untidy handwriting year 3

[monkeytree]

Hi
My dd (7) has just started junior school. She has been told by her teacher that she needs to have neater writing. DD is a young one in the class (July) and I think this does have an effect in some ways. Over the summer her spelling has improved but her handwriting often lets her down i.e h can look like an n etc. I've tried to back off from nagging her about her handwriting because before the summer hols she seemed to be reluctant about putting pen to paper and this seems to be improving.

DD has also been holding her pencil incorrectly which she has continued to do right from reception (wrapping her thumb around the pencil), despite constant verbal prompting. I have recently bought some ergonomic pencil grips which are supposed to help with this and she has only just started using these - anyone ever used these and if so did they prove useful?

I question whether I should let her hand writing improve of it own accord or should I be going back over letter formation etc with her? I don't want to put pressure on her and if it's just an age thing then so be it but if anyone has any ideas ie about practise sheets on the net etc then all suggestions would be very welcome! I feel like we're playing catch up now (particularly due to the streaming they have in schools at such a young age) and I don't want to become a pushy parent but I want to support her.

I do agree that some kids simply don't have the character/skill to spend time making sure their handwriting is perfect at a young age. Our primary school is trying to get kids to join writing in yr 1 onwards when, frankly, I would be delighted if my child gets her letters round the right way consistently.

I think it is probably your shout (and whether you need your child to pass a school entrance exam any time soon).

An "old school" teacher put me right at about 9 or 10. I had a miserable summer (re)teaching myself to write so people had a fighting chance of reading my work.

If your child is still exploring spelling and sentence structure, I would approach the issue gently and focus on getting the basics right. I am sure I found it easier to write neatly as opposed to gathering my thoughts in an organised manner.

I can't think when I last scribbled a page of A4.

I think in the (very) long run, legible and efficient is more important than pretty - that does mean differentiating properly between taller and shorter letters so the n/h thing is important. A proper pencil grip is also worth training for, if only for the prevention of strain injuries - there's a very good reason why the proper pencil grip is as it is.

That said, once you've got the ergonomics and the efficiency/legibility right, I would not worry about it too much. Handwriting changes so much as you get older - don't let anyone tell you it's set in stone at age whenever. Mine changed all the way into my late 30s (as I developed osteoarthritis and had to adapt).

DD1 used to have horrible scrawly writing because she was trying so hard to write cursive - her writing is now semi-cursive, much faster and much much neater. DD2 looks like going the same way.

Oh, and I last scribbled a page of A4 in August - I was minuting a meeting. It was 9 pages of A4 and I was grateful to have efficient writing...

I really don't get the issue with handwriting. I think it gets mistaken for being bright. Dd has okish writing & did v well in 11 plus. Dbro & dsis writing frankly awful but both v intelligent & with great jobs. My ds ( Aug y3 boy) is getting there....for me as long as it is understandable than that's ok. I wouldn't worry - it will come & as long as she is enjoying learning......

Thank you for all your feedback so far. 123 that is very reassuring to hear. My feeling is that content is more important than handwriting but holding the pencil incorrectly can lead to hand strain I think although I'm not sure how important this is in the great scheme of things. I might have a quick chat/demonstration about tall letters (which she probably already knows) and then leave it at that. She is a bright girl and I think there is just so much to consider when writing ie thinking, holding the pencil and getting it down on paper. Having said this any further feedback would be very much appreciated. It doesn't sound as if it was very helpful for the teacher to comment on her handwriting at this point when I am encouraging her to put pen to paper. She has had spellings incorrectly marked in the past due to poor letter formation so it sounds as if it is something that the school drills down on.

Have you tried triangular pencils? Also using pen at home helps particularly liquid ink ones - much less effort then pencil to write with. Downside can't rub out. Good for practice & it feels more grown up.

My 7 yr old dc's got massive hand writing. Dc can only manage to fit two sentences in an A4 page. But in the summer I was advised by a special need expert that I should encourage dc to do more drawing and colouring as such activities can help to practice hand motor skills. Hope it makes sense.

We had terrible problems and over the Summer we used this pen as it forces a correct pencil grip. Since she uses it at home and also for homework her handwriting has massively improved.

I don't like them writing with pencils as it is far too easy to get it wrong and the teacher doesn't have the time and resources to help.

www.stabilo.com/pages-uk/products/s-move-easy.php

My 7 year old dd's writing has gone from enormous to tiny over the summer holidays, however it is slightly easier to read now. They have to learn cursive writing from year1 . Alas, that didn't happen when my boys were there.

A word of warning though. Ds2 is 13. His writing is absolutely appalling. I can barely read it. He can barely read it. His writing looks as if he is having a fight with the pen....it doesn't stay on the line. It has always been bad and I really regret not doing something about it when he was 7/8. I am worried examiners will not be able to read his gcse papers in a few years.

Are school concerned about it? I teach year 3 (when I'm not busy growing a baby, that is) and, although I want children's handwriting to be neat, I don't push it particularly. We do handwriting practice twice a week and last year I had an intervention group of about 5 children who practised more frequently. They were children who couldn't form the letters correctly in print, not cursive.

I'd ask the teacher at parent's evening about it. In my experience, lots of parents focus on things like handwriting, times tables and spellings because it's something they can see instantly, whereas most parents don't understand the methods we use to teach maths and Literacy, so it's more removed. They can't tell if their LO is good at bridging hundreds on a number line because they haven't the foggiest what I'm talking about.

My handwriting is appalling. I have 'teacher' handwriting, but when I don't have my teacher hat on then my writing is shocking. My year 4 teacher described it as 'a dying spider crawling across my page'. I don't push handwriting because a) it's meant to be an indication of your personality, isn't it? b) lots of children struggle with the fine motor control and it comes in time c) children who are obsessed with spellings and handwriting tend to write less creatively because they're not focussing on the content.

In summary (sorry, essay, but I saw you'd posted on the antenatal thread too for more responses so I guess you're concerned) I'd find out how the teacher views it. If they want you to support at home, find out which scheme they use and ask if they use a handwriting exercise book (ones with special lines in). If the teacher isn't fussed, then let it go and reassess in a year.

My ds quite upset as handwriting really being pushed at his school and not his strong point. Problem is he is losing any confidence he had and also 'content' as handwriting seems school obsession at the moment.

I just want legible writing and may have to have a word...

Thank you ladies for all your responses. You have helped me to consolidate my thoughts about this and also given me some practical pointers, so thank you once again.

Emerald sorry to hear your DS is being pushed at school, I think as said above that content is far more important than handwriting and spelling so I'm going to tread gently, keep any home support sessions short and try out the pens and pencil grips that are available. I want her to feel confident (which she is) more than anything else and I will be interested to hear what the teacher says at parents evening.

Would really recommend this to improve handwriting

www.amazon.co.uk/Write-start-Programme-Perceptual-Handwriting/dp/1855032457/ref=pd_sim_b_2

Thanks Snelldog Have you used this programme with children yourself? It looks very interesting if a little expensive. Thanks noramum I will definitely be purchasing one of these pens, I think it is something dd will enjoy using.
Thank you to everyone else for your suggestions your responses
have been fantastic.

Yes used with my dc who had handwriting difficulties