When writing ability doesn't match intellectual ability...

[babysparkler]

How do you handle this? My ds5 can read and is a whiz with numbers, but the writing aspect of this is holding him back. I have just started letting him answer things orally rather than writing them on his papers, and he works on his handwriting separately. He is a very quick learner and he is begging for me to let him go at his own pace without the drag of writing. Is this okay or should I be having him try to write the letters and numbers anyway for the extra practice even if it is slowing hm down? This is my first child that I am homeschooling for Kinder (the older two were in public school for K) so it is new territory.

[AK_Mom4]

Oral work is fine, but white boards are even better! DD often uses the white board for her math (tink big arm muscles instead of small hand muscles) and it's much easier. She also does well with the small lap-sized white board.

[Guest]

We did mostly oral work for a number of years due to visual/spatial and fine motor issues with my daughter. I think keeping handwriting separate is a good thing at this age, when fine muscle control is still developing but the mind is racing ahead. You don't want to frustrate a very young child by making him slow down his thoughts and excitement just to fill in workbook pages or write out sentences if he's engaged with the content.

[2smartones]

I agree! Doing everything orally is perfectly fine. You could have him do the writing on things that ask you to circle the answer, draw a line to the answer, etc., but otherwise, writing practice should be just writing practice. Don't kill desire for learning by turning it into something he dreads doing.

[Amber in AUS]

We do things orally, use a whiteboard or i scribe for DD and DS, although DD is becoming more independent now. I think it just takes time for the skills to catch up. So have him keep working on handwriting but help him out in other areas where he needs it.

[Laura Corin]

That's exactly what we did. The two sets of skills converged over time.

 

Laura

[babysparkler]

Thanks, everyone! It is reassuring to know that I'm on the right track :)

[catz]

How do you handle this? My ds5 can read and is a whiz with numbers, but the writing aspect of this is holding him back. I have just started letting him answer things orally rather than writing them on his papers, and he works on his handwriting separately. He is a very quick learner and he is begging for me to let him go at his own pace without the drag of writing. Is this okay or should I be having him try to write the letters and numbers anyway for the extra practice even if it is slowing hm down? This is my first child that I am homeschooling for Kinder (the older two were in public school for K) so it is new territory.

 

We did similar things with both my kids (my oldest didn't start homeschooling until 2nd grade).

 

A couple thoughts - I'd definitely just keep chugging away on the writing as a separate activity. My son made a BIG leap in output last year as a 3rd grader when he learned to type efficiently. So introducing typing might not be a bad idea. It might take a while for him to get efficient. There are games and websites available for that.

 

Another thing we came across that writing is really important for is LONG word problems. We came across word problems in Singapore math DS REALLY had to write out some steps for to get accurate answers for. And he can do multi-step problems in his head. This is part of the reason I really like that curriculum. It isn't afraid to throw a bunch of concepts together at the same time. But last year finishing primary math, we really HAD to focus on the writing piece to get through it and to be ready for algebra and geometry. Might just be something to be aware of as you move forward in math! For now it might be as simple as writing out a math problem a day and continuing with the rest orally.

[shannatheshedevil]

We're running into the same problem. I take it as an opportunity to work on number-writing.

[Guest prplhrtwife]

As you already see, you're in great company!!! I have a son with diagnosed learning disabilities involving his motor skills who is 7. Let them work through it verbally until the handwriting catches up. There's absolutely no need to impede the learning process. You'll only frustrate BOTH of you!

[Crimson Wife]

Rubber stamps, stickers, and fridge magnets are also great aids to kids whose writing ability lags their cognitive ability.

[MissKNG]

I would do the work orally. Then one day I bought those little stickers and she started writing herself! She is self taught to this day. I think it just "clicked" when she saw the need to write.

[mum]

Work on the handwriting, but know that 5 is pretty young to have a lot of written output, esp. for boy. Get around it as best you can. HWT is my favorite curriculum for these young ones.

[Jill]

We did similar - did a fair amount of work orally or found multi-choice worksheets and played a lot of number games and board games, and ultimately let him get on an online Math program (EPGY). We used Aleks for a while too when EPGY was cost-prohibitive but now with the homeschool EPGY setup we are back on it. As my son has become older, we added in a few handwritten problems a day so that he exercised in that way too. We added just a few. By last year (aged 7 to 8) he would do 4 to 6 long multiplication or division problems along with his computer work or other supplemental work pulled from a Saxon 54 book and a fractions book. His writing is now decent but it fatigues him to write a lot so we try to work with that. and yes, Handwriting Without Tears is the way to go, imho. 8^)

Edited August 18, 2010 by Jill

[alisonslp]

We kept handwriting separate. They dictated their writing for stories. We used white boards for math and for spelling. Did air writing for math as well - mental math with air writing.

 

My oldest are 9 now and their handwriting skills still haven't caught up to their writing ability, though my dd's is coming close. I'm guessing my ds's is another 2 yrs before it catches up.

 

Just take it step by step and don't worry about it.

 

alison

[cjshima]

My daughter (dyslexic) prefers to write on the whiteboard, and my son (advanced) does well with oral lessons - writing it down is boring for him and he retains it if we go over it orally. I think it depends on the child's learning style which one works better.

 

I agree that HWT is an excellent curriculum - stick with that and your child should do fine :001_smile: