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    Joined: Sep 2013
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    Not necessarily a gifted issue, but ODS 12 is running into issues with his handwriting being so messy (and light when using a pencil) that it is hard for teachers to read. Particularly in math at the moment.

    Looking for suggestions on how he can practice and improve printing in particular. He is capable of legible writing. I've seen it once or twice. ;-)

    Joined: May 2009
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    Does he want to improve his handwriting? If not, then no resource or program is going to help.

    If the problem is that he forms the letters incorrectly (not just messily) you could try Handwriting Without Tears. The key to remediating handwriting is that you have to watch them like a hawk *every single time* they write anything and make sure that they *never* write the old way because you're retraining the muscles. For us (at age 9), this took about three months. If he is in school all day, this won't work.

    If it is just a matter of writing too quickly or not caring, I don't know what to tell you. I have dealt with one of each--improper formation and not caring--and I was only able to remediate the former.

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    My approach with motivational reasons for poor handwriting has been natural consequences. If you or your teachers can't read your handwriting, resulting in you not receiving full credit for work you did (or, as some of mine have done, you propagating errors because you couldn't read your own handwriting), then you will just have to make choices about how much you value the accurate communication of you and your work to others. The purpose of written work is to communicate and record your thinking and work to other people. If it is not effective at communicating, then it is not fulfilling its purpose, and it makes sense not to credit you with having done the work or the thinking.


    ...pronounced like the long vowel and first letter of the alphabet...
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    On a purely technical level, if the writing in pencil is too light, switch to a softer lead. The marks will be blacker without any extra pressure being required. The standard writing pencil is an HB (right in the middle). A 2B will give a nice dark mark without a lot of pressure or a lot of extra messiness.

    Have you tried any sort of ergonomic grip? I think some of my issues were from gripping too hard and we tried using grips that relieved some of the pressure and made the process less painful.

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    It's unclear whether he wants to improve or not. He seems to have tried to, after his geometry tutor told him she was having trouble reading some of his writing and that his teacher probably was, too.

    Thanks for the suggestion on Handwriting Without Tears - I'll look into it!

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    It also comes in Spanish version (HWT) for a gifted kid it might be more intellectually stiulating to work on handwriting in another language. Just an idea. And cursive too.

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    I think this may be what is finally resonating... hearing from someone other than mom or dad that illegible means impossible to grade properly.

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    We're going to pick up the 2B pencil - thank you! Wondering about the grip, too. I tried reading about them and they seem confusing. Do you recommend a particular type?

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    His cursive, oddly enough (or maybe not so oddly) is not that bad. It's his printing that is a mess. frown

    I don't know as he is looking for more challenge! It's not his forte to do extra work. Yet.

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    I like this sort of pencil grip. I must have used something else before 1992 apparently. I remember having an ergonomic grip so maybe it was a Stetro. The only grip I really find useless is the foam tube.

    Here's an overview of pencil grips I found while searching for history.

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