Helping Your Child with Handwriting
(http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/handwriting.shtml) |
Children who
paint or write in cursive, but who are unable to write legibly and
consistently, in spite of repeated admonitions, require special approaches to
the solution of their special difficulties. These are youngsters who are unable
to properly form their letters, who have difficulty keeping their letters on
the line, who may not seem to understand the relative sizes of letters, who
either crowd letters within words together, or who space so poorly that it is
almost impossible to determine where one word ends and another begins. The net
result is that what they have written is often difficult or near impossible to
decode, even when it is spelled correctly. Here are suggestions other parents
have successfully used to help their children.
Our alphabet is
based on geometric shapes-the circle, cross, square, and triangle. Get a large
chalkboard, or make one. Dad can purchase a sheet of Masonite from the local
lumber company and then get a can of chalkboard paint from the hardware store.
Use at least a four-by-four surface (larger would be even better). Select a
wall in your home that is convenient and, after it is dry, tack it up. Let your
child practice drawing circles and other geometric forms, nice and large.
Finger painting
is a messy activity unless you have a law area that won't be too difficult to
clean. Oilcloth on an old table or on concrete or vinyl floor works quite well.
Use a plastic apron on yourself and your child. Have him roll the paint around
in huge circles so that not only his hands, but also his elbows and shoulders
are involved. Just playing with shapes on the slippery surface helps
tremendously. Making shape designs is fun and reinforces the development of
shape constancy.
When children
just can't seem to stay "on the line" as they print or write, try using a red
felt tip pen to rule across the lines that will be the bottoms of letters. You
may also want to use a green felt tip pen just to remind your child when to
begin his strokes, since printed letters start basically at the top and go
down.
Clay can be
purchased from crafts stores in twenty-five pound sacks, often for under $5.00.
Letting children mold the clay into forms gives them another kind of experience
with shapes, but in a three- form that is helpful for form recognition. They
can also form "snakes" and make letters, even their own names.
Quite often
children hold pencils and crayons in an awkward manner and grasp. To develop
the strength in the hands and fingers for proper grasp, let your child do
activities that require holding or hanging. Make good use of your school play
yard. Let him hang by his hands from the jungle gym to develop strength in the
shoulder girdle as well as his hands. Squeezing objects, such as little rubber
balls, or playing with wooden clothespins help to develop finger coordination
and strength.
One of the
prerequisites for handwriting is the ability of the eyes to work in close
cooperation with the hands. This means that the eyes themselves must be able to
move smoothly and must be able to follow moving targets. General motor
coordination (balancing, hopping, running, skipping, et cetera) is necessary
for laying the groundwork for smooth, fine muscle control. Play, for example,
flashlight tag with your child. This requires two flashlights and a dark room.
You be "It" and see if your child can, with his flashlight, "tag" your light.
Play tracing
games. Have your child sit next to you with his eyes closed. Take his writing
hand, index and middle fingers pointing and the other fingers flexed, and a-ace
a shape or letter on a large surface. See if he can guess what shape or letter
you traced.
If you're
prepared to be squirted, and it's a warm day, and your back yard has a sunny
wall, try this one. Get a squirt gun and let your child "write" letters with
water on the wall. The sun will dry the letters reasonably fast. This allows
your child to use space and estimate, on a large surface, just how he will
execute the proper formation of the letter.
Observe the way
your child sits when he writes. As a check, try this yourself. Sit at a table
so that your elbows comfortably rest on the surface. Then fold your hands in
front of you, flat on the desk so that your body and folded hands form a
triangle. If you are right-handed, the paper would go directly under that
folded arm. If you are left-handed, the paper would go directly under that
folded arm. Notice that when you old the pencil, after this experiment, that
the writing hand touches the surface of the paper directly along the line of
the little finger and wrist. If you are right-handed, your back and head will
be slightly curved to the left. (Vice-versa for the left-hander.) If your child
is doing anything other than this, it means that he is not ready for the
activity, or it is too demanding for him. It may also suggest that he has
visual difficulties in the way he uses his eyes. (This does not necessarily
mean that he has poor vision.)
If a child
continues to reverse letters, even as his handwriting improves, give him
opportunities to identify left and right on his own body. Play games requiring
use of just the left hand or the right hand or the left foot or the right foot.
Play "blind man's bluff, in which you must direct him across a room by giving
him turns to make. Have him direct you when it's your turn.
If you notice
that your child continually holds his pencil right at the tip, it ran suggest
that too much pressure is required for holding it properly. Try using a rubber
band, twisted several times, and place it just above the shaved area. This will
provide a tactile reminder on where to hold it.
"Rhythmic
writing" is a term applied to law handwriting at a chalkboard. On the
chalkboard you've made for home use, have your child stand so that he is facing
the center of the board. Then, if he is right-handed, have him start a series
of "e" letters, all connected, and all moving from left-to-right. As he moves
from left-to-right with his writing hand, he should keep his feet firmly
planted in one spot, and move his arms as far as he can. Then he can practice
with "y" letters, and then combine "e" and "y" across the board.
If you have a
large sink area with a Formica top, carefully "Soap" it. Don't make it too wet
or you'll have a mess in the kitchen. Let your child stand by it and practice
writing his letters, one at a time. Again, it is good for getting the "feel" of
the letters. You can also take his hand, as in finger-painting, and move it
through the slick surface, to form specific letters that are difficult for him.
Encourage your
child to use what he learns. Go on a sign-making spree. Let him write (and
decorate) signs that say, for example, "This is Jimmy's room. Enter at your own
risk," et cetera. He can help you prepare a shopping list or birthday list.
You'll undoubtedly have dozens of ways your child can use his developing skill
in a practical way.
Play games with
plastic letters that can be purchased at most local variety and school supply
houses. These come in two forms both manuscript-upper (capitals) case and lower
(small letters) case.
In order to
print a letter a child must be able to visualize the shape of the letter. Let
your child take one of the plastic letters and feel it with his eyes dosed. Can
he recognize and name it? Can he draw it even if he is unable to name it? Let
him describe it as he is feeling the surface and the sides. On confusing
letters such as "h" and "n," which many children have difficulty with, let him
feet them, one at a time, and help him feet the difference between the two.
When a child
develops proper formation of letters, particularly in cursive, but does not
maintain a constant slant, try this. Even though it takes a little time, it is
worth it. With a ruler, pencil-in diagonal lines, very lightly, across the
paper. These diagonal lines should be carefully done so that they provide
"guidelines" for your child. As he writes, he has a visual set of "clues" to
use to make sure his letters all slant the same way.
Keep in touch
with your child's teacher as your youngster works at home with you to develop
his skills in handwriting. Try not to make your child feel that he isn't
"trying hard enough" or that you "just can't read it, it's so bad. Words of
encouragement go a long way with children, just as they do with adults, and
they are truly a significant part of any home activity that is designed to help
a child.
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