Teaching handwriting without a program

[annlaura]

Does everyone use handwriting programs such as HWOT? Is it naive to think teaching handwriting with just a pencil and paper is ok? (Particularly that paper I remember from k with the dashed line through the middle.) I actually may use some ideas I've read about here and elsewhere, such as sandpaper letters, writing in rice, dough letters, etc, even if I don't use a program. But if it's silly or arrogant to think I can teach handwriting so simply, please tell me now. DS4 has suddenly decided he's interested in writing letters, catching me off guard as usual. :tongue_smilie:

[nansk]

I am sure it is possible if the mom/teacher has a good handwriting. And even among those that don't write nicely, not everyone uses a program. Most people here do, but others install a nice font (italics or cursive or print) and create practice pages for their kids.

 

My dd does Getty-Dubay Italics, but I dont have the actual Getty-Dubay books. I created the practice pages in StartWrite using the Getty-Dubay font. Sometimes I write a short sentence in Italics and have her copy it while I supervise.

 

If I had decided to teach her my style of traditional cursive, I am sure I could have done it without a font or any pre-made practice page.

 

Your ideas of pre-writing activities sound good. I'd say go for it. :-)

[Koerarmoca]

I am winging it with dd5, dd9 is doing cursive and pretty good at it. dd12 needs a little work she is a lefty and I think she just wasn't taught well how to write as a lefty (she has been both hs/pvt schooled) I used a reason for handwriting cursive with her when I last schooled her in 5th. I don't plan on adding anything other than basic mama made sheets and printables unless I see a need arise.

[stripe]

I got an Getty Dubay Italics book but found it easier to make my own pages.

[Poke Salad Annie]

We have been using the pages you can make at the Zaner-Bloser website. I don't think handwriting is something to spend $$$ for. If I spent any money at all, I would buy a large shower board at Lowes or Home Depot and have it cut into smaller pieces. I would get a few of them cut for use by your child. The feel of the dry-erase marker moving across the whiteboard is much easier than the feel of pencil on paper.

 

You could also make some pages from a handwriting tablet, writing the letters yourself with a pen. Put these into sheet protectors and let your child go over and over the letters with pencil to get the movement and letter formation.

[lionfamily1999]

You can buy the paper at Walmart or just about anywhere else. As long as you've got the correct paper and write carefully yourself you should be fine. Also, a lot of phonics programs have introductions to writing (ETC, Get Ready Get Set Go teaches the individual letters, 1 moves on to words).

 

No sweat :D

[johnandtinagilbert]

Yes, I think you can. Handwriting instruction is included in our program, but there is not really a separate component. Some instruction, then application of the skill throughout the rest of language arts. Worked better than our (sometimes tearful) days of HWOT.

[boscopup]

I learned some info by using HWT to remediate my oldest son's handwriting. So far, I've been just using the white board for my middle son. I *didn't* know enough about teaching handwriting when my oldest learned to write, but now I do and would be fine not using a program. I also have StartWrite, so I can make my own handwriting/copywork sheets in whatever font/size/etc. I want.

 

For cursive, I'm using a program. I do NOT write cursive well enough to even begin to think about teaching it without one. :lol:

 

We used the first grade HWT book for my oldest just long enough to get the letter formation down pat. That book wasn't too bad, since it did maybe 5 copies of the letter, then you wrote words or sentences. We used it for about 3 weeks, I think? Then we had all the letters formed properly, and I just use copywork for "handwriting" now.

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

I don't see why you need one. Get some handwriting paper specific for your childs age/grade and write sample letters or words. You can even add in some arrows to show how to form the letters. I find it is better to write the letters/words on one line and the child writes below it.

[robsiew]

I think if your child's fine motor skills are in the "normal" range it's perfectly fine to not use a curriculum as long as you know how to form the letter correctly. If your child struggles at all with fine motor I believe it necessary to use a curriculum. HWT was necessary for my ds7 who still struggles with fine motor. Had it not been for their unique approach I know handwriting would be more of an issue than it is.

[Hunter]

In remediating my own handwriting, it has been imperative to me to have the different strokes defined for me, and then to be presented with all the letters using that stroke simultaneously. And secondly I need daily oppurtunities to trace large amounts of text.

 

If I were a mom like this one then I could teach without a curriculum, but I'm self-educating and don't have these skills.

[annlaura]

Thank you for all the replies! I will go for it. Are fine motor problems usually pretty obvious?

[boscopup]

Thank you for all the replies! I will go for it. Are fine motor problems usually pretty obvious?

 

If your child says "My hand hurts" when writing, that's one of the biggest signs. :) That's pretty common in boys, btw. You may not encounter it, but it's common if you do. My oldest has that issue, though it's getting better. My middle child probably won't. He seems to have better fine motor skills at a younger age (he's writing some letters on his own at a young 4, which my oldest wasn't physically ready to do at that age).

 

Start with activities like sky writing, writing in sand/salt/rice/whatever... that sort of thing.

[Ray]

I think a handwriting program is necessary and would like to use this thread to post up a couple links to things that I think are worth home educators time to look into;

1) http://www.wacom.com/bamboo/index.php

2) http://www.peterson-handwriting.com/PDFbyHand.html

 

Now Petersons’ handwriting site is a bear and takes some work to navigate around, but contains many interesting pro handwriting articles . The above two things are new to us and their debut is this weekend…so no ‘been there done that’ info to relate yet, FWIW.

[hsmom]

This year I am not using anything except pages printed off of startwrite when I notice he might need more instruction. For the most part I feel he does enough writing with his other programs.

[Green Vixen]

Does everyone use handwriting programs such as HWOT? Is it naive to think teaching handwriting with just a pencil and paper is ok? (Particularly that paper I remember from k with the dashed line through the middle.) I actually may use some ideas I've read about here and elsewhere, such as sandpaper letters, writing in rice, dough letters, etc, even if I don't use a program. But if it's silly or arrogant to think I can teach handwriting so simply, please tell me now. DS4 has suddenly decided he's interested in writing letters, catching me off guard as usual. :tongue_smilie:

 

Hi AnnLaura,

 

Thanks for asking this question, I've been wondering about it myself. I am thinking about getting Educational Fontware and teaching handwriting myself. That way I can choose which font I like the best and make my own worksheets. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis so my handwriting lately is not so cute, and there is NO way I can physically write practice sheets for my kids!

 

Marisa

[Guest]

My two youngers taught themselves handwriting without any help from me except the handwriting chart on our wall. So no, you don't need one, but it helps if you need the daily accountablility to get it done or have terrible handwriting yourself. I would stay with UNLINED paper in the beginning. Most programs use too large a space for little people and 3 lines is confusing. If you do use paper, look at HWT paper. The 2 lines makes a difference.

[kmehra81]

If it makes you feel better, I did not use a handwriting program for my almost 5-year old. I went to my local teacher's supply store, purchased an enormous wad of that handwriting paper that they use in the early grades, got him a good pencil, and practiced a letter (upper and lowercase) a week. Every day we sat down and every day he had to write, at a minimum, a half of a page worth of that letter.

 

It worked and the repetition helped make him quite a neat handwriter. Honestly, you should give it a try and see how it works for you. If you see not much progress, then possibly a handwriting program might work better. IT really boils down to the child and how they learn best. For my oldest, this type of method worked.

 

Hope that helps a little!

[JennyD]

I use a handwriting program (HWOt) because I'm a lefty and form letters in a very nonstandard way. My then-4yo also didn't yet have a proper pencil grip and I wasn't sure how exactly to fix it. However, if your kid is holding the pencil correctly and you know how to make the letters 'properly' yourself, I think DYI would be just fine.

 

Good luck!

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

:bigear:

[annlaura]

Thanks for all these great responses! I had heard about using unlined paper before and forgot; thanks for that reminder. DS has been practicing the letters that interest him: A for his name, S for Superman, X & O for tic-tac-toe. He writes me notes on big pieces from a roll of white art paper. The letters are all different sizes, all different directions, and varying degrees of neatness. It's really very charming. But I want to gently make sure he knows the proper way to form each letter, and I want to try introducing as many letters as I can while he's showing interest.