Teaching Writing

[waterdreamer]

My son is 5 and we've been working on printing for a year. His OT told us to do short little sessions of printing because if he gets tired then his print gets sloppy and he starts practicing errors.
My questions are:
- After a year, should his printing not be getting better? I remember in school doing a page of writing practice a day
- What age should you start teaching cursive? My step-daughter's private school is getting on her parents case to help her improve her printing because they plan on moving them to cursive very early. (she's in junior kindergarten)

[TracyR4]

You can start cursive as soon as you'd like. I know there is a homeschool curriculum that starts kids out as soon as PreK.
I think teaching cursive first actually makes more sense as small children start prewriting with making circles, and lots of wavy lines.
Actually my mother in law told me that in her generation they learned cursive. Printing really wasn't taught it was something that parents taught later on to their children.

My oldest daughter had POOR handwriting at the age of 5. It wasn't until she was 6 that I switched her to using Handwriting Without Tears (created by an OT) cursive and her handwriting and printing actually improved. Its still far from perfect but its not as bad as it was in the beginning. She's 13 now and I'm convinced she will be a doctor   
Plus I know she could have better handwriting if she took her time. She won't because she's just in so much of a hurry to get things done. She's going to a private school and honestly you'd think she would take more pride in her handwriting. Her teacher lets her get away with it and that in itself makes me mad.

[Raising Ethan]

Fun activities to promote writing skills
Here are 11 ways you can encourage your child to write. Because children learn in different ways, they are arranged by learning style. But any child can benefit from the suggestions in all three categories. Written by Holly Hanke.

For physical learners
Write together. Whenever you sit down to write a letter or a shopping list, or to pay bills or fill out an order form, ask your child to join you. Give him some writing paper, a blank check or a deposit slip, or an order form of his own to scribble on while you take care of business. Your child will learn that writing is an essential part of everyday life.

Use sand to “write” words. Help your child make letters and words out of materials like sand, glitter, or cake sprinkles. Cookie dough and pancake batter work too — and you get to eat the results!

Use modeling clay or Play-Doh to form words. First, make large flashcards with letters of the alphabet or simple words. (Laminate the cards if you can.) Then roll out thin ropes of clay. Ask your child to trace the words or letters on the cards using the ropes of clay. Not only will he learn to recognize words, but playing with the clay will help build the muscles in his fingers and hone the fine motor skills he’ll need to write.

Keep a travel log. When you’re on a trip together — a vacation, a visit to Grandma’s, a trip to the beach or the zoo — have your child bring along a notebook in which he can write down what he sees and does, even if it’s nothing but scribbles.

For auditory learners
Take dictation. Have your child dictate a story to you while you write it down. Need a good subject? Try his last birthday party or a recent trip to Grandma’s. Even though your child isn’t actually doing the writing himself, he’s watching you write down what he says. This is a great way to reinforce the connection between the written and spoken word. As your child learns to write on his own, you can switch roles.

Describe pictures. Look at pictures together in magazines, catalogs, or storybooks. Ask your child to tell you what he thinks the people are doing or thinking, and write down what he says as a caption. Or ask him to narrate a conversation he thinks two people may be having.

“Publish” a book together. Find drawings that your child did in previous years. Paste them on construction paper, and ask your child to explain each one. Using heavy cardboard, make a cover for the pages and have your child decorate it. Ask him to write a title page listing himself as the author. Punch holes in the pages and bind them together with yarn or ribbon. Treat it like a real book by storing it on the bookshelf with your child’s other books.


For visual learners
Make a photographic journal. Take snapshots of your child with friends and relatives. Paste them in a journal or scrapbook that you make together or buy. Have your child tell you who is in the picture and where it was taken, and write down what he says as a caption. This will be a wonderful keepsake for him when he is older.

Keep a diary. Children love to talk about themselves. By keeping a diary, your child learns to “talk” about himself in writing. Even if your preschooler is still struggling with letters, get him in the habit of writing a word or two in a special notebook on a daily basis, using crayons or markers. Make diary writing a regular part of his routine (before bed is often a good time). If he has trouble getting started, you can:

•  Make specific suggestions. Encourage him to write about his visit with Grandma or a playdate he had, even if it’s nothing but scribbles.

•  Have him dictate to you what he’d like to record in the journal while you write it down. Most likely, he’ll soon get the urge to write it himself.

Play with alphabet refrigerator magnets. Playing with letter magnets on the fridge helps your child practice writing and spelling. He can also trace the letters (use colored pencils; crayons are too thick). For portability, you can attach the letters to a cookie tray.

Make an alphabet book. Fold a piece of construction paper in half, insert blank white pages, and staple the binding. Have your child write one letter per page, in upper and lower case, and draw a picture that starts with that letter.

[Krista G]

What a great reply.  I love the detailed ideas.  I will definitely share this with my sister who is having trouble getting her 4 year old past writing the letter A.

[MSant]

Cursive handwriting-- you raise a very interesting point. Maria Montessori came to the conclusion that cursive should be taught first, and printing second, if at all.  This was based on the observations that (1) printing involves straight-line movements that are unnatural for the hands; and (2) it wasted time to teach printing if cursive was what you planned to write with for the rest of your life. 
Its a very interesting idea-- I've started using the KUMON 'write and wipe" cards with my son, but I have never seen a cursive version.

And I'm also grateful for all of the ideas here.  I don't post much but I read a lot.

[Ann2010]

What home school program teaches cursive in Pre-K?  Thanks for the information.

[Krista G]

I know A Beka teaches cursive in Kindergarten or before.

[Ann2010]

Thanks! I am really interested in teaching my son cursive before print.  Any help with good materials would really be appreciated.

[Krista G]

Here are links to the books A Beka has for 4 year old's to start cursive.

http://www.abeka.com/ABekaOnline/BookDescription.aspx?sbn=26476

http://www.abeka.com/ABekaOnline/BookDescription.aspx?sbn=54445

You can look inside the books to get an idea.

[Ann2010]

Thanks for the information

[waterdreamer]

Thank-you so much for all the great info everyone! I have a lot to do with my son now!
Krista, I'm going to talk to my son's OT about those Abeka books. Have you used them personally?

[Krista G]

Not for that grade but I want to order them for my 4 year old.  I will let you know.

[waterdreamer]

Thanks Krista! I'm going to a homeschooling conference next month, hopefully A Beka will be there again like last year. Then I will ask them their option(since they carry both manuscript and cursive), maybe I'll even be able to look at a copy. I also called my son's OT to get her option.
Now to plan some fine motor skills activities

[Maquenzie]

http://www.otplan.com/materials/writing.aspx

[reei]

my daughter at 33 months old, does not like to write alphabets, or numbers, but she likes to write Japanese Hiragana. I think she prefers cursive.

anymore cursive materials anywhere? thanks.

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