At what point do you stop formal handwriting?

[~Kirsten~]

I'm looking ahead and trying to figure out when penmanship just turns into writing. We will be using WWE and therefore doing copywork and dictation and such. Also, we'll start with an introduction to cursive next year. So do you do a second cursive workbook? I'd imagine you would, but what about a third? A fourth? TWTM is a little vague on this subject, simply saying to continue penmanship throughout the grammar years. So I turn to you! :D

 

Do you stop at an age? At a skill level? At a certain point in a program? :bigear:

 

I'm not sure how to phrase this for a poll, so I think I'll just go by grade. But I'd love to hear how far you go in a program, if you've used one. Thanks so much!

 

ETA: The poll should ask about "formal" handwriting curriculum, rather than copywork and the like. I'm wondering about the transition from handwriting and copywork to just copywork, and then further, to just using neat, correct handwriting for writing and other work. I know, I know; it's a confusing poll! ;)

Edited January 13, 2010 by ~Kirsten~

[FairProspects]

We haven't gotten to this point yet, but I plan to stop when there is no longer a need to think about letter formation (strokes and such) and it becomes automatic. I've noticed from AAS dication that this is true for ds for some letters (t, p) but not for others (g, j, n, o, b/d). Of course, by then it will probably be time to start cursive penmanship :).

[EKS]

When I decide that there is no further hope of improvement.

[Vanna]

I buy no more handwriting curriculum after 3rd or 4th grade, but my children still do copywork (and I think in 8th gr. it will oldest ds's last yr doing that) and I *require* that the copywork be done in the neatest cursive handwriting.:)

[mama25angels]

I buy no more handwriting curriculum after 3rd or 4th grade, but my children still do copywork (and I think in 8th gr. it will oldest ds's last yr doing that) and I *require* that the copywork be done in the neatest cursive handwriting.:)

 

:iagree:

[Verity]

I buy no more handwriting curriculum after 3rd or 4th grade, but my children still do copywork (and I think in 8th gr. it will oldest ds's last yr doing that) and I *require* that the copywork be done in the neatest cursive handwriting.:)

 

:iagree:

 

 

My oldest finished HWOT Cursive two months ago and now he is doing a page of daily copywork in his best handwriting. My middle son is still working through HWOT and doing ReadyWriter and other copywork. I plan to keep up the copywork for the next few years for the older. Probably through traditional middle school. I bought a big combination pack from Happy Scribe and just pick out five pages to do each week for each boy. We are learning some of Proverbs this week through the copywork. :D

Edited January 13, 2010 by Verity

[babysparkler]

I was wondering this myself. My fourth grader has beautiful handwriting so I was thinking about stopping with him... but he really LOVES doing his handwriting. I love the idea to switching it over into copy work. I may have him work the year on copying a book of the bible or something as his "handwriting" time.

[~Kirsten~]

When I decide that there is no further hope of improvement.

 

:lol:

[~Kirsten~]

I buy no more handwriting curriculum after 3rd or 4th grade, but my children still do copywork (and I think in 8th gr. it will oldest ds's last yr doing that) and I *require* that the copywork be done in the neatest cursive handwriting.:)

This makes perfect sense to me. So for you, and the others who agreed with you, somewhere around 3rd or 4th is the end of the formal "curriculum" version of handwriting?

[Matryoshka]

My older two went through all the Getty-Dubay books, which should've lasted through 6th, but they finished the last two books in 5th - eager beavers.

 

This year they're not doing any formal handwriting - and I've noticed that while their handwriting is fairly neat and readable, and while they obviously loved doing the cursive exercises in the books, they haven't ever really switched to using cursive in their everyday writing. :glare:

 

Ah, well - it's fairly neat and readable. I'm done.

[dragons in the flower bed]

When I decide that there is no further hope of improvement.

 

:iagree:

[SilverMoon]

I voted for after kindergarten. All of mine have been ready for copywork at the beginning of first grade and actual handwriting practice was dropped. For copywork I ask them to do their very best handwriting, and have them redo any that I know they can do better on.

[Whereneverever]

I answered other. I plan to stop when we finish our program. Whether that's this year or next doesn't matter, just getting through it at a reasonable pace. :001_smile:

[KAR120C]

When I decide that there is no further hope of improvement.

Yup. Only poor DS - I'm such an optomist... I keep thinking "maybe another round of practice will help" ;)

[~Kirsten~]

I answered other. I plan to stop when we finish our program. Whether that's this year or next doesn't matter, just getting through it at a reasonable pace. :001_smile:

 

May I be nosy and ask which program you're using? :D

[Amy Jo]

When they can form the letters properly (nice and legible, not necessarily perfect) without a model - aka from normal typed or spoken words. Then they will still need to work on writing neatly (and hopefully continue to improve) but they can do that in normal copywork (probably in a Book of Mottoes as on Simply Charlotte Mason), writing, dictation. I'm expecting that to be about 1 year of work (2 quarters basic italics and 2 quarters cursive italics). So not to much formal work, but a lot of writing neatly (and re-writing if I can't read it). I expect to start typing in 3rd, at least for my oldest who dislikes writing.

[Annie Laurie]

It varies.

 

My 9 yr old has nice handwriting and remembers print and cursive formation fine but he likes handwriting a lot so he'll just go ahead and finish the last HWT book.

 

My 7 yr old has the most messy handwriting ever, it's barely legible. She dislikes hwt so I'm trying to decide between A Reason for Handwriting or Pen Time as something more fun for her, for remediation. She also does copywork so I'm trying to figure out how not to overload her.

 

Ds5 has the neatest handwriting in the family I think. So he'll just use a cursive book for cursive and then be done, he doesn't need printing instruction. He'll just do copywork.

[ubermomto5]

we use the italic getty/dubay too and i think it is so beautiful. i actually have the last book and 'do' a page from time to time alongside the kids. we do a lot of copywork but i think, even when mine are older, we will have some of the workbooks to dip into periodically - because it's fun and for a refresher. i move slowly too - my 8yo son hasn't started cursive yet - no need to hurry!

[prairie rose]

I don't use a handwriting curriculum. I teach them to form their letters, a few letters at time as soon as they show interest or 5yo which ever comes first. Once they have enough letters down to make a word, I have them copy words. When they have enough letters down to make enough words to make sentences, they copy short two and three word sentences. They then do copywork followed by dictation the rest of their schooling days in one way or another.

[Haiku]

I voted "other" because we have never done penmanship. My dd started writing when she was three, and I just helped her learn correct letter formation. That her letters don't conform to any recognized penmanship "style" (D'Nealian, Zaner-Bloser, HWOT, whatever) doesn't concern me at all.

 

My son started writing during kindergarten. His handwriting, while not great, has improved quite a bit since we began WWE in first grade.

 

When I was in school, we were taught D'Nealian. I have looked back at my old school papers (which my mother kept), and my handwriting has never resembled D'Nealian. My handwriting has changed and morphed my whole life and, like many people I know, I now use a mix of print and cursive that is distinctively "mine." My kids will develop their own style, too, and as long as it is legible and not exhausting for them, however they form letters is their call.

 

Tara

[Jen+4dc]

When I decide that there is no further hope of improvement.

:smilielol5::smilielol5:

 

Once we started copywork with ds7 I quit the handwriting, he just couldn't handle both and I figured copywork (in your best writing) was more important.

 

My older two went to ps up through 4th and 3rd grades so we are doing enough cursive that they can read it and I'm teaching them to type. Honestly, with all the things in the world they could be spending their time on, formal handwriting instruction is just not that high up on my list.:blush: I figure typing is a more realistic skill for today's world.

[Matryoshka]

Once we started copywork with ds7 I quit the handwriting, he just couldn't handle both and I figured copywork (in your best writing) was more important.

 

I did it backwards - for my older two I didn't assign any outside copywork and figured the Getty-Dubay workbooks could count as copywork. Each workbook has a theme and there are some fairly long passages to copy.

 

My youngest (newly 9) is doing WWE and the G-D workbooks - but I can barely get her to write legiby, no less beautifully, when doing WWE dictation (we're in WWE3, no more copywork anyway). In her G-D workbooks she knows she has to really write her best or else. :tongue_smilie: If I get that one writing legibly as an adult, I will count it a minor miracle... :glare:

[IsabelC]

I haven't reached this point yet. But I'd hazard a guess and say either when their handwriting is effortlessly beautiful or when we realize that they are never going to improve it any more ;)

[stansclan89]

When they can write legibly.

[Whereneverever]

May I be nosy and ask which program you're using? :D

 

 

Sure- we're using Cursive First. I really, really, really :lol: love it.

[Vanna]

This makes perfect sense to me. So for you, and the others who agreed with you, somewhere around 3rd or 4th is the end of the formal "curriculum" version of handwriting?

 

Yes, that's right. I remember this was about the time I stopped "formal" handwriting practice in my own education. I like to think of it as "taking off the training wheels" btw grades 4 and 5 and "requiring" they write in cursive as much as possible (if they ask to write in manuscript for some thing like a spelling test, I let them). So far, so good...

 

;)

[patchfire]

When I decide that there is no further hope of improvement.

 

This. We haven't gotten to that point yet with dd, but I think we're rapidly approaching it. To the computer we go. :)

[Dee in MI]

We did handwriting through third fourth grade. Then, when I realized he didn't know how to form capital cursive letters, I had him do Zaner Bloser Self-Instruction in Handwriting for Middle School in 6th grade. It took only a few minutes, twice a week, and he finished it in a Semester. It has helped. There is also a Self-Instruction book for adults, should we need that later ;)

[coffeegal]

Pentime Penmanship goes through the 8th grade, and that's when we'll stop formal penmanship. :001_smile: