Handwriting curriculums?

Hi DebiJ-

We use Penny Gardner’s Italics, Beautiful Handwriting for Children which probably won’t be found at your conference ($10). We follow the rules of short lessons and perfect formation even if it is just a few letters.  

My son also did not like handwriting and I noticed in SCM’s Planning Your CM Education that CM alternated brush-painting with handwriting in her schools.  We incorporated that into our schedule and life improved tremendously.  You can see what it looks like in our home here.  

Our handwriting time is kept very short but having meaningful handwriting experiences seems to be what has helped most of all.  When my son received thank you notes from his cousins who also use Penny Gardner’s Italics that made a big impression on him, as did finding out his friend was starting “running writing” or cursive. Seeing handwriting that wasn’t legible also helped him understand the importance of good handwriting.  Labeling magazine holders, making place cards or markers for the garden, etc. all provide those meaningful experiences CM spoke of and give much needed connections to make the formal lessons run smoothly.

HTH

Richele

What style do you think he will adapt to best? That would determine which direction to go in. Perhaps go online and find some samples of the main styles (Italics, D’Nealian, Zaner Blouser, Handwriting without Tears, etc) and pring them out. Then he can practice tracing over them (you should be able to print out with tracing lines on them) and ask his opinion about which one he feels more comfortable with; considering his age, I think that’s appropriate. Of Course, if he refuses to give any answers, you’ll let him know, either he co-operates to his benefit, or you will choose. This site has D’nealina, HWT and ZB:http://abcteach.com/directory/basics/handwriting/   Donna YOung has handwritng printables. http://www.writingwizard.longcountdown.com/handwriting_practice_worksheet_maker.html

I can’t seem to find any Itlaics, so you’ll have to look around for practice sheets if you like that style.

I assume you want to do concentrated review on printing to get it legible and then move back into cursive. It’s ok to go a little “backwards” if he missed something the first time around. That’s the beauty of him being home; when you see someting, you don’t keep moving like the gov’t. schools do, ignoring signs of problems, but you can stop or go backward and review and (almost) perfect.

Does his hands hurt? Perhaps how he’s holding the pencil is causing cramps.

Rachel

Debi– I was having problems with my 6 year-old last year and the way he was holding his pencil also (he’s a leftie and I just couldn’t get him to hold his pencil properly).  Anyway, a friend of mine is an occupational therapist and she helped out a great deal by placing a pony-tail holder on my son’s wrist, handing my son the pencil, twisting the pony-tail holder above the wrist, and putting the pencil thru the hoop that the pony-tail holder created.  The pencil popped into his hand at just the right position.  Hope I explained it okay.  After about two weeks I did not have to use the pony-tail holder anymore as it conditioned his hand to hold the pencil properly.  Just make sure the pony-tail holder is a large one so that it is not too tight on his wrist.