Handwriting without Tears

[sharlan]

Has anyone used this, either with your own children or with daycare kids?

There is absolutely no emphasis on handwriting in my grandkids' schools. They are currently in 2, 3, and 5th grades. Not one of them forms their letters correctly or legibly. Nor do they even hold their pencils correctly. I've bought every type of pencil grip out there to help.

My 20 yo granddaughter never even learned cursive. She can't write or read it. She started typing her assignments in 3rd grade because her handwriting was so bad.

I'm thinking we are going to add handwriting to our summer time fun.

[MunchkinWrangler]

I personally think this is a travesty. I believe handwriting is an art form and a handwritten letter is special.

[CityGarden]

Handwriting and cursive were a big factor in which grade school I sent my daughter to.

Personally I loathe Handwriting Without Tears. The actual formation of the letters is not appealing to me and I only see advantages for children who struggle with fine motor skills. Also to truly teach their program require manipulatives that I just can't justify for handwriting.

With the ages of your grandchildren I would consider asking them which cursive style or printing style they like and giving them books to practice. My daughter has used D'Nealian both print and cursive books but they also have other styles. My favorite for both styles was Abeka but since it was different that what my dd did in school I opted to not confuse her.... YET! Confessions of a Homeschooler has free print outs of a couple different styles.

A large part of nice handwriting is consistent practice. It needs to be done daily for short amounts of time. Again and again and again.

[Michael]

A previous thread on the subject: https://www.daycare.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35434

[NoMoreJuice!]

Sign them up for our pen pal group! I have SA kids in the same age range, and we will be writing all summer!

[NoMoreJuice!]

Sign them up for our pen pal group! I have SA kids in the same age range, and we will be writing all summer!

[Josiegirl]

I personally think this is a travesty. I believe handwriting is an art form and a handwritten letter is special.

I completely agree!! You'd think with the whole push for academics this would be a part of it but I guess not? However, we've all seen the slide into a complete technology age for quite some time. Give the kids calculators for math class. My dds are always telling me I need to use a calculator; I say no thanks, at least on paper I can see my mistakes more clearly.
And sadly, when was the last time you received or sent a hand-written note or letter? Most everybody emails or texts these days.
Just wanted to add that one of the treasures my sister and I discovered as we cleaned out our parents' attic, was a chest full of letters back and forth during their WW11 days. So much history is written down there. Just imagine a travesty that would have been if they had only emailed back then.

[Unregistered]

Handwriting and cursive were a big factor in which grade school I sent my daughter to.

Personally I loathe Handwriting Without Tears. The actual formation of the letters is not appealing to me and I only see advantages for children who struggle with fine motor skills. Also to truly teach their program require manipulatives that I just can't justify for handwriting.

With the ages of your grandchildren I would consider asking them which cursive style or printing style they like and giving them books to practice. My daughter has used D'Nealian both print and cursive books but they also have other styles. My favorite for both styles was Abeka but since it was different that what my dd did in school I opted to not confuse her.... YET! Confessions of a Homeschooler has free print outs of a couple different styles.

A large part of nice handwriting is consistent practice. It needs to be done daily for short amounts of time. Again and again and again.

Only practice will improve it. The thing I don't like about HWT is they act like there's only one way to write a letter. Even if the child is making the letter neatly, it's wrong because they didn't start in the right place. It's frustrating. I've noticed children who have poor writing (usually boys) also have weak hands/weak fine motor skills. In my experience, lacing cards and other fine motor skills help more than HWT.

[CityGarden]

Only practice will improve it. The thing I don't like about HWT is they act like there's only one way to write a letter. Even if the child is making the letter neatly, it's wrong because they didn't start in the right place. It's frustrating. I've noticed children who have poor writing (usually boys) also have weak hands/weak fine motor skills. In my experience, lacing cards and other fine motor skills help more than HWT.

I agree my dd who struggled with small motor skills improved from non-writing tools like knitting, drawing, etc. but with writing you have to practice for it to be neat.

HWT has too many non-writing tools that really are just ways to make more $$$$ I don't find them worth the value.

[Alisyn]

I personally think this is a travesty. I believe handwriting is an art form and a handwritten letter is special.

I also believe handwriting is an art form....my son, 9, has been learning since grade 2. happyface

[Unregistered]

I agree my dd who struggled with small motor skills improved from non-writing tools like knitting, drawing, etc. but with writing you have to practice for it to be neat.

HWT has too many non-writing tools that really are just ways to make more $$$$ I don't find them worth the value.

I don't know if it's my age or just the culture I came from, but if something has to be a certain way I tend to shy away from it. Even for myself and my family. I mean why use their products? There's a lot of ways to teach without buying specific things. This is why I don't hop aboard a lot of trends and brands. I'd rather make it myself or use what I have.