"remedial" handwriting (printing) for 8yo

[Dahliarw]

My 8yos handwriting is driving me bonkers! He learned with HWOT at preschool/K and it worked. But at PS two years ago I think he lost it all and no one noticed. We did a reason for handwriting last year, and I think I didn't notice it because so much of it was tracing. We started cursive this year, and I was thinking the directionality with cursive would transfer over to manuscript, but it has not.

 

He tends to write his manuscript letters starting at the bottom. It makes it harder for him to write and is messier. I'm thinking of doing some intensive handwriting stuff over the summer to get his memory back into starting the letters in the proper place and formation. Shoudl I just go back and work through HWOT K or 1st? Is there a better program?

[birchbark]

We had good success using SmithHand for remediation with DS. He also had used HWOT.

[Hunter]

Is your cursive hand slanted or vertical? The manuscript and cursive hands should be complementary if possible.

 

I like the uppercase manuscript instructions in Simply Charlotte Mason's Delightful Handwriting. There are both slanted and vertical instructions. There are also lowercase instructions, too, but they are not as explicit as I'd like.

 

I use Spalding for both cursive and manuscript lowercase letters. Spalding's uppercase instructions are not as explicit as their lowercase instructions, but their lowercase instructions are awesome. Spalding is a vertical hand.

 

I don't teach uppercase cursive. I just use uppercase manuscript for both lowercase hands.

[Walking-Iris]

Go back to HWT. I wouldn't start at K because that is mostly learning the letters. If you've started cursive with him, you could just start him in the HWT 2nd grade book and then pick up the cursive book after that.

[Marie131]

I'm really enjoying Penny Gardner's Italics for my remedial handwriter (and is what I will be using from 1st grade up for all my kids). You can buy the download which makes repeating lessons really easy. It covers all the levels and is relly affordable. Best of all - it works!!

[Tracy]

If he tends to start his letters from the bottom, rather than remediate, I would teach him cursive with a font starting at the baseline. It would be a very natural progression and would avoid any concerns the dc might have about remediation.

[Bree]

Don't have any advice, but my ds has the same problem. We switched over to cursive and it is beautiful but his print is a mess and he starts from the bottom also.

[Laura Corin]

How much does he need print? Calvin learned print at school and it was a disaster. I taught him cursive using HWT and just gave up on print. If he needs to print on a form, he can more-or-less do block capitals. I don't know of another occasion when print is necessary.

 

Laura

[Dahliarw]

Is your cursive hand slanted or vertical? The manuscript and cursive hands should be complementary if possible.

 

 

I don't think HWOT is slanted. Both print and cursive there are vertical.

 

If he tends to start his letters from the bottom, rather than remediate, I would teach him cursive with a font starting at the baseline. It would be a very natural progression and would avoid any concerns the dc might have about remediation.

 

 

Is there a cursive that does this? We're doing the first book of HWOT cursive right now, but he prefers print to cursive, probably since he's still learning cursive.

 

How much does he need print? Calvin learned print at school and it was a disaster. I taught him cursive using HWT and just gave up on print. If he needs to print on a form, he can more-or-less do block capitals. I don't know of another occasion when print is necessary.

 

Laura

 

 

Right now he still uses print for most things. In the long run, I don't know. Though in modern times, things are mostly typed as an adult anyways...

[lifesadream83]

I would do HWOT for grade 2. But I think you will run into the issue that my dd had and that is that the lines are too big. She desires to write small and honestly her handwriting is much better smaller.

 

Another thing to consider is how much he is writing for school. I found out with dd that she was trying to rush through her assignments thus making them sloppy. I started have her do her LA work as her handwriting (she was told to do her best as neat as possible & properly (I have handwriting strips on the desk from HWOT))and things have drastically improved.

 

Another idea is to use this site when you are doing your narrations ( I see you are using SOTW2) maybe type them as he speaks them to you and then have him trace them or copy them from this. This site allows you to change the size of the lines so if smaller is better for him this should do the trick.

http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/

 

Also HWOT has sheets that tell you where to start in making each letter. You could print them and put them in a sheet protector and have him use a dry/wet erase marker.

[Tracy]

Is there a cursive that does this? We're doing the first book of HWOT cursive right now, but he prefers print to cursive, probably since he's still learning cursive.

 

 

 

Cursive First is the only one that I am aware of. It is a supplement to the SWR program but can be used as a stand-alone.

[Hunter]

I don't think HWOT is slanted. Both print and cursive there are vertical.

 

Is there a cursive that does this? We're doing the first book of HWOT cursive right now, but he prefers print to cursive, probably since he's still learning cursive.

 

Right now he still uses print for most things. In the long run, I don't know. Though in modern times, things are mostly typed as an adult anyways...

 

 

Okay, so you are using HWOT cursive? That wasn't clear in your first post. I'd do HWOT manuscript, if you are doing HWOT cursive.

[Dahliarw]

Yes, HWOT cursive. Sorry, should have mentioned that in the first post.

[Hunter]

I wasn't teaching lowercase manuscript at all, until I realized my students needed to learn it to communicate with their families and peers that did not know how to read cursive.

 

I stress cursive over manuscript, because I think cursive is brain healing and soothing to journal with, and a large percentage of my tutoring students suffer with mental illnesses. I decided soothing journaling was more important than neat communication with people who cannot read cursive. It wasn't an easy choice to make.

 

For business and dealing with authority figures, I found that lowercase cursive and uppercase manuscript filled all needs. It was communicating with PEERS that led me to having to reintroduce manuscript into the curriculum.

 

I have found it important to choose cursive and manuscript hands that complemented each other. Both Spalding and HWOT cursive are vertical hands that try to merely join their manuscript. Spalding is a bit smoother to write than HWOT, but HWOT is easier to explain to a student.

[Dahliarw]

I wasn't teaching lowercase manuscript at all, until I realized my students needed to learn it to communicate with their families and peers that did not know how to read cursive.

 

I stress cursive over manuscript, because I think cursive is brain healing and soothing to journal with, and a large percentage of my tutoring students suffer with mental illnesses. I decided soothing journaling was more important than neat communication with people who cannot read cursive. It wasn't an easy choice to make.

 

For business and dealing with authority figures, I found that lowercase cursive and uppercase manuscript filled all needs. It was communicating with PEERS that led me to having to reintroduce manuscript into the curriculum.

 

I have found it important to choose cursive and manuscript hands that complemented each other. Both Spalding and HWOT cursive are vertical hands that try to merely join their manuscript. Spalding is a bit smoother to write than HWOT, but HWOT is easier to explain to a student.

 

 

Thanks!

 

It's funny, I always print, I never use cursive. In fact, when I took the SATs in high school, there was a little statement that you had to copy pledging you weren't going to cheat, etc, and it had to be in cursive, and that was the hardest part of the test because I had to remember how to write half of the letters!