Helping Your Child with Handwriting
(contd.)

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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