Hi! I very rarely post anything on here, though I do read tips frequently. So I'll re-introduce myself real quick. I have two boys, 5 and 2. We are doing Kindergarten with my 5 year old. Everything is going really well. I just wanted to ask people's opinions on something that I'm not sure of. My son has been writing for a while now and knows how to form all his letters. We've gone through them individually and all that. So I was wondering when you move onto writing words and sentences. I mean, do I wait until he can make each letter neatly or just start in on words once he can form letters decently? I hope this makes sense. It's kind of late and I should be in bed. Thanks! Katherine
I would have him start writing words now. Have him write words he knows (his name, his brother's name, etc.), and then work your way up to sentences.
We use a really great handwriting program called Pentime - we got it from Rainbow Resource - and it moves at a slow pace (which I adore) and does some great copywork! I recommend it to everyone. Plus my ds12 has horrid handwriting (we think he has a mild form of dysgraphia) and we tried everything, even Handwriting without tears (we had tears) but this program has really helped improve his handwriting! We started on it earlier with my girls (my poor son as the oldest is the guinea pig for everything!) and they have beautiful handwriting!
Controversial statement, I know, but don't you think that it's just as important, if not even more important, to teach our children to type at an early age? I can't remember the last time I wrote something by hand, but here I am, as I do every day, typing with only two fingers of each hand. How much more productive I would be if I'd been taught to type properly. Isn't that even more true for our children? It's one of the things I regret not doing when we were homeschooling.
I think both handwriting and typing are important skills to have. Absolutely the most useful course I ever took in high school was typing! I have used it every day of my life since college (and that's many days, bro!). However, I think there's something neurologically developmental about learning a good cursive hand. Both manuscript and cursive are useful things to have. Typing is fine for its purposes, but if I received a thank you note that was printed off on the computer, I wouldn't feel particularly good about the sender, no matter what fancy font they used. Or a birthday card from my sister (cards emailed from the internet are cute and animated, but you can't save it in your top drawer and look back at it years later). Can't use a laptop to take sermon notes in church! It's bad form... Could send plastic as a gift in a card, but it's soooo nice to receive a real handwritten check! There are still tons of uses for both cursive and manuscript writing!
For sure, I don't mean to imply they are mutually exclusive. There will always be the need to write by hand, but it's becoming less and less useful in day-to-day life.
As has already been suggested, start him on writing things he knows now. There's plenty of time yet to develop "neater" handwriting, but "neat enough" is good enough for now. Five is a good time to start copywork - after the family names, then 3-word sentences (like God is love. Jesus loves me. Today is Monday. I can write. I can copy. I like books. Mom is Kath. Dad is ___. Brother is ___.). That's already introducing grammar and mechanics concepts (complete thought, capitals, punctuation) and other factual concepts. Then write for him sentences he dictates that might be four or five words. By that time he should be "good to go". I also am using Pentime workbooks this year - the 6th, 4th, and 3rd ones, for an 8th, 5th, and 6th grader respectively. The first and second graders are using I Can Write Manuscript and sheets I make on the computer with School Fonts (or maybe it's Fonts 4 Teachers??).
I think that typing can wait until they are older and form writing muscles better. All my kids are avid computer users and have learned from typing in their games how to type quickly and efficiently. Typing in this day and age, especially for kids, is an EASY talent to pick up. My ds12 is now learning (he is more comfortable on the computer typing than hand writing anything) how important it is to know how to write - he has, as of late, been in many situations where he needs to write something down - using the computer was just not an option. As a result, he has been working harder on his handwriting. Typing comes easy, it is the handwriting that is difficult. My recommendation - don't worry about typing until they are older unless you plan on using an online curriculum or something. Even then - you would be surprised how quickly kids pick it up. Work those fine motor muscles of writing first, so that comes easily now, and work on typing as they get older, ie upper elementary. IMHO.
Thanks so much for all the responses. We have the level 1 & 2 reading and writing journal from Starfall. I just wasn't sure if I should procede until he was better at writing the individual letters. I'll guess I go forward with it. As for typing, I have thought about it a lot actually. I know how to type properly and it makes things so much easier when I'm using the computer or typing up a quick letter. We will definately be teaching typing. My favorite program by far is Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. I had so much fun with it when I was learning to type. Plus I also took a typing course in high school. That one was pretty boring. Anyway, he can't really spell yet, so typing wouldn't do him all that much good at the moment. We'll probably start with that next year or the year after. Thanks again! - Katherine
Another key fact to handwriting is fine motor strength in the fingers. My kids handwriting is much better when they get to do fine motor stuff - for example: My oldest LOVES clay, she works with sculpey every day almost. Rolls it, forms it, makes it into stuff. Constantly using her hands and strengthening the muscles. My middle loves legos - he builds and builds, it requires a lot of hand strength and coordination. I also have part of his spelling is cutting/pasting activity b/c the use of the scissors strengthens his hand. Don't just look at writing as getting the image on paper, its alot about muscle control.
When I did letters we would practice doing each letter on Fridays we had a fun day where they cut the letters & things that started with that letter out of a magazine. A lot of fun with the cutting pasting. Also I would do 3-4 letters then do a review week. I would try to use those letters and make up words. I know mine LOVED the fact that words were being created. Like bad, dad, cab. I think it's up to you how you want to proceed.
My son loves legos. He probably has way too many of them and uses them all day long. I never really thought of that as being something to do with fine motor skills, though it makes sense when you point it out. I always thought of it as developing his creative and problem solving skills. I knew that clay worked the fine motor skills, but we've had one too many mishaps with clay so we avoid that. Lol. Both the kids love to cut too. Thanks for reminding me about other activities to work on. Maybe I'll be brave and buy some clay again.
Thanks for the tips DizneeTechR. Jonathan's a bit past that stage and already into beginning reading, but we definately did those things when he was just learning his letters. We'll probably be starting all that again with my 2 year old soon. Though he picks up so much stuff just from being around his brother. It surprises me a lot.
You can check www.currclick.com for copywork pages. He could write a letter to someone. He can write out words of objects in the room. If you are learning colors, have him find things that are that color and write out what they are. Have him write the numbers. I like the idea of writing family names or names of pets, names of friends and their pets.
Get Model magic.... It does dry out eventually if you don't store it right BUT it doesn't stain, etc. My oldest is very into Sculpey - but we bake those things and keep them for posterity sake. Playdough is not too bad. My 4 year old uses it...I just make sure she does it in a place where it's okay that if it crumbles etc that it can be cleaned up easily.
I think that as your son gets older...require more neatness...but do fun copywork now. (5 yo like silly sentences) I think forming the letters right is important...my ds#2 starts his t's at the bottom and his e's also...it makes some of his letters an odd size. as he was ps through 3rd grade, I decided not to mess with his printing and we are concentrating on cursive. As far as typing...5 is too young. His hands are not big enough and he will learn to hunt and peck. or move his hands around too much and not get touch typing down well. I would wait on that. My 9yo is waiting on the typing. (he is the size of the avg 6 yo) He specifically mentioned that the typing made his fingers hurt. He plays the typing games, but it isn't a specific lesson. my opinion. I agree with Gwenny99, the kids will learn to type. (but maybe not old fashioned touch typing) How fast can he type with his thumbs on an itty bitty keyboard??!! and spelling...not even going there with the text effect. (we use Typing Deluxe and the boys like it pretty well)
