Since my daughter is always writing notes and such I began to worry that she was actually reinforcing a few bad habits. For example, her S’s are often backwards as are her 9's.
When we are working on handwriting together I always have her correct it. However, she spends much of her free time writing and often hands me a note with a few backward letters. This, of course, is not unusual for a six year old. And I do enjoy her notes very much!
I feel concerned that it could present problems in the future. Learning to write is one thing, learning to write differently is another. Habits are hard to break.
I don’t want to discourage her writing in any way. I do want her to learn to write correctly. So....
We decided to tape up the alphabet where she usually does her free writing. She loved the idea. I told her that it would be good to check and see if she has written the letters correctly and also good for reference if she was not sure about something. It wasn’t a big deal and she thought it would be really handy.
It’s nothing fancy....just simple.
They are taped at eye level and she has already noticed a few mistakes and corrected them on her own.
This little area has become her special spot.
These pages were printed from Handwriting for Kids
I came across the website through a link on Lindafay's blog.
The Handwriting for Kids website has some great tools. You can actually hover the mouse over a letter and see an animation of how it is written (where to start etc). They have practice pages for manuscript and cursive. You can also print out lined paper of different sizes.
Handwriting is a skill our kids will use for a lifetime. I really believe it is important to take the time to teach them well.
You may recall that we have had some handwriting struggles in the past. I can honestly say that things are looking up! |
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