Handwriting practice game - that actually practices writing neatly/slowly?

[drspouse]

DS has awful handwriting (and poor motor skills generally).
School seem to mainly practice strength/other motor skills/threading and leave him to form his unreadable letters that he's stuck in the habit of (they all have about 10 tails on them too because school insist on cursive ). I've been reading around the subject and it seems like this won't really help (and he has a very strong grip thank you very much!)

He probably has dyspraxia (trying to work out how to get a diagnosis or if there's any point) and he also has ADHD so everything has to be highly motivated and very very short.

We're using handwriting books that have letter families (curly caterpillars etc.) and also the Write from the Start books to practice the shapes but I'm after something a bit more... fun... and a bit less schooly

E.g. is there anything on a tablet with a stylus or anything where you move a pen over a wooden surface or something like that? Where you get feedback if you do it right or not?

We find that some of the phonics games (e.g. Hairy letters) that have writing with a finger are a bit random in what they accept as correct (he can do a lovely letter and it beeps at you or a really dreadful one and it accepts it). And he's reading OK so is a bit beyond those at the moment.

He does like writing on our blackboard at home but won't accept any correction on that either so he just practices his spiders instead of actual letters and of course now he is convinced that is how the letters are supposed to go.

My DS is dyspraxic and still has poor writing however when younger he was a writing refuser ( despite being very bright). In the end I had to home educate him as school just decided he was naughty for refusing to write. Anyway, what worked for us was paying an occupational therapist who now works as a handwriting specialist to come to the house and tutor him. What she did was simply use Schofield and Sims handwriting books and zoned writing paper. Also a writing ramp and a pencil grip. They just went over and over practicing how to write. Tbh, she was expensive and I could have done it all myself except that writing was now a source of tension between my son and I so having a new cheery person breezing in, full of positivity was what really made the difference. Good luck xx

It may be worth googling Dysgraphia as there are handwriting resources online - some is from the US so you would need to bear that in mind for spelling and different words e.g. sidewalk and pavement

mistle we do need someone cheery!