Teach Your Children How to Have Great Penmanship

When I was in the 3rd grade I had a teacher who insisted we practice our handwriting every day. First we practiced each letter of the alphabet. After days of practice she began to write words and then sentences on the blackboard. We were required to write each sentence 10 times. By the end of the year my handwriting had improved drastically. Today teachers don't put a lot of emphasis on handwriting skills. I know because I have grandchildren who have "not so good" handwriting. If you want to help your children to have neat legible handwriting you may have to practice with them at home. I've included a video below that may help you to help them.

Of my 5 children only 2 of them have neat legible handwriting. These two must have had teachers who made them practice! I found that my 3rd grade teachers method really worked. I can't say that my handwriting was perfect, but it had improved. Practice does help.

1.) You don't need to go out and buy a blackboard or even a dry erase board to help them. All you need is a piece of lined paper and a pencil. Sit down with your kids when you have time and write the alphabet, one letter at a time. Work with capital letters, then the small letters. Have them practice and practice some more. Set goals. Practice 4 letters a day or 5 letters a day. If your child is impatient, narrow it down to only 2 or 3 letters each day. It may be a few weeks before they have mastered writing their letters but that's okay. When they mastered writing the letters move on to writing short words. The next week, work on long words and their names, then move on to sentences.

2.) After they master the letters of the alphabet, write down short words. Have your child copy the words over and over until they've mastered them. You may be teaching printing or you may be teaching cursive. With cursive you'll have to teach them how to connect each letter. If you start with simple words it won't be quite so confusing. Also have them practice writing their name.

3.) The next step is to write longer words. Practice each day for a week before moving on to sentences. If you need help you can watch the video below. The women conducting the lessons has had years of experience teaching children how to write.

4. ) Now it's time to practice writing sentences. Write a sentence at the top of the paper or board and ask them to copy it. When I was in school I had to write each sentence 10 times. Then we moved on to another sentence. Don't forget to have your child practice writing (printing and cursive) his or her name too!

5.) After practicing letters, short and long words, sentences and their names, their handwriting should be improving and they may even want to write a letter to someone! They can work for a half hour a day or a full hour. Each child is different so their time should be adjusted to whatever is good for them. I wouldn't try this lesson immediately after they get home from school. They've been sitting in a classroom all day so they may need time to get outside and play. You could try after dinner when you are cleaning up the kitchen. You shouldn't have to sit with them every minute they are practicing. I know that kids nowadays have homework, even in the lower grades so it may be tough to find time to practice handwriting skills. You may have to shorten lessons to only 10 or 15 minutes. That's okay. I wouldn't push it. There's no hurry.