting (their cursive first option.)
Well, he can write fairly nicely in cursive with a model above him (not exactly perfect or anything, but generally legible, although very wavey. BUT – he doesn’t write in cursive anywhere else… he writes in a print I never taught him, not well, and extremely slowly at that. 2 weeks ago in cubs, the cubs were given a list of instructions to write down (not that I approved of that type of thing.) the model of course was in print. Well, I guess he worked at it for a bit (looks like he wrote about 2 words) – the one cub leader discretely kept him during a game and she wrote it out for him (and told me that he wrote it…. don’t get me started on that.) He can’t write anything except his name (in print or cursive) without me telling him every letter. I’ve tried hard to do this CM style, but doing cursive first, and we just aren’t getting there.
And over a year ago his sister really wanted to learn how to write. Yes, she is younger – she is 5 and 1/2, and she is also left-handed, which I did a lot of reading about. I started the peterson directed handwriting (cursive) with her. Doing large armed movements, writing on chalk board, etc. We are STILL trying to get the first strokes right. The first stroke is called a “sharp top” and the first letters are a “t” and an “i”. Well, if she does a “t” (which I don’t have her do often as she still isn’t getting the first strokes right, it looks like an “A” (in print) because the up and down stroke isn’t right. Meanwhile, she is busy writing stuff in a print she hasn’t been taught, and I figure she’ll be doing the same as her brother…. writing in a Kindergarten type scrawl when she is older.
I know I’ve been on here recently being all down… I just really feel like I’m doing a rotten job teaching my kids in almost all the subjects. And it is easy enough to say “they aren’t behind” (and I have gotten complements on my daughters reading abilities etc) – but when the areas we are struggling in are becoming aparent to other people in the community, it gets really hard.
I’m also just not sure what to do about the handwritting thing. I’ve been working with my son with the 3rd grade Peterson Directed Handwriting program – which goes through all the letters again (faster) [it can be used by people who haven’t done cursive yet] working now with large lines (not primary lines) – and does work towards writing without a model and eventually to writing on regular lined paper. But if I can’t get him to write in cursive other than when we are doing copywork… I feel like “what is the point?” And although cursive is supposed to be easier (and especially for left-handed people IF the paper is tilted right…) I wonder if I should just go to print.
Have you tought print at all? or just cursive?
Im not sure if Cursive should be learned 1st, Charlotte Mason said ” First, let the child accomplish something perfectly in every lesson – a stroke, a pothhook, a letter. No more than 5 to ten minutes.
Charlotte Masons says: “The child should have practice in printing before he begins to write. First let him PRINT the simplest of of the capital letters with single curves and straight lines.” “When he can make capitals and large letters, with some firmness and decision, he might go on to the smaller letters – “printed” as in the type we call “italics” only upright – as simple as possible and large.”
Hope that helps.
Well, here is my 2 cents. I have done both print and cursive both ways (I taught my dd cursive first and my son print first). Honestly, I think it is important to learn cursive for its beauty and also the ability to read it. But whether my kids choose to write in it one way or the other is going to be their choice as they get older. As long as they can write, and write neatly, I don’t see a problem.
My advice is to relax, and let them learn a little everyday. It will come easier with each passing year. Keep giving them good models to copy, (whether it be print or cursive), and give them time. Make sure they do their best everyday for 10 minutes of writing their assigned work, and let it go. My dd 8 just finished another cursive copywork book, and I am getting her another one soon. She needs to practice, practice, practice. And she enjoys it as long as it is not too long each day.
My son is 12, and still needs practice with neatness. If he slows down, it looks good. 🙂
HTH!
Yes, I know that CM said print first. Many other educators said cursive first.
The problem is my 8yo’s writing is slow, and doesn’t look good unless he is doing copywork, and even then it doesn’t look great. And the problem is that in the time that the other cubs wrote out about a page of instructions, he had written 2 or 3 words. (and the cub leader has already made a few comments in front of him – I am SO frustrated with cubs – but that is another 3 or 4 posts… )
Hey Suzukimom, you know I’m a cursive first mama all the way. I have found it easier with my kids and must respectfully disagree with Ms. Mason on this one.
However, you need to find what works. I have several friends whose children have really struggled with righting (print or cursive) and they’ve had great success using Handwriting without Tears. Personally, I don’t care for the upright cursive, BUT I greatly prefer it over messy writing. The workbooks are inexpensive and very thorough. I LOVE how they teach on a clean, uncluttered page. It may be worth a try.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
Blessings,
Christie
Just thought I’d update….
I did a bunch of looking online last night and thinking…. and I decided to look at Penny Gardner’s Italic – Beautiful Handwriting for Children. I know I had looked at it 3 or 4 years ago, but thought I’d have another look.
Well, I came to realize that it uses a style of writing that is similar to a style that I discovered when I was 10 or 11 (my mom had a calligraphy book and a similar style was in it for everyday use…) I somewhat adapted to it at that point… my handwriting is a mixture of styles and how a letter is formed tends to depend on the letters before or afterward… but it has a lot of this style in it.
I do like how it looks, and how it can be joined easily to make an italic “cursive”.
With more research I found out a bit more info on a similar style as well, and found a free font (with a program to join the letters when desired) – so I can easily make good models.
I also noticed that Penny Gardner has online videos of the lessons – and my kids really enjoy the other video course we are doing…. so I printed off the first lesson (I found a sample file out there somewhere) – and we gave it a try.
Well, my daughter that I haven’t been able to get a legible letter out of for a year made wonderful i’s, l’s, and j’s, and was able to write ill and jill.
My son is interested, said it was “easy” (although I had to focus his attention on staing in the lines…) – so maybe this will work out for him.
Just a correction, my above post should read “writing” and not righting. I miss those things when I post from my phone and it bugs me to see it.
Suzukimom, I’m glad you’re having success. That’s encouraging, isn’t it?
Christie
Yes, it is encouraging. It gets me that I do a bunch of research – figure out “this will work best”…. and then eventually figure out that I was all wrong and something else would have been better.
oh well, at least I’m not buying curriculum that costs hundreds of dollars and finding it doesn’t work for us….
For anyone interested in other info on italics (slightly different from Penny Gardner – but not too much) – there is great information at http://www.briem.net/
and you get the font at that site too… click on “the italic project”, then “teaching aids”, then “software”…. then click on each link under there to get the font and instructions for using it, including the joiner program for models that have joins. (the joins vary depending on which letters are next to each other, so you need to run this software to add them… you wouldn’t want to use it with joiners on just regular mail or anything like that, but for copywork models in the italic cursive, you would…)
if using the font without the joiners (italic print then) – if you apply “italic” to the font, it adds lines – but note they aren’t standard “primary” lines.
I was looking at the site and thought that maybe this would help us too. Is there an order page? I didn’t see one. I did see the free samples, but I was thinking of ordering a book. Can anyone help?
Lynda
order form (to mail) http://www.pennygardner.com/order_form.html
or
on this page http://www.pennygardner.com/italicsbk.html it says about paying by paypal.
To order this digital book, you may use the order form and mail a check OR you may send $10 (US dollars only) to my PayPal account by simply sending funds to penny9note@gmail.com
PLEASE SPECIFY THE TITLE OF THE BOOK YOU ARE ORDERING.I fill orders twice a day. If you ordered an e-book and did not receive it, please check your junk mail folder and make sure your system allows attachments.Can you post a link where you found the font? That’s a great price for PG’s program. I may be ready to use it for my daughter in the next year or so. Thank you!
Nevermind. Your later posts didn’t show up when I first looked. Thanks for the info. I’ll check that out tonight.
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