All About Handwriting

[sashimi]

heyhoe:

Is the illegible handwriting cause by poor motorskills?


Just to share that my ds1 have poor motorskills since young. In fact the CC teacher has mentioned that when he was in K1. We were encourage to let him play with playdough.

Also, we started him off with piano lessons so as to improve his motorskills. I think it helps as he can write neater, that is as long as he puts in effort.

Hmm, how old is he now? Offhand, I would say that to accuse a K1 @ age 3(!) of having poor motor skills is kinda like saying rain is wet? Isn't it a bit premature to slap such a label on a child who's barely pass toddlerhood?

Sorry ah, just speaking aloud. :oops:

I suggest that the best way to improve handwriting is to practise: *writing* - one learns to ride a bicycle better by practising on a bicycle, not by flying a kite. Also I think it's important to bring to the child's attention what good handwriting looks like, because they don't really know.

I am pretty sure that children these days all have relatively worse handwriting than us because we did not have mobile phones and computers when we were in primary school.

Very simply: they are not as practised in handwriting as we were.
They simply need to write more, and using pens and pencils, not \"write\" on a computer.

In general I personally feel that parents should not jump to conclusions prematurely esp. when so-called experts liberally label your child with some scientific adjective so that they can charge you thou$and$ to remove the label.

SORRY! Absolutely no offence intended to all of you here, just my personal opinion! I'm sure there are some kids with genuine problems, but for the rest, please consider my thoughts.

[csc]

I agree that effort and practice play a part in determining one’s handwriting. My kids’ kindergarten teachers used to get them to write and copy stories from the white board and books.(penmenship) The result is my kids get to write rather neatly and quickly which is helpful in preparing them for composition writing in primary one onwards. I read that penmenship actually helps in spelling and sight-reading too.


Kids nowadays not only have terrible handwritings but write too slowly for their given age. Worst, some don’t like to write and I believe, this greatly hampers the writing process (of compos and essays).

Sometimes, I think we may need to revert to the traditional way of learning.

[heyhoe]

My ds is going 7 soon. At K1, that would be 5 years old and naturally penmanship takes more effort at that stage.


I agree on copy writing but kids being kids do get bored and comes up with excuses ... hand pain, etc. So another creative way is to play the piano or play dough. It helps to move the fingers creatively and you get to enjoy some music

[PowerPuff Mum]

I think if you have problems with the child’s handwriting by P4, then something must be done. It’s either a terribly bad habit or the child is really facing some problem.


I thought I try fixing him on my own but after trying writing lines, penmanship books even emotional blackmail! It did not work! So I reckon there must be a real problem because my son is not the type who gives up easy.

I am not saying this will work for everyone but really… as a mother, you would have an inkling about it. Whether you need to spend time yourself to fix the problem or perhaps you may need professional help.

[little patrick]

[Moderator's note: Topics merged.]


Dear parents

My son this year P1, he has a messy and untidy handwriting. Teacher already complaint about it. Is there any good suggestion to improve his handwriting?

Thanks in advance

[yat23yat23]

i’m having problems with my P3 son as well. he writes neatly when he does his homework with me at home. but his handwriting is atrocious at school. the form teacher spoke to me early this week. she suggested that i make him copy a passage from a book (about 5-6 lines) every night and pass up to her. i just don’t understand why he chose to write terribly in class. maybe he’s not interested or bored in class/school? on top of that, he hasn’t been paying attention in class for all the subjects. he’s been asked to sit alone in the front row. when i asked him why he behaves like that, he said that he’s bored and don’t like going to school. i really don’t know how to motivate him.

[csc]

[Moderator's note: Topic selected for http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/content/improving-your-childs-handwriting.]


Hi all,

I agree that the computer may have negated the importance of good penmanship, but I feel it is important for other people to be able to read what you have hand-written in a message or postcard.

In fact, some top schools actually get the students to pen their personal statements in their own handwriting during the application for Direct School Admission. Guess, the handwriting is one way the school can tell the attitude and maybe character of the student. I recall that RGS girls in the past, used to have a special form of cursive writing. From the writing, we can even tell that the girl belongs to that school. i wonder if it's still true today.

Nice handwriting does tell a lot about the child. He or she is most likely to be meticulous, perfectionist, takes work seriously, takes pride in her work, careful and patient.(but fussy as well :lol: )

I did some research and gathered some helpful tips on helping to improve a child's handwriting.

>Proper Pencil Grip
Ensure the child is holding the pen or pencil properly and the whole arm must be involved in the writing process, not just the muscles on the hand. The pen or pencil should rest between the index and middle finger and the grip on the pen or should be gentle.

>Posture and Position
Ensure the child is writing on a table which is suitable for his height. Check his posture. Some children like to put their head on the table - while writing while others write while sitting on the floor. All these habits should be and can be corrected.

>Have the kids learn to analyze their own writing to help them understand how they can improve. Provide a weekly sample of writing yourself with clear errors in it (such as poor letter formation, letter size, not aligning the letters on the line or not spacing words appropriately). Just one sentence is enough. Get the child to rewrite it to make it legible.

>Try some fun writing activities at home. Make a weekly grocery list. Start by looking around the kitchen and get the child to write down the names of common items you need to buy (milk, eggs, bread ), legibly of course.

>Plan an outing.Ask your child to think of all the things you may need. You can help her write them out one time and then ask her to copy it out as neatly as she can. Have her circle the letters that she feels are her very best handwriting.

>Catch the child doing right. Always seize the opportunity to compliment her nice and neat handwriting.

Remember, encouragement is key!

[westmom]

If you suspect it is fine motor skill that causes bad handwriting, buy those "stress balls". They are ones that are specifically made to improve fine motor skills - i think you can find them in Guardian - with different color to denote varying "strength". Get your child to "play" with it while they are watching TV!

[gigue]

westmom:

If you suspect it is fine motor skill that causes bad handwriting, buy those \"stress balls\". They are ones that are specifically made to improve fine motor skills

Thanks westmum for the suggestion - will check that out. My ds (5-yr-old) has rather poor fine motor skills and his handwriting was bad. He would write out of proportion (esp. for chinese characters), out of line... I used to get really upset when I did writing with him.

Like what jedamum mentioned earlier, I decided that pracice is key. So we sit down almost every night to write simple words repeatedly. He chooses the words to write. The practice helped. His teacher in CC commented recently that his handwriting has improved.

Praises help. The moment the words are well-written, he is praised and that increased his motivation. And now, we tell him that his writing has improved - and he is very proud of himself. I am glad because he focuses better during writing tasks as well.

To better reinforce his improving handwriting, we establish a reward system with stickers/stamps to keep him going.

Now that he's gotten his handwriting in better shape (literally), I am trying to work on his writing speed. So that he completes his writing tasks faster and yet neat...wish me luck!!!

[csc]

Hi Gigue,


You're doing a great job out there! :ugogirl:

Instead of writing simple words repeatedly, how about getting him to write a short message, a thank you card , simple wishes in a birthday card or copying a short rhyme or poem? It will make the writing task more interesting and meaningful!

Wish you all the best!