Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy How To Improve Handwriting?

Hi All,

I'm looking for any been there done that experience with trying to improve the aforementioned.

DS is 7, about to be skipped to Grade 2, has math capabilities of around Grade 4 when last tested and will be tested again tomorrow for subject acceleration. The Gifted Services Coordinator said in no uncertain terms that his handwriting is holding him back in terms of further full grade acceleration. He does have fine motor skills issues and has just started handwriting OT. The teachers I've spoken to think that his handwriting is fine for a 7yo, but for the amount of writing required for, say grade 4, he's behind.

DS has been in grade 1 for all of 12 weeks, but socially, it's been a desert. He's a very sociable boy, but he tells me that he just doesn't have anything in common with his classmates. The teachers think he's fine (all throughout kindy, teachers have always told me he has "many friends". ), but his idea of a connection is for people to understand what he's saying and not just for him to laugh along. In any case, I've seen that his social group is older.

My question is, is it possible for him to improve his handwriting age quickly? He was extremely motivated to practice, which is why he's now at the 7yo level for handwriting (it wasn't last year). I feel bad that some of his precious afterschool time has to be spent writing, which he dislikes. And because changes have been slow, his motivation is ebbing. The gifted svcs coordinator suggested keyboarding if his handwriting doesn't catch up (I don't know what the time line is), but I'm wondering if that will work. Does anyone have any experience here?

TIA!!

I know this may sound silly, but have you tried different pencils? We have some problems with DS8's writing, notably writing really large and not too neat. If he goes very slow he can write smaller and more neatly, but it takes a lot longer. Last night I gave him a mechanical pencil and he suddenly fit his (very long) name on the line on his homework and the work was a bit neater.

A lot of people around here have mentioned keyboarding and there is a good, free typing introduction that others have recommended. My son really liked it. dance mat typing

It would be a shame to let handwriting hold a child back from learning in school. Good luck

Hi blob,

We share your pain....

If the grip is the problem:
1. We have found some larger pencils that are triangle shaped.
2. We are using the claw (recommended by Grinity here) http://www.drawyourworld.com/Catalog/HTML/claw.html
3. We are also using this type of pencil grip: http://www.amazon.com/Pencil-Grip-C...e-products&qid=1268938789&sr=1-2

For typing:
My kids like this one. It is kind of silly, but they are having fun.
http://www.amazon.com/Disneys-Adven...re&qid=1268938864&sr=8-1-catcorr

Hope this helps...
Mag

We have an OT working with DS7 on handwriting and it is still atrocious. Next year, his school has a class in keyboarding...hooray! I do not correct his handwriting, but my husband will make him erase and re-do letters and numbers that are not clear. I have awful handwriting also (I'm allowed, I'm a doctor haha) so I guess I don't think it's that important. Nan

Nan,
If you can, get your DH to cut that out. We have too many perfectionistic kids who are wearing through their papers as it is. Perhaps you could compromise by having him write double spaced, and drawing a line through the ambiguous digits and re-writing them on top?
Jus my .02$ - my handwriting has taken a very long time to develop!

As for 'hothousing handwritting' - if your son wants to, then go for it!

I like 'handwriting without tears' - particularly their 'The Print Tool' - it's meant for professional, and it really analyses what the weaknesses are to be focused on. Perhaps your OT has already done that, and could give you some things to do as practice at home?

There are also the 'other' activities that build finger strength, such as musical instruments, woodworking, handicrafts that you might pursue to try to hothouse the printing a bit.

Best Wishes,
Grinity

Grinity: Thanks for the input for me on Blob's post. I will try to get my DH to cut it out My DS has taken to leaving his homework by the front door for me...completely bypassing DH. Yay DS, you are so smart

Thanks so much, guys! We've tried, still trying different grips. Will try the typing typing programmes, pant pant.

Nan, I like what you said about you being allowed bad handwriting . I'm in finance and my son says, "obviously, adults have bad handwriting too" after seeing a sample of mine .

Grinity, I've never been able to make him trace anything, which is probably why his handwriting is so bad. These days, he gets to write a little paragraph or letter, or whatever he wants. But he wants it ever more rarely. Gonna put on my salesman hat and start to hardsell from next week, *gritting my teeth in determination*.

I'm totally confused here. By tracing, do you mean placing a blank paper over the printed sheet and drawing what he sees? To my knowledge there is none of that for his age group in HWT. What I love about HWT is that it groups the letters logically, and asks the helper to put smile-faces under the pretty letters. Also, their paper really did help me make prettier letters.



Since his handwriting is holding back his ability to get reasonable acomidation, you have a real natural urge in that direction to take advantage of. I would recommend taking it on as a mutual project, where you mostly act interested for yourself, to prove to yourself is this is as good a program as Grinity says, perhaps bribing him to keep you company for moral support. Plus, it can be very relaxing. Some soothing music, a little candlelight...you get the idea.

Silly Me,
Grinity

Hi Grinity, not sure about what it's called - tracing dotted letters or numbers? I had a quick peek at HWT from my friend. They have some of that. I have printed freebie sheets from the internet, but after some of that, he'll space out big time, yow! But did you say smile-faces? Hmm, Cutey-pie stuff does work on him ...

Tks for the little suggestions

Even 5 minutes a day will make a huge difference.

If the smile faces are too cutey-pie, just place a check mark under your favorite letters. The idea is to develop visual awareness of which letters look 'right' and that one can, in fact, make at least one letter that looks right.

Whatever you decide, you'll figure out some way out of this.
Grinity

It takes daily practice.

In my skip from 7th to 10th, my history teacher made us all read and take notes or take notes from her lectures. She graded us on the note taking. It was torture for me for the first few weeks as I was writing for 45-75 minutes every day and she checked our work EVERY day. I remember walking out of there with a sore, cramped hand and a bruised ego from the feedback. It worked.

I would suggest copying a print book to a composition book - pick a page a day to do. Then review. I would aim for high quality at first then both quality and quantity and then use different kinds of pens and pencils.

I'd pick a book on something DS likes or which is broken up well - perhaps poetry or "how things work" that has short sections and which are also interesting.

there are online work sheets for improving children's handwriting.
My daughter is left-handed, she began to write comprehensively when she was 4.


Handwriting practice consists of copying, not creating, letters, words and sentences. Ask your child to copy a letters..of course, the child will not perfect the handwriting in the first try. so, schedule a handwriting practice evryday or every other day. You can also give rewards if ever the child manages a good handwriting

We've had good luck with HWT and keyboarding on a daily basis.

I have a 3rd grade DS who is homeschooling. He is basically at age level in terms of handwriting (but as of this year is typing well). The output I require of him is age appropriate, even though the "input" is all way above grade level. He can produce something probably jr. high quality by typing now. But that is a fairly recent development.

This is hard and in some ways I think it is unfair to expect a 7 year old to write like a 10 year old very quickly because he can do everything else like a 10 year old? Any chance of working with teachers about the amount of output required in the interim? An ideal solution would allow him the time needed to catch up while giving him adequate classroom challenge.

Good luck!

Hi all, tks for the responses. Am making a purchase of the claw and HWT.

We'll try to take it easy - I never had this problem myself, but for some children, no challenge in school can be depressing. I'm only glad DS is quite motivated to change the situation.