Can U please help troubleshoot handwriting?

[Joyful]

DS is 8. We have been using HWT first grade, and he is enjoying it and is making progress in his penmanship. His handwriting is much neater when he is writing in the workbook.

 

What he has trouble with is when he writes on notebook paper. I have him use regular notebook paper when he does his English work (using Rod and Staff G3). I ask him to write so that his letters are within the height of one line. What I've been seeing is a few things. His letters seem to float - they dont' touch the bottom line. Also he has trouble with keeping the proper proportions. Sometimes the capitals and the "short" lower-case letters are of the same height. Sometimes the "short" lower-case letters (e.g. a, c, e) take up 3/4 of the height of a line.

 

Can you please help me figure why this happens and how to help him?

Do you think it is a function of having the "wrong" kind of lined paper or a function of time (meaning that it will get better with time)? If the paper is the problem, can you please suggest what size lined paper to use (and if I should use the kind with the dotted lines in the midde)?

 

Thanks!

[Laura Corin]

I used HWT paper for everything until the boys could write more evenly.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

[Tam101]

I'd say it's the paper. My 8 year old was having the same problem with standard paper. I have him using 3/8" handwriting paper now and it's much better. donnayoung.org has all sizes in printable format if you want to try it before buying any.

[Joyful]

Thanks for helping with this. I hadn't thought that it would be important to use "handwriting" paper throughout until now. That's why they call it a learning curve, right? :D

 

Thanks also for the tip about looking at Donna Young's site for printables to try out first! I'm going to go print out some....