Sloppy handwritingu

[MistyMountain]

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[SKL]

My kids' handwriting is rather poor.  It seems they never really learned how to form letters - they made it up as they went along.  For example, Miss E writes the letter "S" from the bottom up.  And Miss A writes "f" like a tall "r" with a line through it.  Their teachers don't seem to care.  Which is probably a good thing.  :)

 

They are about to start doing cursive, and I hope they will learn correct form from their teacher.  They are also learning typing in 2nd grade, as part of computer skills.

 

Given that they do spend time on handwriting in school (I saw the workbook they are filling in), and we have such limited time at home, I am not planning to teach handwriting after school, unless the teacher specifically requests it.  What I do is try to encourage them to hold their pencil correctly, and point out letters/numbers that could be misread, so they know to be careful about that.  For example, Miss A's 0s sometimes look like 6s, a's like u's, u's like a's etc.  She has missed some words in spelling because of this.  When school is out, I sometimes demand neat handwriting, depending on whether we have time.

 

I'm guessing that their school does not stress handwriting because ultimately, most of us are not going to do important correspondence in handwritten print.  We're going to type.  At some point I'm sure they will be typing their assigments, etc.

[wapiti]

My standard recommendations include (1) make sure the child is getting regular eye checkups (issues with vision can go well beyond 20/20), (2) teach cursive, (3) teach typing, (4) if there are other academic issues, consider sensory/motor issues and/or processing speed down the road, and (5) if you find some other magic bullet, please post.  In our house, handwriting issues have little to do with proper letter formation  :tongue_smilie:

[sunnyday]

If the only reason you care is because of bad marks, you mostly need to stop letting grades have that much power over you or your child.

 

My son's first grade teacher highlighted handwriting as an area of concern at our parent-teacher conference. She explained that with 22 kids, she can't catch them fast enough to correct them while they're in the process of forming their letters, and since proper formation (continuous-stroke, starting from the top, etc.) makes the transition to cursive easier, and since she and the other teachers in the school are of the opinion that legible handwriting is still important in this day and age, she would appreciate if I would sit with DS and make sure he forms his letters properly on his homework. Because I agree with her that legibility is important, and because she made a good case for this being my problem as much as hers, I am doing as she asked. His main problem is reversing s, 5, and 6. I sit with him and catch him when I can, or ask him to look over his work and check for just those three reversals if i can't be right there. He's getting much better already, since he only has to focus on those few things.

 

I am also starting cursive instruction at home (Rhythm of Handwriting), because DS is super interested and because I feel it will help him with forming his letters more smoothly.

[MistyMountain]

My standard recommendations include (1) make sure the child is getting regular eye checkups (issues with vision can go well beyond 20/20), (2) teach cursive, (3) teach typing, (4) if there are other academic issues, consider sensory/motor issues and/or processing speed down the road, and (5) if you find some other magic bullet, please post. In our house, handwriting issues have little to do with proper letter formation :tongue_smilie:

I think she has sensory issues but not motor issues. I am not sure about processing speed but she does have symptoms that are like inactive add.

[Uff Da!]

nm

[kiwik]

My kids' handwriting is rather poor. It seems they never really learned how to form letters - they made it up as they went along. For example, Miss E writes the letter "S" from the bottom up. And Miss A writes "f" like a tall "r" with a line through it. Their teachers don't seem to care. Which is probably a good thing. :)

 

They are about to start doing cursive, and I hope they will learn correct form from their teacher. They are also learning typing in 2nd grade, as part of computer skills.

 

Given that they do spend time on handwriting in school (I saw the workbook they are filling in), and we have such limited time at home, I am not planning to teach handwriting after school, unless the teacher specifically requests it. What I do is try to encourage them to hold their pencil correctly, and point out letters/numbers that could be misread, so they know to be careful about that. For example, Miss A's 0s sometimes look like 6s, a's like u's, u's like a's etc. She has missed some words in spelling because of this. When school is out, I sometimes demand neat handwriting, depending on whether we have time.

 

I'm guessing that their school does not stress handwriting because ultimately, most of us are not going to do important correspondence in handwritten print. We're going to type. At some point I'm sure they will be typing their assigments, etc.

In the last few weeks I have had to fill in at least 6 forms - legibly. I also have to regularly record things on forms at work. If you are recording the temperature of a freezer in a way that can be displayed by said freezer handwriting is the best option.

 

Yes we do less and less writing but some will be required for quite some time. Voice entry doesn't work in noisy environments and keyboards don't work that well when you are working in the wet or wearing several pairs of gloves. Writing need not be beautiful but it does need to be legible.

[SKL]

I should note that my kids do have physical issues that make pretty writing a tough challenge.  And I assume that is the case for many kids with poor handwriting.  I mean, who sets out to write poorly?  As a kid, I always got "D" in handwriting myself, no matter how I tried.  So I guess I am reluctant to make our time together more tedious (for them) than it already is.  I think that if it gets to the point where their handwriting is a real life problem, they will be motivated to work on it.  For me, I was in high school or college when I discovered the trick that enabled me to write like someone past primary school.  :P

[kiwik]

I wouldn't use your time on it but I would expect the school to work on it. I think some subjects are best taught by people with no emotional investment.

[MistyMountain]

That is some hilarious spam. I can't help you with your issue but come to India. How is that related? lol My child is struggling withandwriting what can I do? I know I will fly away to visit India!

[OneStepAtATime]

That is some hilarious spam. I can't help you with your issue but come to India. How is that related? lol My child is struggling withandwriting what can I do? I know I will fly away to visit India!

I started laughing so hard, but it completely derailed my train of thought.  

 

What I think I was going to say was is there anyone in your area who can assess for dysgraphia (not just someone through the school that kind of has some experience but a trained professional)?  There are a lot of different forms and many methods to help depending on the issue.  

 

Also, as others have mentioned, if there are specific motor issues or memory issues, or unusual vision issues that don't show up in a standard eye exam or pediatric exam, those can definitely trip up handwriting but are frequently hard to tweak out unless the professional is trained in those area.  

[MistyMountain]

So after volunteering this week her teacher tells me that dd needs to work on writing neater or she will be sent to study hall to redo her work. Grr. She is only in 1st grade. Kids that age need active time. It isn't like she doing it in purpose. It is a struggle for her. I guess I will have to work with her.

 

I was talking to someone who recommended the slingerland method she said would works good with whatever the school is using but I never heard of it. I would love to get her an evaluation because she has sensory symptoms, add symptoms, sloppy handwriting and has a hard time with getting information form listening to people and struggled a bit in math during the first semester but right now she is doing good grade wise with a little time spent in math. I would love a neuropsych exam because I would love having as much information as possible but that costs thousands we don't have and won't really be useful for the school anyway. I guess I will try working with her first and if that doesn't work maybe consult an OT for tips I could do with her.

[Uff Da!]

:(. If she can't help it sending her to study hall isn't going to help. It's punishing her for being as she is.

[SKL]

Ugh.  There should be a law against taking kids' recess away for any reason whatsoever.  And for handwriting?  As my mom always said, a lot of doctors never would have graduated Kindergarten if writing was so important.  And that's especially true now that everything will eventually be typed anyway.

There are many things about my kids' school that frustrate me.  One thing I'm happy about is that they are not jerks about handwriting - at least not at an early age.

[SKL]

I assume there are teachers who believe that immature handwriting is "careless."  In my family, including myself, it was genuinely difficult if not impossible to write neatly.  I remember in 3rd grade, erasing holes in my papers because of the number of times the teacher returned it with "DO OVER" written on top.  Man, I hated 3rd grade....

[rmtzc2009]

My 2nd grader was just dropped from his OT which was working on his handwriting.  While it's still terrible- he no longer qualifies for OT because his speech improved and you have to have 2 areas of concern for any extra school services here.  As a result I talked to the school about his handwriting and how I'm concerned that he starts from the bottom and his writing is very large and hard to read.  The school said that while they do handwriting worksheets they don't actually teach the way to do handwriting any longer.  There stance is as long as the writing is legible it doesn't matter how the child forms the letters or how the size of the writing.  It seems as though importance isn't placed on handwriting as it once was.