How can I help DD at home with her hadwriting? She's having a hard time...

[MumblingRagDoll]

She is almost 7 in year 2 and she seems to hate writing. She strggles with cursive and gets massively frustrated as she cannot get her thoughts down due to the efort that writing seems to cost her.

She is a nightmare over homework....this half term I didn't think we had any and just found that it had fallen out behind my desk where I threw her book bag on the last day of term ....she has to write a book report and one diary entry about her break..she has pretty much refused & tbh I am so sick of arguing with her that I am planning to write a note to her treacher asking for an extension.

What games or excersises can we do at home? She is excellent at other things with her hands....great at drawing, modelling and can cut out intricate things with scissors...she can sew well and she makes up such good stories that it is a shame she cannot write them down.

Her teachers acknowledge her dislike of writing and seem ok with things oterwise..they are happy with her reading which is 2 years ahead of her age..she has come on very nicely in things other than writing...I want to help her somehow...

[IndigoBell]

For her homework, why don't you let her type it up? Or dictate it to you?

If there are no motor problems than daily handwriting practice will help. (Over time...)

If she has fine or gross motor skills problem, then obviously you need to address them before you can address her handwriting.

She needs reasonable core strength (in order to sit up straight and not slouch over her desk) and reasonable shoulder strength to write.

If her problem really is that she thinks faster than she can write. Then, as well as daily handwriting practice you can do things to help this, like starting with a mind map or the main points jotted down so that she doesn't forget what she wants to say, but has time to write her thoughts down.....

So essentially you are breaking it down into two tasks, one coming up with the ideas, and two writing the ideas down.....

[Kat1111]

There's a good website which has loads of good printables. Have a look at www.senteacher.org/Print/Literacy/ and look for handwriting 1, 2 and 3. Although the site is aimed at special needs teaching, it has resources that can be used in lots of situations... so don't worry about stigma etc!

I'd also say that I'm the type of teacher who doesn't prioritise handwriting. To me, if a child can write comfortably and it's legible enough to be read, then I don't care what it looks like. Some schools have very strict policies, and I had a horrific Year 5 teacher who traumatised me over my handwriting, so I guess my attitude it partially to rebel against his draconian methods.

Also, cursive in KS1 is quite unusual. I'm a year 4 teacher, and I don't enforce cursive if the children aren't happy to use it. I, as an adult, rarely write in cursive. It slows me down and it makes me frustrated.

[MumblingRagDoll]

It's a private school Kat...so they're a bit pushy about some things. Her teacher is good with her though...thanks for the advice people...I will look a the link now Kat...my own handwriting is awful and always has been though...so I suppose it's to be expected!

[MumblingRagDoll]

I am quite confident there are no motor problems...she can sew by hand very well and also cut out amazing things and make quite sophisticated clay models...

[IndigoBell]

Aaaaah. They're a bit pushy about some things. - Is that the problem? Does she hate writing because she hates her teacher telling her it's messy?

That's a harder problem to solve......

[sarahfreck]

Ask your GP if s/he will refer your daughter to a paediatric OT. They will be able to assess your daughter and see if there are any underlying physical problems that are affecting her ability to write. Better to address it now while she is still young IMO.

[lovecheese]

Mumbling - why does she HAVE to write in cursive? Do the school enforce it? Seems like such a shame, surely her thoughts are more valuable at this stage than whether she has perfect cursive script?