Hi everyone! Welcome to day 5 of my Homeschool Curriculum Forum posts! Today we’re talking about handwriting.
there are a few different theories about handwriting out there. I personally prefer to stick with manuscript from preschool – second grade then I move on to introduce cursive to my students. I also like to stick to traditional manuscript as opposed to D’Nealian print. I know I’ll probably get a few different comments on this, but my line of reasoning is this; Students need to know how to print.
They need to also know how to print neatly.
On pretty much any form they will experience in life, they’ll need to print. If they move onto cursive too soon I don’t feel that students get a good enough grasp of printing neatly prior to the transition. And since most curriculum only offers cursive once you get into higher grades, I take advantage of the traditional method of manuscript until then.
I like to start out with A Reason for Handwriting. I like their colorful pages, and the fact that my kids are practicing writing scripture which is also nice. One thing I don’t love about this? Is that there aren’t typically enough lessons to get us through one full year, so I find that I’m ordering the next level about now. I guess that’s not a huge deal though right?
I do like their transition (Level T) year as well, I find that it does a good job in the transition from manuscript to cursive. I have previously started this when my kids hit 3rd grade when I find that their motor skills are such they can easily make the transition. I have tried to introduce cursive in 2nd grade and found that motor skill wise they just weren’t ready yet, so I’m sticking to cursive in 3rd grade.
Pros:
- Uses scripture as handwriting practice
- Reasonably priced
Cons:
- Repetitive, and can get boring after awhile
That said, this upcoming year I’m actually going to switch to BJU Handwriting. Partially just to give my kids a change since they’re kind of getting bored with the same exact handwriting pages each day.
And also because I like the more upright cursive I found in the fourth and fifth grade handwriting books. Turbo has a hard time visually reading super slanted (a.k.a. more traditional) cursive and I think this type might suit him better. I also like that there are a little more variety of activities from day to day with this curriculum as well. So we’ll give it a go and I’ll keep you posted on what we think!
I don’t typically purchase the teacher’s manuals for handwriting, so if someone out there thinks I need to please speak up! I usually just take a look at what they’re working on that day, do a few samples for them on the white board if they need it, then let them have at it. I do check for neatness and also make them read whatever it is they’ve written to me out loud just so I know they understand what they’re writing. It’s also good to show them if they can’t read what they’ve written then there’s a good chance others won’t be able to read it either.
Pros:
- Activities vary from day to day.
- Uses the D’Nealian font if you prefer that.
Cons:
- Some of the capital letters are different than traditional cursive.
So, now comes the fun part!
What are your favorite Handwriting curriculum, resources, websites, etc? Leave a comment below discussing your choices for this year and why.
Feel free to ask questions or reply to each other too!
It’s my way of doing a forum without actually doing a forum haha!
And hopefully this will help us all as we start the process of researching curriculum, and trying to decide what will be the best fit for our homeschool.
Note: Please keep today’s conversations geared towards Handwriting, I will be posting one for each subject separately so we can keep our comments organized.
Disclosure: This was not a sponsored post, I may however be affiliated with one or more products mentioned. The opinions expressed in this post were not influenced by the company. They are products I have used and felt like sharing, cuz’ it’s my blog and I can if I want to.
I have been homeschooling for 13 years.This year was the first year I tried some of BJU curriculum. Handwriting 3 was one of them. I didn’t purchase the teachers manual either, and we did just fine. For example they had us writing about the inventing of the printing press. So we do more research on the Internet when there were lessons like that. Also, my son had previously learned a more traditional handwriting the year before, but has done fine with this. BJU handwriting has just a little different letter formation then what last years handwriting(From a different company) taught. I actually let him pick the way he wants to write certain letters. So in other words, he combines traditional handwriting (the way I was taught) with the way BJU handwriting teaches letters. I told him as long as other people could tell what letter it actually was he was writing, then it was fine to combine the different ways. Don’t we all add a little of our own flare to handwriting anyway? So I’m not so strict on a set formation per say, as I am on
neatness and legibility! ; )
I am homeschooling for the first time this year and I have used A Reason For Handwriting for my 4th grade son. He hates writing so the short simple lessons are perfect for him. We will definitely be doing it again next year. My first grade daughter is doing Horizons handwriting. Simple lessons based in Scripture, which I like. Neither curriculum lasts until the end of the year, so I found a series of copywork to use during that time. We will use Copywork for Boys and Copywork for Little Girls by Sandi Queen until the end of the year. Do you have any suggestions for helping my daughter to stop rushing and start writing neatly? She is capable of beautiful handwriting, but she will not slow down and do it neatly.
Someone told me a long time ago (when we first started homeschooling) to remember that Art is handwriting practice too. Their little brain still has to tell their little fingers what to do whether they are drawing a letter or a stick person. I always made sure we had plenty of different types of papers and writing utensils for the kids to use.
We liked Reason for Writing, but by adding drawing in their free time, they got even more handwriting practice without even knowing it.
This is the thinking behind the series Draw Write Now. They combine drawing and writing in a fun and motivating way. I highly suggest the series for reluctant writers.
We used I Can Write from Christain Light Publications this year. They have a print version and a cursive version. The lessons start with letter formation then move to scripture copywork and onto information on animals and the world around you. The lessons are short and I got very little complaining. This was perfect for us this year. Now to decide what to do for next year!
My kids are still young and the only one in school is my 1st grader. She has decent handwriting, so for practice, I bouthg a handwriting book at the dollar tree. It goes through all the letters (upper and lower case) and has words using both letters that she must write out as well. For my two preschoolers, I buy the Alphabet workbooks from the Dollart Store and have them practice writing the letters as they learn them. The Dollar Store has many workbooks that help the younger kids with learning. They are also good for extra practice.
For my 3, now 4, year-old I have actually let him use an app on the iPad. It is called Letter School. He has learned how to form his letters correctly through following the animation in the program. I highly recommend it for those who are learning to write. There are also three different fonts they can practice with, Handwriting Without Tears, Zaner-Bloser and D’Nealian, it covers upper and lowercase letters and also numbers. Best app I have ever bought!!
We have that app too and both my boys (5 &3) love it! Highly recommend it for those families whose children are motivated by electronics.
We used Handwriting Without Tears for preK. I liked it somewhat but I like A Reason for Handwriting more. We switched to that in K and used it this year (1st) and plan to use the T book next year (2nd). I love the structure, the repetitiveness, the Scriptures, and the cute border sheets. 🙂
We have used a Reason for Handwriting but I have been waiting to do the Level T book. My girls are in 2nd grade and I am glad to hear that you didn’t start until 3rd. Now I feel a little better about holding off. I just don’t use cursive at all and am not too excited about teaching them even though they ask. We also do a lot of copy work as well for handwriting.
I’m enjoying reading everyone’s responses! We are on our 2nd year of Reason for Handwriting for both my girls (1st and 2nd grade). We did choose to go forward with the Transition to cursive this year for my older daughter, and she is doing relatively well. She was very eager to start also. I am looking forward to the time when I feel they don’t need the curriculum anymore and perhaps just stick with copy work of various sorts. I also wish the Reason for Handwriting came in several Bible translations so you could choose (wishful thinking!). It hits me strange when a familiar verse feels very different from what I know/memorized–a minor detail though.
I am starting A Reason For Handwriting this year. How did you divide out the work in Transitions?
I use BJU curriculum for my kids. I love their handwriting. My kids are doing very well with it. It’s very pretty and not complicated at all. I do not use the teacher’s manual, but I did learn BJU handwriting when I was in school. I still don’t think you would need it. You might want the letter writing descriptions to reference if you’re unfamiliar with their technique. Also, you can download their font from their website (along with the dotted and dotted with arrows) to use if you want to make any of your own worksheets. My son actually taught himself cursive at the end of kindergarten (not everything, but a lot) because of the precursive printing they learn. The transition is very easy. I also found their cursive to be much simpler than other handwriting.