Handwiting Resources?

[delphine]

Hello,

I am hoping someone here has some resources that I can use to help my son improve his handwriting.  DS is 9 years old and finishing up third grade.  While his handwriting has always been an issue, it's gotten significantly worse this year.  He completes most of his work in cursive, which is legible if not neat.  However, some assignments are required to be in manuscript, and his printing is messy at best and unrecognizable at worst.  He also has some issues with letter spacing, so it's hard to tell when one word ends and one word begins. 

I have addressed this issue with his teacher (they are graded in handwriting and he generally gets either a "Needs Improvement" which is the lowest score, or a "Progressing", which is the next highest score.).  Her response was that she thinks his brain moves faster than his hand and he doesn't want to slow down enough mid-thought to write something neatly. 

He IS able to clearly express himself in his writing but he is developing a strong dislike for writing.  He can type and does so very well, but they are not allowed to turn in school work typed (which I get...I think he NEEDS to learn to write better).

Has anyone else had this issue?  Any suggestions for me?

Thanks in advance! 

[whatsnextmom]

I can't reccomend "Handwriting Without Tears" enough. My advanced writer used it when she wanted to learn cursive at 5. My delayed writer (dysgraphic) used it a couple summers to get his skills up. We're doing the cursive book this summer because his elementary school doesn't teach it and he's off to middle school in the fall.

Great program, non-stressful and cheap!

[itsmyturn]

We have this issue as well, both myself and DD8, also finishing up grade 3.

Can he write neat when wants to? Is the problem worse when writing from the mind rather than copying?  If the problem is not developmental, the only thing you can do is make him practice writing slowly and offer incentives when he does well, even though it is not fun. 

I'm guilty of the fast writing habit, I can fill a page faster than most people can write a paragraph,  so I'm pretty lenient with DD; my rule is if she can read it then she does not have to rewrite it, if not she has to rewrite it. I also have asked her teachers to gently remind her to slow down when they see her writing like a bandit, and when they are doing creative writing stuff, we have suggested she start with an outline or a few ideas on separate paper, before beginning the actual writing assignment.

I have heard that breaking the old Kinder-lined paper back out, can help correct bad habits as it takes more time to create the letters, although I haven't tried it.

Good-luck !

[emmaegbert]

My son's school is using "handwriting without tears" and he really likes it. (FWIW he's in K at a school for academically gifted kids). He has always been very good at fine motor skills, handwriting, etc, but he has really improved this year. I also have a good friend who loved it for homeschooling with her two kids- one clearly gifted, though dyslexic (I doubt he was formally evaluated for either), and the other with significant cognitive delays.

[CA Mom]

My kids used hand writing without tears,my youngest started it in preschool. Good program. My gifted kid has terrible handwriting but also has a visual motor integration issue. His school thinks the faster he can learn to keyboard the better. He's finishing up 2nd grade and is allowed to turn in typed work. By 6th grade here they expect all assignments to be typed.