If you’ve ever visited an elementary classroom, you probably noticed that some kids have messy handwriting and some have beautiful letters. You may have even noticed that boys tend to write messier than girls. Here are some ways to help your child improve their handwriting:
- Evaluate. If your child’s writing looks very messy, ask the teacher if it’s on grade level. You may even ask your pediatrician for a referral for occupational therapy.
- Go slow. Make sure your kids aren’t rushing- that seems to be the main probelm with messy writing.
- Handwriting without tears. This is a curriculum program that many schools use, but if yours doesn’t you could always get it on your own.
- It’s okay to make mistakes. Don’t let them be too hard on themselves. Make erasing a skill that they practice.
- Find out what your child’s kindergarten requires. Many schools don’t want kids to write their name in all caps. Be proactive and get your child in the proper habit.
- Pencil is properly positioned. The pencil should rest near the base of the thumb, held in place with the thumb, index, and middle fingers. If your child isn’t doing that, try giving them a very small pencil or crayon. Because it’s only a few inches long, they will have to hold it the proper way.
- Expose your child to lots of words. You can do this by reading regularly together, pointing out words that surround you (such as street signs or product labels), and by hanging up examples of your child’s writing around the house.
