Many homeschool parents worry that their kids’ handwriting is cause for concern. If you cringe at your child’s sloppy letters, read on for some important handwriting tips and encouragement.
Disclosure: I was compensated for my time reviewing Getty-Dubay® Italic Handwriting, but all opinions are honest – I want to help YOU in your choice of homeschool curriculum!
How to Help Kids With Poor Handwriting
I have heard so many homeschool moms express their concerns about their child’s messy, poor handwriting.
While it can be really exciting when our kids are old enough to do “real” lessons in homeschool, often their difficulty writing long sentences can make school less than fun.
The big problem with handwriting as a skill and subject learned in homeschool is that it’s a physical act. Your kids need to develop not only the fine motor skills they need to write, but the fine muscles as well. They need to develop endurance as they’re physically holding a pencil and paper and forming letters.
This can be exasperating for kids.
Tips For Helping Kids With Poor Handwriting:
- Don’t panic if your kids haven’t reached 3rd grade
- Practice handwriting in short sessions that are fun
- Have your child write about something interesting or funny
- Use handwriting worksheets with an italic script
- Follow the helpful tips below on how to make handwriting more tolerable for your kids
- Try a handwriting e-book that allows you to practice handwriting with a stylus
I talk so much about “following the FUN” and handwriting is one of the best examples of why this is so important.
Raise your hand if you ever had a kid cry about writing. Right?!?
So many kids struggle with handwriting and it’s especially hard for homeschooling parent. We KNOW they know the answer, or how to write properly. But then we don’t see it come across in their homework and that can be disheartening.
Often times your child is just struggling with the physical act of handwriting and rushing through their homework to get it done.
Is your child struggling with poor handwriting?
I see this a lot – you’ve taught through multiple handwriting books and your child knows how to write. But when it’s time to get homework done, suddenly their once perfect letters turn into a big sloppy mess.
Are they lazy? Rushing too fast? Just don’t care? What’s going on?
Your child needs to keep practicing their handwriting even when they’ve mastered the individual letters. This doesn’t mean they need hours and hours of copy work each week.
Instead, try some fun and short practices daily that will help them start to feel proud of their handwriting. Then you’ll start seeing improvement in their other homework.
Handwriting worksheets are more fun if you add a little creativity. Try using erasable colored pencils to make handwriting practice more colorful!
How to make handwriting more fun (and less stressful)
First, accept that if your child’s handwriting is illegible, they should begin handwriting practice again.
Keep this practice super short – 20 minutes a day might even be pushing it.
One small thing that makes a big difference is to instruct your child to circle their nicest letter, word, or sentence. Have them use a fun colored pen, add a sticker, or even a stamp to mark their favorites. This helps them pay attention to how they’re writing. It also makes them feel proud of their work when they show you the nicest “e” they’ve ever written!
Encouraging your kid to identify their best handwriting work in a fun way helps them stay focused on their penmanship instead of rushing through.
Use Handwriting Worksheets With Italic Script
All kids eventually will need to use handwriting books and worksheets to master their handwriting skills. So which handwriting worksheets are the best?
We really like the Getty-Dubay® Italic Handwriting Series for K-6. The pacing is perfect for the intended ages, and the unique italic font is easy to trace and builds confidence.
Getty-Dubay Italic Handwriting method has been used in homeschools for over 40 years and is a favorite among homeschoolers. They also have a unique form of cursive that helps kids with connecting letters easily.
For younger kids, start out with the Kindergarten Book A.
What you’ll love about the Getty-Dubay products is that they’re very easy on kids. Plus, you’ll be able to buy the font if you really like it, and use their website to make custom worksheets.
“Always have your child circle their best letter or word when practicing handwriting. This helps them focus on the quality of their letter forms but also encourages their great work.” -pk1kids.com
Getty-Dubay has an entire line of handwriting workbooks from Kindergarten all they way through adult. These are also available as an ebook you can write in and reuse in an app.
Top 5 Ways To Help Your Child’s Handwriting
- Keep lessons super short
- Practice daily, but make practices fun and creative. Try using some of my fun printables like my pen pal printable or my first report printable.
- Use different types of pens, pencils, and other instruments to keep it fun
- Study and practice with a smooth, italic script font
- Try an ebook so handwriting practice can be done with a stylus on a tablet
Create Your Own Worksheets
Who says handwriting has to be boring? One of my favorite tricks for helping my kids’ handwriting threshold is to make custom handwriting worksheets. Are they into Minecraft? Make worksheets that talk about Minecraft.
The great thing about custom handwriting worksheets is that you can tailor the length and the topic to what’s best for your child. Keep their attention and make sure those practices are short enough for them.
You can make custom handwriting worksheets with the Getty-Dubay line of products here.
“Not all handwriting worksheets are the same. Choose a handwriting curriculum that uses a smooth italic script font like the Getty-Dubay® Italic Handwriting Series for K-6” -pk1kids.com
Creative Ways To Help Your Child With Handwriting
The best way to help your child improve their handwriting is to get them excited about the way their writing is turning out.
Try doing some calligraphy exercises. You could even add quill pens or special calligraphy pens to help them focus on the art aspect of writing.
Making their own birthday cards and gift tags in their best handwriting is another “sneaky” way to encourage your children to really focus on how their handwriting is.
You can also use various types of writing instruments like erasable pens and erasable colored pencils. Fun shaped pencils help – your kids could even make their own special pencil boxes or pouches just for handwriting.
For younger kids, try writing letters in different mediums like:
- Paintbrush dipped in water on a chalkboard
- Cookie sheet filled with sand or shaving cream
- Writing GIANT letters on the back of unwanted wrapping paper
- More ideas in this video!
Try using different types of writing utensils to unlock some fun when it comes time for handwriting practice.
This app is just plain fun to write in. If you're looking for a handwriting app that works like a digital workbook, check out Getty-Dubay Handwriting Success.
Make Handwriting Worksheets More Fun With An App
One of the best things about teaching handwriting is that you can use a variety of mediums to make it easier and more interesting for your kids.
Try out the Handwriting Success app from Getty-Dubay for a fun way for your kids to practice their handwriting. If you’ve got a tablet with a paired stylus, this app is a great addition to your handwriting activities. (See technical specifications here)
Why You’ll Love This App:
- Feeling the stylus glide over the tablet screen feels fun while writing
- Kids can very quickly erase their mistakes and start over
- You can re-use it for multiple kids (no buying the same workbooks over and over for each kiddo)
- Kids can zoom in on a single letter to fill the whole screen so they can focus on tricky letters
- Sometimes kids need a break from pencils. Using a tablet in this way is just FUN!
Once you download the app, you can try out a sample of all the ebooks to decide which one will work best for your child. Then complete the in-app purchase and you’ll have access to the entire handwriting workbook.
It’s easy to navigate through the workbook pages and you can bookmark pages you want your child to work on, or pages that were a bit tricky for them.
The Getty-Dubay app uses a smooth italic font that is easy and fun for kids to write.
Writing on a tablet is often more fun than using paper and pencil. Using a handwriting app like the one from Getty-Dubay can offer a respite from paper and pencil work.
If your child is struggling with poor handwriting, try not to be too hard on them. Begin including handwriting practices into their daily routines. Just make sure you keep them short and fun. Tap into that creativity and get a little silly with it! Remember to help them focus on identifying their best work and make sure to encourage them often.
If you focus on making handwriting a positive experience for your kids, soon they’ll be writing neatly and with ease.
Watch: Top 5 Ways To Help Your Child’s Handwriting
I hope you enjoyed this collection of ideas to help your child struggling with handwriting.
Let me know if you want more handwriting tips and ideas!
Blessings,
Christy
P.S. While you’re here, access my entire subscriber only freebies library to get unlimited free printables for your kids! Subscribe to my list to get access:
Leave A Comment