handwriting guides/workbooks for 6yo

[rhetorician]

hello - bit of background. My DD is 6.5, reads well, likes maths, doing fine academically, but is really struggling with writing. She knows what to write (but isn't up to same level as with reading etc because she doesn't practice) but the physical process is very laborious - uses whole arm, presses hard, can't space words/letters on a page etc. She is being taught cursive, but I think this feels very removed for her from expressing herself (copying out letters, tracing over words etc). She will be in 1st class (we are in Ireland) in Sept and this seems like a step into a more formal curriculum. School doesn't really seem to be helping her much, so I'd like to find some fun way of supporting her through the holidays. Any ideas? Many thanks

I could have written this post, my Dd is also 6.

Her teacher gave me an exercise book. Dd writes out my shopping list, makes to-do lists for everyone and has started a diary.
We found a lollipop stick as a marker to space a gap between the words has helped, it also makes her look at each word more carefully.

Is the small finger movements that she's struggling with? If so, then you could try things that will help strengthen the muscles and tendons that control the fingers - playdough, threading, sewing, cutting, colouring for example.
If it's the grip that's the problem, then you could try special, ergonomically designed pens, pencils and grips that encourage the tripod grip.
If it's letter formation, then you could try things like 'painting' letters with water on the wall outside, tracing letters, using a finger to draw the letter in bubbles, sand, poster paint etc.
There are lots of activities here and here that might help you support handwriting development.

thank you very much mumofboyo - those look really great! we are actually waiting for her assessment, to get a better sense of her issues overall (handwriting is her only real academic issue though)

Hope they're of some use to you. Handwriting can sometimes seem like a small, insignificant part of the curriculum: we usually think of the content being more important than the actual writing but if children struggle with the mechanics of it then it can knock their confidence and make them more unwilling to do it.
Hope you, and your dd, get result and support you're hoping for from the assessment

Usborne do some great handwriting practise books x

thanks - she is even reluctant to write her name (admittedly, a long name) even though she can do it. So I think the idea of the special book is a good one; she agreed to do 5 minutes every day over the holidays. Yes I've seen those Usborne books - I think she'd like those (is into beasts/monsters etc)