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mrsdgason
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| Posted: Feb 05 2013 at 1:13pm | IP Logged
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I have searched the forums so if this is already covered somewhere else or is in the wrong place, please excuse me
I have an 11 year old son who hates to write. Anything. Whether it be copy work or his own words. His handwriting definitely needs some work. Have any of you had a similar experience? What did you do? Thanks in advance...
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: Feb 06 2013 at 6:52am | IP Logged
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This was my oldest son, now graduated, and my current 11 yo. It's a struggle!
For handwriting, I used the last book in the series of Handwriting Without Tears. It's not a pretty font but it's basic and doable. I also make sure they can read cursive.
Then, I made them learn to type. That has been my oldest ds's saving grace. My current 11 yo is reluctant. He doesn't want to sit and do the typing drills, even though they are games, but I have to be tough with him about that. It's something he's going to need to learn and it will come in handy when he starts writing those long papers in highschool.
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Becky
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mrsdgason
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| Posted: Feb 06 2013 at 12:31pm | IP Logged
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I've heard about handwriting without tears. Do you think, at age 11, it's too young for him?
He loves the computer, so I'll try typing, but handwriting is not going to go away, so we have to work on it...after we find the right approach 
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Feb 06 2013 at 1:02pm | IP Logged
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Typing is getting to be the more important skill. A lot of places/schools/colleges only accept typed papers and more and more people take laptops even for note taking. And certainly once you're in the workforce most everything is expected to be typed and your own notes and such may be the only things you ever write out.
And quite a number of people print rather than use cursive.. even print in all caps.. whatever..
Handwriting may be the skill that is going away rather than typing.
ETA - not saying you shouldn't still work on it though.
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: Feb 06 2013 at 1:24pm | IP Logged
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mrsdgason wrote:
I've heard about handwriting without tears. Do you think, at age 11, it's too young for him?
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I was afraid of the same thing but I found the last book in the series is actually designed for older kids.
It's called Can Do Cursive, and I notice there is another one now called Can Do Print.
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Becky
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mooreboyz
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| Posted: Feb 12 2013 at 6:15am | IP Logged
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My boys all have hated working on their penmanship. I have tried lots of workbooks (including HWT) and, have made my own copy work material for them. The one I like best after all the trials is Daily Handwriting Practice. There is a short, interesting piece of copy work for each day of the week. I start out with the modern manuscript edition for printing. This is the kind that puts little tails on the letters so transitioning to cursive is easier. I then move them to Contemporary Cursive. I have also struggled with moving them to cursive because their printing was so bad. However, this year I decided to go ahead and start my 3 rd grader in cursive while I was teaching my 6 th grader. I have to tell you that their cursive is gorgeous. It always seems to me that my boys don't get real nice control of their letters until sometime around 11-12 years. With the two I just started on cursive my 6 th grader's printing is improving too; but, my 3 rd grader's printing is still rough...even though his cursive is very nice. I'm not sure what it is with the cursive. I gave it a try because I've read how in Montessori they often begin early with cursive. Maybe there is just enough extra to have to think about with cursive that the boys focus better when they are writing. I know how frustrating this can be. I always tell my boys that they have amazing things to say; but, if they can't communicate them to others so that they can read them, no one will ever know. They struggle and I get tough at times making them rewrite assignments that are really ugly. It is most effective when dad gets involved because he doesn't talk so delicately to them about it. Your son is 11...try the cursive and teach him the letters first using the book and a chalk/white board making sure he forms each letter perfectly. Watch him do his writing every day until you see that he is forming them perfectly every day and eventually you can just let him do the daily work on his own. Make him believe too that cursive is special...big boy writing...He'll get excited. Good luck.
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Jackie
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mrsdgason
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| Posted: Feb 12 2013 at 10:01am | IP Logged
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Thank you so much! Keep the ideas and encouragement coming! I have two older girls and I tend to forget that developmentally, he is going to be slower at most things...boys are just different...still learning this after all this time...
Chrissy
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Handwriting help?
