Writing for 1st grader

[socody]

My 1st grade dd struggles a lot with writing. She is reading at what I would probably consider a 2nd or 3rd grade level, but her handwriting is not good at all! I have been searching around for different writing programs that will start at the beginning with letter formation or simple copywork (no more than one sentence at a time) for her, but not sure which direction to go. We have done Handwriting Without Tears, and I like it okay, but I want something beyond just "here's a letter, write it 10 times"-- she does better if she can write something with a purpose. 

 

 

[Clear Creek]

Rainbow Resource has quite a few that we have used with great success...we use Rod & Staff during the school year, but only the 1st grade level has a full year's work, and we like to continue with handwriting practice during the summer. This one and this one are secular, and this one and this one have Bible verses included in the copywork.

[SilverMoon]

I like Evan-Moor's Modern Manuscript: Daily Handwriting Practice.

[SilverMoon]

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Edited September 5, 2023 by SilverMoon

[73349]

You might like the quotes I've collected for handwriting practice on my 2nd grade tab, especially the Ben Franklin. If you want things even shorter, there are some on my 1st and K tabs, but they're not as interesting.

 

There's also Delightful Dictation on Amazon.

[Eagle]

What helps my ds is tracing my printing. I choose poems and Shakespeare passages. I use a Sharpie to print an amount he is able to do (I started with one line, less than a sentence. He now does three or four lines.) I use a clipboard so the paper won't slip while he is tracing. I clip down a sheet of waxed paper (to prevent Sharpie bleedthrough) with unlined paper on top. I print the passage, then clip a plain sheet of paper on top of everything. Ds traces the passage in pencil. The Sharpie is dark enough that it is easy to see through a sheet of paper. We tried this with regular felt pen and it was very hard to see.

 

We also do WWE copywork so he has practice with printing that is not traced. The combination has helped ds' printing improve, as has being consistent with practicing every day.

[WeeBeaks]

The DonnaYoung site has lots of info about making your own handwriting practice worksheets.  You could just make your own from books she is reading, her history, her science, etc.  http://donnayoung.org/penmanship/index.htm    .... that link probably has more info than you would ever care to read about the topic. 

 

For when I just want to get the job done without a lot of planning, I also use a worksheet creator thing like this one:  http://www.worksheetworks.com/english/writing/handwriting.html    You enter in what you want the child to practice (sentence or whatever) and the style you want it in, then it creates the sheet to print. 

 

Knowledgebox central also has sets of copywork you can purchase.  I have some older ones.  If you search rainbowresource or whatever for "copywork notebook" you can probably bring up a bunch of those prepared for you on a theme. 

[socody]

Ok, what about WWE? Does it expect my dd to have a good grasp on handwriting or could I start that now? We are working through FLL now & love it & would love to add more.

[SilverMoon]

WWE doesn't teach penmanship at all. It only covers composition. I would hold off on WWE until a DC can form the letters correctly.

[Ad astra]

Have you finished the 1st grade book (My Printing Book) of HWOT? We plan to move on to WWE1 once we get done with it. I have WWE1 book and the copywork doesn't look that much more challenging than My Printing Book's, mostly simple sentences.