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Molly Smith
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| Posted: March 09 2005 at 5:19am | IP Logged
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Timmy was just 5 in December. He participates in just about everything Jeanne (9) and Matthew (7) do and he is sharp as a tack. Here's my problem: he wants to produce somthing during our seat work, but he can't handle the physical component of writing yet. He has a MCP-K math workbook, which is too easy, but he can't write well enough to do anything more. He has an Explode the code book, which is too easy reading-wise, but he can't write the exercises. He loves math manipulatives, reading, narrating, experiments, crafts, but he wants to do a workbook! I bought the Handwriting Without Tears beginning book, but he just can't do it yet.
He would love to sit with me with his math workbook or explode the code, tell me the answers and have me write them. I haven't experienced that with a child before, should I do that?
Any other suggestions?
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Molly Smith in VA
Mom to seven beautiful children, ages 1-14
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: March 09 2005 at 6:08am | IP Logged
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As much as you are able, fill in the blanks for him. It's wearisome, but it does give him a huge sense of accomplishment. Some of the Explode the Code pages he can do--they involve drawing a circle around something or an X over it. Some pages you can modify so that you have an exercise where you draw a line to a word in the word bank instead of copying the word into a blank.I've done lots of lapbook folds where I give Stephen pictures of something and then words for the same thing and let him glue them onto matchbook folds in paired sets (he can't really cut, so it's all cut out too). Only one of my children has really been ready for the fine motor demands of workbooks at that age. Makes me cringe to think of what I epected when teaching in a classroom 
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Mary Chris
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| Posted: March 09 2005 at 6:22am | IP Logged
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Molly,
I frequently had Carter skip the pages that involve writing the words, he just did the circling.
With math I would just do a lot of the writitng for him or we would do it orally.
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mom to MacKenzie3/95, Carter 12/97 Ronan 3/00 and wife to Jim since 1/92
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amyable
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We do this too. My oldest is 7 and a real "mover and shaker"  She can't seem to do the work sitting still and writing (it's all just too much) but if I let her up and about and dictate math or phonics work to her, she does it with ease.
I will do the same with my 5yo if/when she asks me, but she is a much quieter "I'll try it if you want me to" kind of kid and likes to try things until she succeeds.
Amy
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cathhomeschool
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| Posted: March 09 2005 at 7:56am | IP Logged
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Ditto to all of the above. I had colorful phonics and math workbooks for the boys at that age, plus an "everything you need to know" type book. They colored and circled and I wrote their answers where necessary. They loved it!
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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Molly Smith
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| Posted: March 10 2005 at 3:57am | IP Logged
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Okay, I feel better now  . I didn't want to hold him back just because of his inability to write, but I wasn't sure it'd be okay to do the writing for him either. I think he and I will both enjoy the new arrangement. Thanks!
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Molly Smith in VA
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TradCathMom
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My 3rd grader is STILL like this but MUCH better than he ever was in the past. I've done endless pages of writing his answers in (Math). He can manage most of it now but he wearies of writing and I want his mind going more than whether he can actually physically write well (though I think that is important too, just a different kind of skill IYKWIM!)
I've experimented with different kinds of pencils along the way as well. The faber-Castell triangular jumbo grip pencils helped him alot. He recently graduated to their thinner grip pencils and his writing has really taken off (Deo Gratias!)
For early handwriting we really like Handwriting without Tears. I only do that for the basics and once they finish the first 2 books we go on to more copywork. I wish I had discovered this when my oldest was first learning to write.
Anyway, I would certainly encourage his mind and not worry about the hand, it'll come!
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Julie
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Karen E.
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When Lizzy used to want to join Emily, but wasn't ready to do much writing, she really enjoyed some math sticker books that I bought from ... ummm, where was it? I think they were Usborne books....
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Karen E.
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Visit my blog, with its shockingly clever title, "Karen Edmisten."
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: What to do with my 5yo?
