Affordable Handwriting

[ReadingMama1214]

DD4 loves to write and has pretty good handwriting. She writes with a mix of upper and lower case letters and prefers to use both. We have the HWOT Kindergarten workbook and we haven't done any formal handwriting lessons. I've just shown her how to form letters and she will ask to do copy work so that she can write specific things for cards and pictures. I was thinking that we would start a more formal time doing handwriting. Since she does write a lot, I want her to develop correct formation earlier rather than work to correct bad habits. She is a lefty, but it hasn't been a challenge yet. She does start some letters from the bottom, but it is not a consistent issue.

 

I'm looking for a program that is in manuscript, but addresses both upper and lower case simultaneously. Does such a program exists? We could do HWOT and just go through it as quickly as she needs. But, if there was another option that was affordable and fit what I would like, then I would buy a second book. 

 

 

[Ellie]

Spalding and its spin-offs teach lower case first, and upper case only when it is needed, and then with the rule ("We use upper case letters at the beginning of a sentence and when it's a proper noun."). Spalding et al give specific instructions on how to form each letter, so children rarely write incorrectly.

[ReadingMama1214]

Can you do Spalding handwriting without the reading part? I think we might stick with OPG for reading unless it stops working.

[Ellie]

Can you do Spalding handwriting without the reading part? I think we might stick with OPG for reading unless it stops working.

 

Yes, although the handwriting is taught along with the sounds of the letters (which helps them remember both--the letter sounds and how the letters are written).  

 

You might be able to find a copy of the manual (WRTR) at the library.

 

Teaching the correct form of the letters isn't very difficult. :-)

[UCF612]

We use Pen time, they are very affordable. We started in their cursive books so I have no idea how they address manuscript in the earlier books. Worth looking into though just based on price IMO.

[FO4UR]

 I think we might stick with OPG for reading unless it stops working.

 

 

 

 

Use the OPG lessons for handwriting lessons.  Write out some words from previous lessons on the board and have her copy on the board.  

 

Play matching games where you match the uppercase letters to lowercase letters.  

[ReadingMama1214]

Use the OPG lessons for handwriting lessons. Write out some words from previous lessons on the board and have her copy on the board.

 

Play matching games where you match the uppercase letters to lowercase letters.

That's a good idea. I think I might do that and use HWOT for formation. We wouldn't actually follow the book, but I'd use it as a guide.

 

She can match the uppercase and lowercase letters well already, but her writing isn't uniformed and I want to do more working on size and formation of letters. She loves to write a lot and I think that if we do another year of no handwriting, the habit of how she writes might be harder to break.

[arliemaria]

Peterson Directed.  The first "workbook" isn't even something you write in.

[KeriJ]

Pentime!

[mathmarm]

Spalding teaches letter formation in WRTR, its just a few pages so I would see if you can borrow the manual from the library or a friend and copy just those few pages. You can teach the Spalding letter formation (clock letters) without using the whole method.

[ReadingMama1214]

Spalding teaches letter formation in WRTR, its just a few pages so I would see if you can borrow the manual from the library or a friend and copy just those few pages. You can teach the Spalding letter formation (clock letters) without using the whole method.

Thanks! I just put it on hold at my library. Today we just did HWOT after reading and then wrote some of our words. So I'd love something that showed me correct formation and then we could just practice with the words from each day's lesson. She also may go to a school that uses Riggs and it uses a similar clock formation for letters.

[Btervet]

We just used copy work. I printed out a page that showed letter formation and put it up on the wall. Then each day I would write a sentence in a K-lined book and he'd copy it. If there was a trouble letter I'd just show him with the whiteboard a few times before he did the copy work.

[ReadingMama1214]

We just used copy work. I printed out a page that showed letter formation and put it up on the wall. Then each day I would write a sentence in a K-lined book and he'd copy it. If there was a trouble letter I'd just show him with the whiteboard a few times before he did the copy work.

 

We do copy work and dictation (she asks to write something or how to spell something). Did you do correction on form and size? I'm trying to decide how important proper form and size is at this stage? We have some K lined paper from HWOT. 

[HomeAgain]

We do copywork, too.  The way it works in our house is we start with single letters.  I point out where the letter hits the top and middle line.  How it curves.  Where to start and finish.  The child makes an attempt.  We compare it to the original.  If it's good, the child does three, and picks out the best.  Copywork is done for the day.  If it is not, we go over formation again. I tend to go with stroke families, and every few days review a previous stroke family.  We then move on to a single word, then a group of three.  Then come sentences, and the same thing: point out the capital letter, the ending mark, the spaces between.

 

We don't move on until one aspect is mastered.  It just creates and reinforces bad habits otherwise.

[Hunter]

Don Potter Handwriting is the same as Spalding manuscript.

http://www.donpotter.net/pdf/shortcut-to-manuscript.pdf

 

You can absolutely just use Spalding/DP handwriting with ANY curriculum. DP and I and countless others have done it.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I thought Peterson Directed did a great job of teaching me how to teach writing.  They use a sort of rhythmic rhyme for each letter.  I haven't used it in a while, but it would be something like down-hop-hop for a lowercase m, slide-slant-slide for the letter z, etc.  This was really helpful for my kids.  After that, I simply hand wrote copywork pages, skipping every other line for dc to write below.  When you take the time to pre-write your child's copywork in your best print, you get a feeling for the sort of hand fatigue a young child deals with when learning to write.  LOL.  

 

You can also look for a nice manuscript font to download and then print out copywork.  I found the program "Startwrite" was more trouble than it was worth, but many people do love it.  

[Embassy]

Startwrite software has saved me a bunch of money on handwriting curriculum over the years.  You can design the worksheets with the handwriting style you choose.  Size of letters and traceable letters are also an option.  My kid likes it when I add pictures of her favorite characters and make sentences up about them.

[ReadingMama1214]

I thought Peterson Directed did a great job of teaching me how to teach writing. They use a sort of rhythmic rhyme for each letter. I haven't used it in a while, but it would be something like down-hop-hop for a lowercase m, slide-slant-slide for the letter z, etc. This was really helpful for my kids. After that, I simply hand wrote copywork pages, skipping every other line for dc to write below. When you take the time to pre-write your child's copywork in your best print, you get a feeling for the sort of hand fatigue a young child deals with when learning to write. LOL.

 

You can also look for a nice manuscript font to download and then print out copywork. I found the program "Startwrite" was more trouble than it was worth, but many people do love it.

I saw Peterson directed. How much is the basics of that program?

[Hunter]

I just learned to write DP/Spalding myself and hand-write whatever I want a student to copy, until they are ready to just copy from regular text. Students instructed with DP/Spalding are ready to copy regular text quicker than some other methods. The whole years and years of workbooks does NOT work for me at all.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I saw Peterson directed. How much is the basics of that program?

 

I would just get a basic grade x kit, more or less at your student's handwriting level.  Use it to learn the strokes, then go on to making your own copywork.  The CD is not particularly useful IMO, so you can skip that.  The basic homeschool kit for grade 1 is $17 I think.  It's not the sort of program where I think it would be helpful to buy a new workbook year after year... Just move on to meaningful copywork that you've either hand-written for your kid or printed in a handwriting font for them to copy.  

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Oh, just remembered your kid is 4.  Get the pre-k/k book, as it's larger and is re-usable for doing finger tracing of each letter.  You might want that plus a 1st grade kit and you'd really have more than enough for all print instruction you need.  

Edited February 3, 2016 by Monica_in_Switzerland

[blondeviolin]

I've never done a full program. HWOT has the prompts available here: https://www.hwtears.com/files/Letter%20Formation%20Charts.pdfand if you google, you can find the teaching order. We move from those to copy work. My current first-grader thinks she can write it however she wants, though, so we'll be using Pentime because it's cheap and good practice over the summer.

[Btervet]

We do copy work and dictation (she asks to write something or how to spell something). Did you do correction on form and size? I'm trying to decide how important proper form and size is at this stage? We have some K lined paper from HWOT.

I corrected his handwriting, yes. It was very short at first so he didn't have to write to much. And we used dry erase markers to practice letters whenever it was a struggle. I just kept the copywork short at first.

[shawthorne44]

Startwrite software has saved me a bunch of money on handwriting curriculum over the years.  You can design the worksheets with the handwriting style you choose.  Size of letters and traceable letters are also an option.  My kid likes it when I add pictures of her favorite characters and make sentences up about them.

 

We are really enjoying the StartWrite software.   I loves that it has the font I choice since I like Italic.   Also, DD can dictate a letter to Grandma, then that becomes a worksheet and then grandparents can get a letter.   Price was worth just that.  

[Love Home]

I used the "Handwriting Skills Simplified" workbooks by Essential Learning Products. I like that they teach the Zaner-Bloser script. They worked well and are cheap!

[ReadingMama1214]

I used the "Handwriting Skills Simplified" workbooks by Essential Learning Products. I like that they teach the Zaner-Bloser script. They worked well and are cheap!

I think it's the script of HWOT that I'm not in love with. I'll have to look at this. I borrowed Spaldins manual from the library to look at their script style

[heartlikealion]

You could make your own worksheets and include both upper and lower case on the same sheet.

 

That is, if these websites have a style you like:

 

http://www.handwritingworksheets.com

 

https://www.zaner-bloser.com/sites/default/files/public/FontsOnline_Sampler/FontsOnline_Sampler/index.html

[wonderfilled]

I suggest Pentime, too.  It's very affordable.