Parents' Homework Helper: How to Encourage Practice of Lettering, Printing, Handwriting

[Molly J Efflandt]

This is a re-post of an answer to a query for help from a poster in a similar Google group. This post is in relation to printing, but some of the suggestions could be adapted to cursive handwriting. The suggestions most likely could be adapted for use with alternative alphabets, as well.

I haven't home-schooled my own kids, but I've assisted parents with various matters as a consultant. I've made the following suggestions to previous parents, whom have all reported success with at least two of the following methods when their child has been resistant to handwriting practice. Keep in mind that practicing lettering or handwriting has two purposes: A)learning the proper shape of letters and B)developing fine hand motor skills. There is more than one way to accomplish these goals.

1) Use the tactile approaches often used with children diagnosed with dyslexia to stimulate other senses that will aid memory; your child
* trace letter shapes with the finger on different textures (letters cut out of various textures - different grades of sandpaper, fake fur, felt, velvet, chenille, the inside of corrugated cardboard, the bumpy side of Styrofoam... - pasted on cardstock; start big and work toward smaller)
* draw letter shapes with crayon on sandpaper (start with tracing over letters already drawn, then move onto copying; gradually reduce the size of the sandpaper)
* cut stenciled letter shapes out of textures glued on cardstock (to draw, place stencils at the bottom of paper cut in strips just slightly taller than the letters, you may also adjust lines when drawing to require a single cut)

2) Make lettering more like an art project or game.
* practice lettering on the sidewalk with big sidewalk chalk then use other colors to turn the letters into pictures (make an owl out of an O, a Macaw out of an M, a double-arched mirror out of an m, a fat-bellied dog sitting on it's back feet out a D, a cat curled up out of a c...); for a game, don't use a different color and challenge others to find the hidden letter
* complete mazes that include letter shapes (to make the mazes: draw letters with a dashed line, then draw walls around each line, leaving an opening where the letter starts and ends, add additional passages while making sure they do not continue except as a straight line onto another letter shape; for a game, challenge yourself to complete the maze faster and faster or to compete against others while deducting points from a predefined total for touching the sides of the walls or going the wrong way (gradually reduce the width of the passages)[Since forming the letters requires a continuous line, this is a good precursor to handwriting.]
* learn about then practice the ancient art of illumination, the practice of illustrating beginning letters or initials as was common in early Bibles for example (usually illustration added to the meaning of the word or sentence or told something about the initial's owner) [This may blossom into a special piece of art for your child's bedroom or the beginning of a story with your help as scribe.]
* play being the teacher and correct the bad handwriting (provide your child with several examples of printing - real and fabricated; discuss what's wrong with any of them then have your child fix them)
* create a puzzle by cutting out the shape of lines that put together form different letters (examples: a short line and one partial hump makes an n, a short line and two partial humps makes an m, two short lines stacked and a partial hump makes an h, two short lines stacked and a small almost closed circle makes a d or b or p...); for a game, put the shapes on identical cards upside down and have each player pick up 5 cards then draw as many letters as possible on their paper using their own cards. For more fun, add more rules like picking cards one or two at a time or making multiples of the shapes and only being able to use a card once.

3) Create motivation.
* make practice letters bigger or slide the writing instrument through a jumbo bouncy ball or racquet ball to help improve success at coordination (Repeated failure or excessive difficulty discourages sustained effort. Children develop skills on different time tables. Some may simply not yet have the capacity to do what is being asked.)
* add stickers, stars or points to your progress chart that recognizes effort toward agreed-upon mini goals based on the activities you choose (provide the chart and needed supplies; most teacher-parent stores have poster boards with graph paper printed on it to make this easier. If not already laminated, most such stores also provide that service
* offer a final prize that would be a natural outgrowth of lettering mastery (examples - Let your child be the designer & artist for your official family Christmas card and have duplicates made, create a stitching project of your Child's illumination of a perfected letter, have your child write encouraging or loving words that you then enlarge and paint before framing or cut out and paint to hang on a wall...)
* keep a portfolio to see your own progress; show your parents what you are getting better at and what you are still working on