Handwriting Without Tears is a wonderful introduction to handwriting and to the "school" table as well! Whenever a mom of a 4 or 5 year old asks me what they should do to get their child on the right start for education, this is one of the first things I recommend.
The workbooks and hands-on tools help your student to develop hand-eye coordination at a slow and steady pace. The workbook pages are very simple and usually only require 5 minutes to complete. You can even make it more simple by doing only one thing on a page per day. The teacher's guides give some great ideas on how to introduce new things and how to correct bad habits.
In addition, this curriculum is not very expensive. The workbook and teacher's guide are under $10 each, and you can even splurge a little and get some of the manipulatives for fun! If even $10 is more than you can spend, consider visiting their website for FREE downloadable letter formation charts and videos to help you get your student on the right track.
I personally have used this with two of my children with wonderful results. The structure of the letters is very simple, and some people prefer the fancy handwriting books. I have discovered that my children develop their own fancy style as they get older, but I didn't have to struggle through making sure their loops were slanted at the right angle at age 7! Literally, NO TEARS!
Handwriting is preparation for grammar and for creative writing, and it gives your student a way to express himself. It is not the end of the world if he doesn't have the most beautiful and structured letters. Your main goal is legibility, so sit back and relax as he learns at his own pace. Just keep giving him experiences and opportunities to learn and grow.
-originally published on 4/20/2010 for Essential Church School
1 comment:
Handwriting Without Tears curriculum is a great multi-sensory approach to learning and improving your child's handwriting. As a certified handwriting specialist I've used the program in the schools and in my private business, OC Handwriting. Check out the before & after handwriting samples on my website www.ochandwriting.com.
Good handwriting does improve children's academics and self-confidence.~Kathryn Majewicz
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