How do you get your 6 year old to improve handwriting?

[ChristusG]

Do you just have them to some copy work? Use a program? A book? Write sentences they will like and have them copy those?

 

DD6 is not reading but I'd like for her handwriting to impove. I'm trying to teacher her basic grammer......where capital letters go and when to use simple punctuation marks.

 

Currently, I'm having her do Draw, Write, Now. On days we are not doing this, I write a few sentences on the dry erase board and have her copy them. She hates writing.

[abbeyej]

I think any of those are fine ways to go about it -- but the real key is not to hand her a workbook or copywork and walk away. Sit with her or stand next to her, and gently correct her grip and make corrections as she goes. "Ah! Where does that one start? Right, all the way at the top. Oh, good job. Now make a nice space before your next word. Remember, start by making a little 'c', then go back up to the middle line... Great. Ooooh, I like that one. Oops! Let's try that one again."

 

About five minutes. Every single day. Gentle, encouraging, but don't let anything slide.

 

If it helps for the sentences to be about pony-loving princesses defeating pirate ogres who love to do pirouettes, then write sentences like that. ;) If it helps to write sentences about how very much she loathes writing, go for it. Or use a pre-packaged program. But the real key isn't what words she's writing (at this point -- I do think there's value in copywork from excellent sources), but that she's doing it slowly and carefully with real-time feedback and encouragement from you.

 

If she has trouble holding her pencil properly, you might try a couple of different pencil grips to find the one that will work best for her.

 

And be consistent. Do focused work on handwriting for a short period of time every single day...

[Whereneverever]

Are you sitting right with her when she writes? Is she doing printing or cursive? I found completely reteaching writing from the ground up and doing cursive are really what fixed messy handwriting. And when she was learning I sat right next to her, the whole time. Now I spot check and correct, but overall her handwriting is easy for her (which has made her LIKE writing) and pleasant to look at. That's a win-win!

[JoyfulMama]

I think any of those are fine ways to go about it -- but the real key is not to hand her a workbook or copywork and walk away. Sit with her or stand next to her, and gently correct her grip and make corrections as she goes. "Ah! Where does that one start? Right, all the way at the top. Oh, good job. Now make a nice space before your next word. Remember, start by making a little 'c', then go back up to the middle line... Great. Ooooh, I like that one. Oops! Let's try that one again."

 

About five minutes. Every single day. Gentle, encouraging, but don't let anything slide.

 

If it helps for the sentences to be about pony-loving princesses defeating pirate ogres who love to do pirouettes, then write sentences like that. ;) If it helps to write sentences about how very much she loathes writing, go for it. Or use a pre-packaged program. But the real key isn't what words she's writing (at this point -- I do think there's value in copywork from excellent sources), but that she's doing it slowly and carefully with real-time feedback and encouragement from you.

 

If she has trouble holding her pencil properly, you might try a couple of different pencil grips to find the one that will work best for her.

 

And be consistent. Do focused work on handwriting for a short period of time every single day...

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

[WeeBeaks]

Are you sitting right with her when she writes? Is she doing printing or cursive? I found completely reteaching writing from the ground up and doing cursive are really what fixed messy handwriting. And when she was learning I sat right next to her, the whole time.

 

I learned this lesson the hard way. DH told me DS's handwriting would improve with time and just let him write. It didn't improve, and now he has all kinds of bad habits and forms his letters in a strange way for a lot of them, which doesn't seem to be efficient for speed or clarity. The next one I'm really drilling on the proper way to form letters (We use Handwriting Without Tears but I don't think specific curriculum is all that important honestly). We don't write a LOT, but what we do I now insist on being done sloooowwwly and carefully, and DS #1 has improved a lot.

 

Given your son's age though, does he draw well and have good fine motor? Or just clumsy overall? Maybe some of it will improve with time as he matures if he is overall lacking in fine motor. My second DS tries very hard and forms his letters in the correct manner, but he is slower in gaining fine motor overall than the first so it is taking a while. We just do less, slow down and do lots of fun stuff to build hand strength.

[Aurelia]

Supervised practice, a few minutes every day. Ariel's handwriting really improved when we did this. She writes beautifully for her age now.

[5LittleMonkeys]

Yes, yes, yes to the supervised practice! It made a huge difference this year with dd7. We went all the way back to letter formation with Italics. I never let her make a letter incorrectly. (if I can help it) Everytime she does any type of writing for school I sit with her until it is completed. Terribly time consuming but hopefully in the next few months I won't have to be so diligent anymore.:D

[dasilva324]

I had the same problem with my 6 year old...she picked up some bad handwriting habits in PK and K (public Schools). Now that we are homeschooling I'm using Handwriting Without Tears and agree that it has to be completely supervised....otherwise she reverts right back to her old habits. :(

[abrightmom]

IMHO it might be too much to ask of her before she's reading . . . I *think* it might be overwhelming to ask a non-reader to write a sentence (or sentences) and work on punctuation.

 

Perhaps you can just have her work on forming her letters, numbers, and writing her name until she's reading. Then introduce short & simple copy work (like 3 or 4 word sentences) following the previous recommendations (i.e. supervised, a short session, etc.)

 

:001_smile:

[1GirlTwinBoys]

Getting a table or desk & chairs that are the appropriate height really makes a difference. I just got the Ikea adjustable height table & chairs for our study area and I can tell that it really helped my twin boy's. We were using an old kitchen table, which I have now turned into our art table.

 

Also, I stay with them while they write and make sure every letter is formed properly. I correct them as they go.

[Chris in VA]

IMHO it might be too much to ask of her before she's reading . . . I *think* it might be overwhelming to ask a non-reader to write a sentence (or sentences) and work on punctuation.

 

Perhaps you can just have her work on forming her letters, numbers, and writing her name until she's reading. Then introduce short & simple copy work (like 3 or 4 word sentences) following the previous recommendations (i.e. supervised, a short session, etc.)

 

:001_smile:

 

I totally agree--think how much harder it would be to correctly copy symbols that had no meaning to you!

Wait until she's reading, or at least have her write the words SHE wants to write, regardless of spelling (I know this is controversial, but it's only until she begins to read--it's the Montessori way).

[ChristusG]

Thanks everyone!

 

I was wondering about having her write words before she can even read them. She's writing things that mean absolutely nothing to her. Maybe I'll have her write her name sometimes.....and maybe the alphabet, numbers, etc. Or ask her if there's a particular word she'd like to write.

 

I'll definitely supervise. I haven't been actually supervising but I'd be at the same table. I'll make sure that I actually sit with her and watch her do it while correcting at the same time.

[tampamommy]

You've gotten some great suggestions and your last post sounds like you've figured out how you want to proceed. But I just couldn't resist mentioning the first thought that went through my mind when I read the title to your thread...

 

Question: "How do you get your 6 year old to improve handwriting?"

 

Answer: "Let her grow up to be 11 years old."

 

With both ds and dd(who is very artistic), about 11 1/2 is when writing became second nature. It looks beautiful now. I laugh at myself when I remember that I stressed about handwriting.

 

So love this time of trying to teach each loop and curve. I promise, you will smile big :D at the memory before you know it!!

[1GirlTwinBoys]

When my children were not yet reading, I would only let them write their names, letters and numbers. :)

[Dolphin]

If it doesn't improve, switch. My ds had horrible handwriting, never got better. He was learning manuscript. I switched this summer to italic and in one week we had huge change. He handwriting is getting better daily. I read something somewhere, that the two styles use different parts of the brain, and sometimes some kids just can not get along with one of the styles. So if it is not getting better doing all of those things. Start again with a different style. We are doing the Getty-Dubay italic series and I love it. I am sitting with him, we do three pages/letters a day. I guide him as we go. Love it!

[abbeyej]

Thanks everyone!

 

I was wondering about having her write words before she can even read them. She's writing things that mean absolutely nothing to her. Maybe I'll have her write her name sometimes.....and maybe the alphabet, numbers, etc. Or ask her if there's a particular word she'd like to write.

 

I'll definitely supervise. I haven't been actually supervising but I'd be at the same table. I'll make sure that I actually sit with her and watch her do it while correcting at the same time.

 

Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize she wasn't reading yet.

 

In that case, I would have her copy the same letter (or a couple of letters) 10-15 times each, saying the basic letter sound as she copies. When my kids are learning, I group letters according to the way they're written, so we'd start with:

c

a ('cause when you print it, it's a c + a line up and back down)

d (just like an a, but the line goes all the way up and back down)

g

q

 

then:

i

r

n

m

h

b

 

etc, so they're learning the strokes that make writing letters as easy and efficient as they can be.

 

I do agree strongly with someone else who said that writing will be more pleasant once the child has done the practice so that it gets *easier*. And that phase is just tough sometimes. But small chunks of daily practice (using correct pencil grip and the most efficient, standard way of forming letters) will help tremendously over time.

 

While she's still learning to read, however, I'd stick to individual letters and words she already knows (family names, a word she particularly *wants* to be able to write, etc)... Plenty of time for complete sentences later on.

[Dinsfamily]

I think any of those are fine ways to go about it -- but the real key is not to hand her a workbook or copywork and walk away. Sit with her or stand next to her, and gently correct her grip and make corrections as she goes. "Ah! Where does that one start? Right, all the way at the top. Oh, good job. Now make a nice space before your next word. Remember, start by making a little 'c', then go back up to the middle line... Great. Ooooh, I like that one. Oops! Let's try that one again."

 

About five minutes. Every single day. Gentle, encouraging, but don't let anything slide.

 

If it helps for the sentences to be about pony-loving princesses defeating pirate ogres who love to do pirouettes, then write sentences like that. ;) If it helps to write sentences about how very much she loathes writing, go for it. Or use a pre-packaged program. But the real key isn't what words she's writing (at this point -- I do think there's value in copywork from excellent sources), but that she's doing it slowly and carefully with real-time feedback and encouragement from you.

 

If she has trouble holding her pencil properly, you might try a couple of different pencil grips to find the one that will work best for her.

 

And be consistent. Do focused work on handwriting for a short period of time every single day...

 

:iagree: Ds just practices during spelling or copywork each day. I sit with him and remind him where letters start or how to form the capital when he need it (he just learned cursive this year). The key for him is to make our practice time consistent but short. I like having him stop well before any writing fatigue sets in. I don't know if I'd have a non-reader write sentences they can't read. It would be like writing a whole bunch of gibberish. I'd just start with short words. We combined reading and writing lessons last year. We also started with pencil grips which made a huge difference for ds. He only needed them for about three months until the feeling of holding the pencil correctly was cemented.

[merry gardens]

Thanks everyone!

 

I was wondering about having her write words before she can even read them. She's writing things that mean absolutely nothing to her. ....

I found a handwriting program that practices strokes to music. Not letters, not words, just strokes of the pen (or pencil) with rhythm. The program is called "Callirobics" (from calligraphy + aerobics). There are various levels, including a level for children around ages 4-7. http://www.callirobics.com/ages47.html

 

In researching about handwriting, I discovered that in the past children were not just taught letter formation--they also practiced making the strokes in attractive, conisistent patterns. Nice writing flows. Forms like circles, loops and waves repeat. Attractive writing is both legible and the similar forms within the letters keep basically of the same size and shape.

 

And don't overlook the writing tool, (pen, crayon, pencil--whatever you choose for your daughter.) Blotted ink looks bad. Some pens and pencils don't write well. Some are harder to hold--especially for children. Add a pencil grip if she needs it, but make sure she has something to write with that works well for her and that leaves attractive marks on paper.

 

Eventually a child needs to move onto making letters and words and sentences, but before that comes the basic strokes of pen (or pencil or crayon) on paper. I just bought Callirobics for ages 7-14 and have some nicer pens for them to use. We haven't started our new handwriting work-out yet. I hope by going back to the very beginning and helping them get stronger at writing consistent, attractive strokes, my children's handwriting will look rhythmical and beautiful. That's my hope.

Edited August 24, 2010 by merry gardens

[ElizabethB]

Work on the basic letters one at a time on the white board.

 

Then, work on some phonics while connecting them.

 

For example, teach i, t, l, f, then work on it and fit and if and tiff.

[johnandtinagilbert]

With new writers, we start with tracing and white board work, followed by practicing letters on lined paper. Letters become 3-letter words, etc.

 

Once letter writing is fair, we move to copywork of simple sentences, growing sentences by end of 1st grade, with some dictation once they can spell a wee bit.

 

By 2nd grade, they can write, understand sentence mechanics, so when the work is sloppy, it must be re-done. Handwriting gets pretty neat, pretty fast around here when that happens.

Edited August 25, 2010 by johnandtinagilbert

[Snickerdoodle]

How doth the little lass

improve his penmanship...

 

 

Sorry, it goes through my head every time I see this thread title. (I'm so helpful, huh?) :D

[momma aimee]

:lurk5:

[FO4UR]

3 perfect copies of c and lots of :hurray:

 

3 perfect copies of c and 3 perfect copies of o and lots of :hurray:

 

3 perfect copies of c, 3 perfect copies of o, and 3 perfect copies of a and lots of :hurray:

 

 

...and so on, and so forth...

 

As soon as you get enough letters to make a word, write 3 perfect copies of it...and then a phrase...and then a sentence...always rotating and reviewing already learned letters.

 

Focus on grip and proper strokes NOW.

 

Recipe for Reading is an *excellent* resource to use for a sequence of introducing letters, phrases, sentences...and phonics patterns. I *highly* recommend it for non-readers! (and struggling readers)

[kathkath]

I know ps teaching doesn't garner a lot of respect around here ;) but believe me the following method works beautifully---no purchase necessary ;)

 

Teach 1 letter at a time. Practice drawing it correctly in the air, then writing it with a pointer finger on the opposite palm. Next, you demonstrate on separate paper, talking through each time. This eliminates the initial focus on proper paper positioning, grip etc, and solidifies their understanding of the letter formation. Then make a few with common mistakes as you write, and have your child "catch you" in each error, and demonstrate correctly again. (such as starting at the bottom, not fitting the lines by being too small, too big, too fast etc). When you are certain your child understands correct formation, then have your child practice it a few times on paper within the lines. No more than 5-6 times is necessary if they are correct each time, as you have already practiced in the air/palm, correcting you etc.

 

THEN, do spelling or another writing-related activity immediately following your handwriting lesson, and require that all of the letters they have learned so far be written correctly. If not, circle them and have your child correct them. Be attentive to having your child hold the pencil correctly and start each letter at the top. Developmentally children still *want* to begin their letters closest to the center of their body, their midline, which means they naturally want to start their letters at the bottom. This is a hard habit to break once they continue it past their developmental need, which is why you need to watch and gently correct at this age.

 

For those of you having trouble with bad habits again, I would start at the beginning again, with letter c this way. Then make sure every c is correct in their subsequent work, fitting in the lines correctly, starting at the top of the letter etc. Then the next day introduce a, and the next day d, then o, g etc, as they all begin the same way. Then move on to the next group of similar letters. You don't even need a handwriting program to do this. Once a week or so give them a pattern with letters they have learned, such as adadadadad and have them continue the pattern across the page. If you notice a specific letter causing trouble then pick it up again in a pattern review.

[Tracy]

Teach cursive. It is easier for the child, and it remediates a lot of manuscript issues, such as incorrect spacing, reversals of letters and improper capitalization.

[FO4UR]

I know ps teaching doesn't garner a lot of respect around here ;) but believe me the following method works beautifully---no purchase necessary ;)

 

Teach 1 letter at a time. Practice drawing it correctly in the air, then writing it with a pointer finger on the opposite palm. Next, you demonstrate on separate paper, talking through each time. This eliminates the initial focus on proper paper positioning, grip etc, and solidifies their understanding of the letter formation. Then make a few with common mistakes as you write, and have your child "catch you" in each error, and demonstrate correctly again. (such as starting at the bottom, not fitting the lines by being too small, too big, too fast etc). When you are certain your child understands correct formation, then have your child practice it a few times on paper within the lines. No more than 5-6 times is necessary if they are correct each time, as you have already practiced in the air/palm, correcting you etc.

 

THEN, do spelling or another writing-related activity immediately following your handwriting lesson, and require that all of the letters they have learned so far be written correctly. If not, circle them and have your child correct them. Be attentive to having your child hold the pencil correctly and start each letter at the top. Developmentally children still *want* to begin their letters closest to the center of their body, their midline, which means they naturally want to start their letters at the bottom. This is a hard habit to break once they continue it past their developmental need, which is why you need to watch and gently correct at this age.

 

For those of you having trouble with bad habits again, I would start at the beginning again, with letter c this way. Then make sure every c is correct in their subsequent work, fitting in the lines correctly, starting at the top of the letter etc. Then the next day introduce a, and the next day d, then o, g etc, as they all begin the same way. Then move on to the next group of similar letters. You don't even need a handwriting program to do this. Once a week or so give them a pattern with letters they have learned, such as adadadadad and have them continue the pattern across the page. If you notice a specific letter causing trouble then pick it up again in a pattern review.

 

That sounds a lot like what I do at home actually. Gross motor movement, off of the paper, before actual writing is not just a ps thing.;) My oldest was slightly delayed with fine motor movement, and he knew every stroke of every letter long before he ever wrote anything. When he began writing, it was an over-night kind of thing. At that point, I had to be a stickler about grip and positioning.

 

 

Also, starting with cursive eliminates a whole lot of the issues with natural child development. Cursive can always start at the bottom, for example. (lowercase letters) My oldest was taught cursive from age 4/5yo, and learned print largely on his own. He used both with ease by age 7...and this from a kid who had fm delays, and still has some reading "quirks" (visual perception issues). I think that teaching cursive is simply more developmentally appropriate than print for small children, and the letters are similar enough that they will transfer into printing FROM cursive (easier than transferring print into cursive).

 

 

Still, whatever you use first - print or cursive. One letter at a time, work up slowly and steadily. You are building muscle memory (and muscle strength). The goal is that the letter formation becomes 2nd nature and is associated with it's sound. I do plenty of dictating letter sounds and having the child write the letter (streamlining phonics/spelling/handwriting) once the letter has been learned.

 

 

 

 

Teach cursive. It is easier for the child, and it remediates a lot of manuscript issues, such as incorrect spacing, reversals of letters and improper capitalization.

:iagree:

Edited May 26, 2011 by 3blessingmom
ETA: fixing a sentence that made no sense...

[Ellie]

Practice, practice, practice. Writing everything instead of doing everything orally. Practice, practice, practice.

[kandty]

I haven't read any of the replies, but here are my thoughts. 5 minutes of handwriting practice evey day. Do hand strengthing exercises daily too (using twizzers, using spray bottles, playing with clay or dough, writing on an incline). Be sure to watch as they write to make sure grip is correct and lettes are being formed properly and make corrections if you find any mistakes. These ideas were given to me by a "expert" when my boys were needing help.

[nansk]

I was wondering about having her write words before she can even read them. She's writing things that mean absolutely nothing to her.

 

After individual letters, you can get her to copy the O-G phonograms or the syllables from Webster's. Once you are done with, then you can get her to copy CVC words and go on from there. That way, you can combine penmanship and phonics.

 

HTH

[peacefully]

You have already received some great ideas. My 6yo ds is at the point where he has letter formation down, but sometimes he struggles with "neatness" issues. One thing that I've tried lately is to have him "correct" his own copywork. If letters aren't formed well, he writes over the problem area in colored pencil. He's really been liking this approach, and he says that it helps him understand what to do better next time.

[Guest]

I printed these pages free. Both my littles love them. We have so far only done the first page. The hollow letters seem to make a big difference. You will need to scroll down for the download.

 

http://www.prometheantrust.org/handwriting.htm

[Joyoflearning]

I highly recommend "Happy Handwriting". It teaches strokes in order (starting with capitals which sometimes is not recommended, but works beautifully in this program). Each letter stroke is a "character" and you are writing the "character" from head to toe or belly, etc. The way it is laid out makes so much sense and is easy for children to understand. My 4 year old hates to color and had difficulty making basic writing strokes even in a pie pan. After starting this program, she is writing her letters neatly, correctly, and with confidence. The program even includes some phonics, sign language, and memory verses (to circle the letter being worked on). I agree with all the suggestions on keeping lessons brief and supervise the lesson to make sure the letters are formed correctly.

[Guest kphmschool3]

At the ripe age of 6 (hehehe) and working on handwriting!!! NICE. May I suggest play-dough? My impatient messy little boy loved to squish it into any shape I challenged him with. From there we presented the correct direction to shape (write) the letter.... transferring quite nicely to pencil and paper! Also, I completly agree with the other post referring to "supervision" Ugh... but so true since handwriting holds so many possible "bad habits".

[Guest]

Oh, yeah, I forgot about PlayDoh and Sculpey. Get the white for no mess, never dry out fun.

[Five More Minutes]

IMHO it might be too much to ask of her before she's reading . . . I *think* it might be overwhelming to ask a non-reader to write a sentence (or sentences) and work on punctuation.

 

:001_smile:

 

:iagree: I would think that this is a good time to focus on single letter formation and short words to assist with her reading. I found that having my girls trace letters in shaving cream, sand, or make plasticine models of letters helped both cement the associated sound and the letter formation. Then they would trace several written copies of the letter, and try to write their own once or twice. As they improved, I'd add in a word or even a phrase to the worksheet.

 

And I hovered (still do) constantly to make sure they were holding the pencil correctly, noticing the spaces between letters/words, and other details.

[momma aimee]

some one posted Recipe for Reading -- and it looks like it might be good for phonics and copyvork -- any one know where to get it new? Amazon only has it by 3rd party sellers -- anyone useing RforR and can tell me where they got it?

[Farrar]

I think any of those are fine ways to go about it -- but the real key is not to hand her a workbook or copywork and walk away. Sit with her or stand next to her, and gently correct her grip and make corrections as she goes. "Ah! Where does that one start? Right, all the way at the top. Oh, good job. Now make a nice space before your next word. Remember, start by making a little 'c', then go back up to the middle line... Great. Ooooh, I like that one. Oops! Let's try that one again."

 

About five minutes. Every single day. Gentle, encouraging, but don't let anything slide.

 

If it helps for the sentences to be about pony-loving princesses defeating pirate ogres who love to do pirouettes, then write sentences like that. ;) If it helps to write sentences about how very much she loathes writing, go for it. Or use a pre-packaged program. But the real key isn't what words she's writing (at this point -- I do think there's value in copywork from excellent sources), but that she's doing it slowly and carefully with real-time feedback and encouragement from you.

 

If she has trouble holding her pencil properly, you might try a couple of different pencil grips to find the one that will work best for her.

 

And be consistent. Do focused work on handwriting for a short period of time every single day...

 

We're struggling with handwriting in our house right now for my 6 year olds. But this approach, which is what we had been doing and which seems like the totally right one to me - the natural one, in fact - provoked SO many tears that *I* couldn't do it anymore. They're capable of having decent handwriting. Sometimes they have quite nice handwriting, so it's not an issue of motor skills - it's just a need for more practice and consistency. But me sitting there, no matter how gently I tried to guide them, no matter how calm and sweet I kept my voice, was like having a screeching little devil critic sitting on their shoulders to them.

 

So... we've dropped it for now. But, of course, that means they're building bad habits as they write in other contexts. I'm still working out what I want to do.

[MyLittleBears]

Getting a table or desk & chairs that are the appropriate height really makes a difference.

 

Also, I stay with them while they write and make sure every letter is formed properly. I correct them as they go.

 

:iagree:

[Jay3fer]

I was wondering about having her write words before she can even read them. She's writing things that mean absolutely nothing to her. Maybe I'll have her write her name sometimes.....and maybe the alphabet, numbers, etc. Or ask her if there's a particular word she'd like to write.

 

It's always fun to practice with familiar names: family members, friends, her street name if it's not too hard, city name, etc.

 

I don't know if you're open to a curriculum, but we have enjoyed Handwriting Without Tears, which someone else mentioned as well. It is hard to write NEATLY if you have never been introduced to correct letter formation and HWT does this flawlessly.

 

I love HWT because it's literally 5 minutes, with cute mnemonics to help remember how to make the letters. My dd6 is on her third book now and it's not her favourite, but her writing is improving steadily. She is only just starting simple sentences, so I think you're right about backing off on that until your dd is more comfortable.

 

HWT is different from other handwriting stuff - especially the awful dollar-store variety - since it doesn't "drill and kill". You practice a few times and that's that. For that reason, it's important that you have your eyes on their work, though, so they don't do the three examples WRONG.

 

I'm working now on finding a balance between hovering and letting her work independently. Stickers help - when she's done a whole page, I reward the neatest word on the page (however short or long, easy or hard) with a special sticker or "neat prize."