What handwriting sites do you like? How do you make this kind of practice more interesting?
Showing posts with label Writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Writing. Show all posts
Friday, April 9, 2010
15 Minutes : Play It : Handwriting Activities
image via here
My son and I have been focusing on improving his handwriting. For the sake of review, I print out a basic tracing worksheet of a certain letter. Somedays we choose a worksheet that has a picture; others he wants a word search. When he's finished with that, we turn the paper over and he lists and draws other pictures that begin with the same letter. Since he's often a reluctant writer, I've been trying to discover ways to encourage him. Today this worked: He loves filling papers with "roads"--continuous lines that swerve, curve, and veer. So, I tried describing the letter he was writing as a road for his car. "First the road is straight, then, oh no, the road suddenly turns the other way! And then it's going back this way again." He loved it. I find our basic tracer page (with picture) at First-School.ws. The site is kind of painful to navigate, so here is letter A for you; you can then find the rest of the alphabet from that page.
(On the chart, I choose from the Handwriting column, SB--meaning standard block style, and then ask my son which picture he likes.)
Here is our tracer page that comes with a word search. Same site, same messy story.
What handwriting sites do you like? How do you make this kind of practice more interesting?
What handwriting sites do you like? How do you make this kind of practice more interesting?
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
1 Hour : Make It : Write a Letter
image via hereJanuary 8th through 14th is Universal Letter Writing Week. Use this as an opportunity to help your kids learn the art of a handwritten note. Create a letter writing station with notecards, pens, crayons, markers, envelopes etc., and let them create handmade thank you notes for friends and family. It's the perfect time to thank others for holiday gifts or just write a quick note to say thanks.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Share It : Poetry & Penmanship
Guest blogger, Jill T., is the mother of four boys.
image via here
This summer, I am helping my kids memorize poems. To improve penmanship, I also have them copy out the poems. It's so fun to hear my children reciting the poems they're learning. I'm hoping to instill a love for literary beauty and a greater ability to memorize and retain information.
I have found some wonderful poety books at our local library (usually found in the non-fiction section). A few of our favorites are:
- The Cuckoo's Haiku and Other Birding Poems, by Michael J. Rosen
- Side by Side: New Poems Inspired by Art from Around the World, by Jan Greenberg
- Ivy in Bloom, by Vanita Oelschlager (This one is more of a picture book, but the author lists in the back of the book all the poems she referenced. She uses poetry from Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, Robert Browning, and others.)
Writing the poems down helps the kids with both their memorization and their handwriting. This site has a good assortment of printable writing paper.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Friday Focus : Creating a Literary Home, Part 3
According to PBS, one great way to encourage literacy in the home is to have a variety of writing materials available. In our home, we have a cupboard dedicated to kid-friendly craft supplies where they can find multiple kinds of paper, dry erase boards and markers, crayons, pencils, washable markers, paints and paintbrushes and coloring and/or activity books.
I love the suggestion of having a model of all the letters available for young writers that allows them to refer to it if they have trouble remembering letter formations.
The one above will easily work for now until I can find (or make) a better piece to hang on my wall.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
1 Hour : Make It : Tweet Valentines
I just printed out these darling bird cards for my kindergartener to use for her class valentines. Besides the novelty of being "handmade", these cards will also give her practice cutting and writing. Her teacher can thank me later.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
15 Minute : Make It : Thank You Cards
image via Martha Stewart Kids winter 2004Create a tradition that will help instill a wonderful habit in your children...one we all could be better at. Help your child write thank yous to those they received gifts from. Teach them the basic break-down of a letter: greeting, body and closing.
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