Raising Little Shoots Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Please can I ask for thoughts.. My daughter's writing is difficult to read. She is 11 yo & writes in cursive. It is getting tiny & not particularly uniform. Today is our last day of school, so I am going to leave it over the Summer break & come up with a plan for Autumn term. I am thinking to get her to do her writing on the computer & work one on one with her daily, on copy work / dictation until the situation is remedied, but wondering if any of you wise ladies had better suggestions... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 I wouldn't give up working on her penmanship. Have her use a fountain pen; also, use something like Zaner Bloser for a traditional cursive, or Spencerian, which is traditional....*really* traditional. :-) Require all of her written work to be legible, with everything in pen except for math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raising Little Shoots Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share Posted July 17, 2014 Thank you, that is super helpful. I shall look into those fonts. I should definitely have 'sat' on her more & observed her writing more closely. That will have to be the goal for our Autumn term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Thank you, that is super helpful. I shall look into those fonts. I should definitely have 'sat' on her more & observed her writing more closely. That will have to be the goal for our Autumn term. Just FYI :-) penmanship styles are called "hands." "Fonts" refers specifically to printed works. :-) It will only make a difference if you try an Internet search. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raising Little Shoots Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share Posted July 17, 2014 Thank you Ellie I did not know that and it will be most useful :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Thank you Ellie I did not know that and it will be most useful :) YW. :cheers2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Yes, I agree with Ellie. The thing that helped my handwriting as a kid was learning calligraphy. I know it seems completely not intuitive that if you have a child who's really struggling to write legibly that you teach them really artful writing - after all, all you really want is just readable letters! - but I think it helps a lot of kids. Other things with small motor skills can also help, even at this age. On the other hand, I think if it doesn't pan out, it's fine to move to the computer at this age. I've worked with some kids who just need to be typing and fighting it is just going to draw tears for everyone involved. So I would do both tactics simultaneously, at least for awhile. If she doesn't know how to type, Dance Mat Typing from BBC is a nice free intro and a good way to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raising Little Shoots Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 Yes, I agree with Ellie. The thing that helped my handwriting as a kid was learning calligraphy. I know it seems completely not intuitive that if you have a child who's really struggling to write legibly that you teach them really artful writing - after all, all you really want is just readable letters! - but I think it helps a lot of kids. Other things with small motor skills can also help, even at this age. On the other hand, I think if it doesn't pan out, it's fine to move to the computer at this age. I've worked with some kids who just need to be typing and fighting it is just going to draw tears for everyone involved. So I would do both tactics simultaneously, at least for awhile. If she doesn't know how to type, Dance Mat Typing from BBC is a nice free intro and a good way to start. Thank you for your thoughts. I think the 'pen' thing is a great idea. I am going to have a look for a fountain pen and ink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raising Little Shoots Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share Posted July 21, 2014 Just updating the thread with the purchase of a fountain pen (with violet ink - her favourite colour :) ) I have purchased a disposable at the recommendation of Strawberrymama. That way she can get a feel for nib width & such before I invest in a lovely pen as part of her birthday gift (December) I am going to focus on *less* required writing - but it must be her *best* effort. (Anything else can be done on the computer until this issue is resolved.) Coincidentally I have also just bought a lovely journal for her to use as a commonplace book - to record quotes from books she is reading. Would it be best if she copies a print model, or should I make a model in the required 'hand' for her to copy from, until her writing improves? Thank you again :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Look up dysgraphia and techniques for helping with handwriting for people that struggle in this area (which is basically what dysgraphia is). Lots of interesting and sometimes extremely useful suggestions... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raising Little Shoots Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share Posted July 21, 2014 Super, thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Super, thank you :) Good luck and best wishes. Working on this with my 10 year old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrissySC Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I switched cursive style on my middle dd and her handwriting improved. I can see the benefit to what is stated above and as such it should not be scoffed at entirely. The switch makes them cognitively refocus and improves hand-eye coordination. :) I could state all sorts of links and such ... but I think you believe her already. I just wanted to chime in and tell you that it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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