Helping an 8-year-old with handwriting

mwddrwg

Hi all, I hope you can point me in the right direction

We have 8-year-old twins in primary school and our DD is much more advanced in her handwriting than DS. DS seems to lose concentration very quickly and gets bored easily so sitting him down to practice his writing is a massive chore for him.

Do any of you home-schoolers out there have any recommendations for a fun way to get him to practice his writing such as a learning resource online or a good book/program?

Many thanks for any suggestions

hayleyc_2

http://www.homeschool-your-boys.com/how-improve-fine-motor-skills.html

minimoneysaver

How are his fine motor skills in general? Can he make tiny models with clay? Can he thread a needle? Maybe it would help if you could channel his energies into doing things that require concentration, but are fun. How about making models and painting them? I'm sure someone will be along shortly who knows the name of the kits. I am aware that they do plane, cars etc. As a special needs teacher, I am always having to think on my feet to find ways of helping children develop their skills. Hopefully this will help your son. x

maman

You really need to talk to his class teacher about this. Not only will they give you advice on how to help him at home but many schools have a policy on handwriting (a particular style, when to use joined up, pens, pencils etc.). You'd help him best by trying to match what the school will be expecting of him day to day.

hayleyc_2

Just to pick up a point I missed earlier. I wonder whether you should necessarily be comparing the twins, but rather comparing your son to other boys in his class. Boys generally develop fine motor skills later than girls. Has your son's teacher raised any issues with this, or is it just because you have your daughter to compare him to? As per my earlier link, rather than practicing hand writing, I'd be inclined to do other activities that develop the same skills in a fun way.

claire21

My 11 year old is a very lazy writer and doesnt concentrate much, i only had a quick word with the teacher as parents eve voming up soon and she said sometimes the type of pen people use make a difference.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_9?url=search-alias%3Doffice-products&field-keywords=stabilo+easy&sprefix=Stabilo+e%2Coffice-products%2C251

I have just got him one of these funny shaped curvy pens to try.

Seanymph

http://www.theschoolrun.com/search/node/handwriting

There are free resources here.

sweetilemon

I am dyslexic but have relatively neat handwritting. I remember a class at school when we drew a faint line between the lines on a jotter to where the letters should go up to then one where captitals should reach and one where g's y's and q's should go to. It seems tedious and something an 8 year old should have grasped but i really benefitted from this. My handwritting really improved as i had a better idea of the size of each letter. Not exactly 'fun' but worth it. What about encouaging him to write stories for competitions or letters to people he's interested in ...footballers etc, some may reply which might give him a boost. Don't say its practice, just something fun but say it has to be the neatest writing so they can read it, and this is how it can be neat.

bylromarha

minimoneysaver wrote: »

How are his fine motor skills in general? Can he make tiny models with clay? Can he thread a needle? Maybe it would help if you could channel his energies into doing things that require concentration, but are fun. How about making models and painting them?x

Fab advice above.

Handwriting will improve when control is fantastic in the thumbs and fingers. Anything where he needs to take care will help.

Mazes, painting by numbers (stay in the lines), making airfix models and all that sort of stuff will extend the fine work with his hands.

FWIW my 6 yo DD has better handwriting than 8 yo DS - it's a common boy thing that their handwriting is poorer than girls - I teach primary, so speak from experience!

skivenov

Is he holding the pen/pencil properly? If not, there's a few things that could help, but a quick first start is a thicker-bodied pen.

I had this problem for a lot of years as a kid, and even now my handwritting is a lot better if I use a thicker pen.

VikkiiKawaii

Maybe a slightly unconventional idea but maybe get someone to write letters to both twins as writing back would probably improve handwriting but still seem fun? My younger brother (around the same age) loves it when he gets letters.