Handwriting in K

[MrsBanjoClown]

What are some ways to supplement handwriting worksheets to improve understanding of how to form letters/numbers? I'm not looking for another program, just activities we could do. I know about practicing letters in shaving cream, etc. What other activities can we do?

 

*Ds is almost 6 and tends to rush through handwriting worksheets without really paying attention to what he is doing. He seems to have good fine motor skills in other areas (cutting, legos, etc.). He can write, but forgets how to form letters and numbers and his letters seem to be of all different sizes when he is doing copywork. Today in math he wrote his 5 backward and his 4 looked more like a Y. Any suggestions? Do I just keep on doing what we are doing and he will get it over time?

Edited November 1, 2012 by jpope

[ItoLina]

:bigear:

My ds is just like this, so I am interested to hear what people have to say.

[MrsBanjoClown]

:bigear:

My ds is just like this, so I am interested to hear what people have to say.

 

Sorry I edited my question while you were replying! I was trying to make my issue a little more clear.

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

I got the idea to make letters out of fuzzy sticks/pipe cleaners off of Pinterest. :001_smile: It could help a kinetic learner or a kids who does better with 3D things. It could be good practice.

[ByGrace3]

I have a Ker that struggles with handwriting. Honestly I cannot imagine m doing copy work at this point. He still struggles with letter formation, so we are focusing on that. And I cannot let him make one stroke of his pencils without me hovering. Sounds silly, but it is what it is. The Handwriting without tears "extras" are super helpful, like the stamp and see and the little slate. Wet and dry on the slate/chalkboard is very helpful. You write it, they use a little sponge to erase it (in the way they would write it) then use chalk themselves to go over the line the sponge made. Really at this point for us it is just constant correction and practice. I really like HWOT because of the way they teach it, the gray blocks to write in, and the extra manipulatives they offer.

 

I think I would back off of copy work and just do handwriting formation practice, with you present for awhile... I think it is completely normal for Ker boys. :tongue_smilie:

[Researcher]

Finger paint, rice or sand on a tray, and clay or dough are all good activities for this.

 

Lakeshore makes some art trays that are great for this kind of stuff.

[ErinE]

Once my kids knew their letter formations, I found pages of handwriting practice weren't helpful. I preferred monitoring their copywork and picking one letter to focus on. Gradually, both were able to write more independently without my constant oversight.

 

All last year, I sat right next to dd and watched her letter formation like a hawk. Her writing was filled with 2-3 word sentences, variations of "The cat sat" and "See Sam sit." Every few days, I would require three perfect letters after she finished her copywork. If I noticed her little a's were getting wonky, I would write down three perfect a's, explaining my steps as I wrote. Then, hovering over her shoulder, I would talk her through her letters, stopping her when they were formed wrong. It was boring and tedious, but paid off this year.

 

As far as numbers, my dd didn't write for all her math problems last year. But when she did, I required her numbers to be formed perfectly. If I noticed a tendency to make mistakes, I wrote a sample number, explaining the steps, then required 3 perfect numbers. However, I found reversals to be common at that age and I didn't worry about it other than to ask that the number be written correctly.

 

Small steps, one letter or number at a time, was the best method for my kids to write neatly.

[IceFairy]

I got the idea to make letters out of fuzzy sticks/pipe cleaners off of Pinterest. :001_smile: It could help a kinetic learner or a kids who does better with 3D things. It could be good practice.

 

 

We do this, too.

[FairProspects]

The HWOT chalkboard. Seriously. Kids who struggle to remember how to form letters need to feel the start and stop of each stroke on the edge of the chalkboard to get the muscle memory. The letter building with the long and short wood and curved pieces is good too along with the other suggestions you have already gotten.

[Tanikit]

I found getting my DD to do letters using gross motor activities - ie drawing the letter huge in the air with her whole arm and saying what she was doing helped a lot with letter formation - if you show your child how to form letters in the air make sure you stand behind him and use his arm to show and tell him otherwise he may learn to write in reverse and you don't want that.

 

HWT and other programs that teach letter formation usually get them to talk while writing the letter and have saying for each letter - more than just down up and around for an a. These also help to remember letter formations. Reversals are common and don't mean your child does not know letter formation.

 

Other activities we did included painting letters with water on a wall, making letters with leaves outside in the garden, walking out letters while saying the steps. Copying short 3 letter words was the start of copywork to keep it very short while still working on letter formation and yes, I had to be there all the time and tell her how to write the letter before she put her pencil down initially. It took more than 6 months before I did not have to hover so much.

[5Wizards]

his letters seem to be of all different sizes when he is doing copywork. Today in math he wrote his 5 backward and his 4 looked more like a Y. Any suggestions? Do I just keep on doing what we are doing and he will get it over time?

 

I would say that yes, a lot of it is just time passing, practice, and aging. I stressed about many things with my first that I learned to let go on with my second. My current 2nd grader still does occasional number reversals, but it only happens occasionally now, not all of the time like last year at 6. When doing math, I would just remind her that her number was backwards and have her correct it (I didn't make her write it multiple times like many people seem to do). I also just corrected along the way with writing. When they are young, they frequently need someone there right beside them constantly, correcting as they go. It is very age appropriate to have number and letter reversals at 6. :001_smile:

 

My youngest child, who is just learning how to write her letters, loves to write on the whiteboard. I highly recommend this as an option when learning how to write letters correctly.

 

Good luck!

Edited November 12, 2012 by 5Wizards