Help improving child's handwriting

angeldaisy · 05-11-2012 06:47PM #1

Ok, my son's handwriting is dreadful, he's 7 and hates writing, he doesn't concentrate and shows no interest in improving.

I've tried all sorts with him, holding pencil differently, handwriting books, tracing, writing stories, but nothing is helping.

Is there such a thing as extra help for handwriting, like there is for maths etc...

Or do I have to grit my teeth and persist myself:(

areyawell · 05-11-2012 06:53PM

Did you ask his teacher about it? Probably not as bad as you think

angeldaisy · 05-11-2012 07:00PM

areyawell wrote: »

Did you ask his teacher about it? Probably not as bad as you think

I wish

its the only thing they ever comment on. He's really bright, aces all his tests but you cannot read his writing without squinting. Guess he's going to be a doctor:D

RubyGirl · 05-11-2012 07:47PM

Could you introduce a reward system with him, my guy is 7 aswell and in 1st class. His hand writing would'nt be the best either, but improving. He has a homework diary now which he fill in himself. I would comment on this every evening and tell him how his writing is improving. I do his homework so would show him about using his finger as a spacer between each word.

Back to the reward, if his writing is improving every week and he does some practice every evening he will get xyorz. Even just writing one sentence.

pwurple · 05-11-2012 09:41PM

I had awful handwriting in school. It was the one constant across all reports. The school did some remedial handwriting stuff with me, back to basics, writing on 5 lines instead of between two. I was totally bored with it, could not see the point. I write extremely quickly now, and was the same then. Speed and accuracy don't always go together. Practice didn't do much for me. Well... Not quite true. My vocabulary increased, and I got super-fast at handwriting passages out of books. But even worse technique came along with that speed.

My granny got me a caligraphy set, and that sparked my interest enough to slow down and take my time for a while. Not sure if that would work for your boy. I have to say, while there was an improvement, my handwriting still isn't great. It is legible now though. Mostly.

Sorcha16 · 05-11-2012 11:19PM

From a practical perspective, try taping the paper so it's secured to the desk/table. Minimising movement means your child is free to focus solely on shaping their letters without worrying about keeping the paper in place.

Also ensure that your child is positioned correctly at the desk, otherwise his writing will suffer the consequences of being written from an awkward, uncomfortable angle.

Once these basics are in place, practice makes perfect! Also, be careful not to make a bigger issue out of this than it needs to be or your child will sense negativity and totally disengage from the process. Not everyone has perfect handwriting, legibility should be the main aim

CrazyRabbit · 06-11-2012 01:56AM

I can't really offer any solid advice. But for what it's worth, even doctors have trouble reading my handwriting. Other than my signature, I think I use handwriting about 10 times per year, and that's for greeting cards!

As an adult, I don't think that handwriting is very important in most cases. Hmm...but then again, most exams are handwritten. Damn!

I'd go with the calligraphy set suggestion as above. If he sees handwriting as an enjoyable art then he will likely improve.

06-11-2012 02:44AM

Are you sure he's just not interested? There's no underlying problem (dysgraphia, an attention disorder, etc.)?

Fiery biscuits · 06-11-2012 03:46AM

There are a number of things that you can do to try improve a child`s handwriting. I would try not to make too much of a deal about it,especially given the child`s age. Don`t try to force your child to do extra handwriting but rather buy them a fancy copy that is themed with one of their interests. Allow them to write about anything they want in their new copy- leave it in their room with a pen or pencil and tell them they can write in it whenever they want or can write whatever they want-no pressure. When they start writing, you can begin to casually make references to the handwriting and praise the good parts to begin with forget about the "bad" letters/scribbles at first. Try to encourage your child to assess themselves and pick out words/letters they wrote well and ones they can improve on. In terms of the actual mechanics of writing, make sure you child is holding the pencil with the correct grip- if you google correct pencil grip you should find pictures/examples. Make sure that they are sitting with good posture if possible and that the page is at a 45 degree angle from left to right (if they are right handed). Feet should always be on the ground and the child should`nt be stretching over the table. Tracing activities can help but can be boring for children especially out of school time so try to limit this. Also, fine motor skills are very important and it could be the case that your child`s fingers are not strong enough to grip the pencil properly- things like playdough, zipping up things, putting money into a piggybank...anything that involves the "crab fingers" that you use to grip the pencil. Find activites that will manipulate these fingers to improve the control they will have over the pencil. Speak to the child`s teacher if you have concerns and they should be able to offer some help. Hope this helps..don`t underestimate the power of praise and positive reinforcement with young children!

spurious · 06-11-2012 07:20AM

No matter which method you try, I would try anything you can to improve his handwriting, even a little. Poor handwriting is a huge disadvantage in an exam system that currently relies on written papers. If the corrector cannot read the answer, they cannot give any marks.

deelite · 06-11-2012 07:35AM

Same problem with my child - the dreadful handwriting.

We spent time helping her with the writing, pulling our own hair out, it finally worked - beautiful writing (ok legible handwriting not particularly great) and we were so proud of her - then two days later she started to learn " joined up writing" and we are back to square one.

It's a nightmare tbh - because she starts to concentrate on her handwriting and the majority of words are spelt wrong or are missing altogether. Its very draining.

angeldaisy · 06-11-2012 09:33AM

thanks for all the really great replies.

I have tried most of them unfortunately and find I'm constantly reminding him about his grip on the pencil - he tends to hold it at a 90 deg angle and short of taping it to his hand I don't know what to try - we've even given him the short 'argos' type pencils to use.

I'm going to have a look around at whats available in the stationary shops and perhaps if 'Santa' brings him something it might persuade him!

I know he finds it challenging, he's in 2nd class so there's a lot more writing which is why I really want to help him now - its not going to get any easier for him.

I think I was so frustrated with him yesterday as it took him 3 hours to do his homework - through messing and having to redo it. He wanted to leave it till this morning to do it - not a hope - breakfast is tough enough as it is.
He just finds it really boring and to be honest I don't blame him. The syllabus doesn't seem that interesting this year:(

Fleetwoodmac · 06-11-2012 09:58AM

focusing on developing his fine motor skills through lego, playdough etc will help, also his posture when writing is important. there is a good website called occupational therapy- handwriting which gives lots of advice. there is a school of thought that boys in particular should not be taught handwriting until at least seven but rather focus on developing finemotor muscles. your little man is still young and he seems to be doing well in all other areas. have a look at that website, there is another program called " handwriting without tears" which gives good tips too. HTH

Moonbeam · 06-11-2012 10:04AM

Maybe put less pressure on him for a while and do not mention it for a month or 2 and see what happens.
Is he left handed?

angeldaisy · 06-11-2012 10:11AM

Moonbeam wrote: »

Maybe put less pressure on him for a while and do not mention it for a month or 2 and see what happens.
Is he left handed?

he isn't left handed but didn't show a real preference until he was around 4ish.

We haven't put much pressure on him at all, its something that comes up each year at the teachers meetings. To be honest I was of the opinion that he would improve over time, but it seems to be getting worse. I looked in his homework diary and could barely read a word he'd written, how his poor teacher manages I have no idea.

Fleetwoodmac - thanks for the website I'll take a look at that later.

I have a background in child care and special needs - so I know all the theory - its just so different (and difficult) applying it to your own child:rolleyes:

Fleetwoodmac · 06-11-2012 10:16AM

have you private health insurance ? you could get an OT assessment. three hours at homework must be a killer for both of you!

angeldaisy · 06-11-2012 10:22AM

Fleetwoodmac wrote: »

have you private health insurance ? you could get an OT assessment. three hours at homework must be a killer for both of you!

I do, I never considered that option? I might have a word with his teacher and see what she suggests. Would I have to organise it through the school or could I do that myself?

As for 3 hours doing homework - it was tough - at one point we were both in seperate rooms so we didn't kill each other

:D

Fleetwoodmac · 06-11-2012 10:26AM

think you would need to arrange it yourself. OT would look at fine motor skills posture etc, much of them do the handwriting eithout tears programme and would give advice re pencil grips etc. i stopped doing the reading part of homework with my LO otherwise we would have murdered each other, daddy does that bit now!

angeldaisy · 06-11-2012 10:35AM

Fleetwoodmac wrote: »

think you would need to arrange it yourself. OT would look at fine motor skills posture etc, much of them do the handwriting eithout tears programme and would give advice re pencil grips etc. i stopped doing the reading part of homework with my LO otherwise we would have murdered each other, daddy does that bit now!

It's much easier being able to delegate

Daddy's doing homework today - I'm staying in college until they've finished!!

Thanks for the advice - it helps to know that I'm not alone and other people struggle with homework etc...

MrTsSnickers · 06-11-2012 10:40AM

My young fella's hand writing was absolutely dreadful last year (aged 7 in 1st class). Like you it was the only thing the teachers commented on. Anyway I tried a few things I found 2 things very helpful.

1) I got a maths copy with both the smaller and bigger squares and went with that. Big praise for getting the letters in the box etc. We picked books he already liked or bought a new comic to copy from. Completely seperate from his school work. This was just for him, not for school. So tv could be on and he could do it in his own time over the course of an evening.

2) I started leaving it. The way I figured it, if his only problem in school was his writing than we didn't really have many issues. He'd improve in time. He knew his writing was bad - he compared himself to his classmates - and I just tried to encourage when I noticed he was really trying to make it neater. I gave rewards for his homework journal being decipherable. Then every few weeks go back in the journal and other work and actually show him the improvement.

Anyway, while there was improvement last year, it was still messy and enormous, this year is a different ball game, he's come on in leaps and bounds. His writing is neat and he's much happier with it himself. I think that there'll always be something that kids can improve on in school, if he's bright and otherwise engaging in school then he'll probably be fine. Just encourage him and I wouldn't bother arguing with him or spending 3 hours on homework (hells bells I'd barely keep interest in something I enjoy for 3 hours as an adult). Tell him that it's up to him how he'll present his work to his teacher. Good luck.

ash23 · 06-11-2012 11:49AM

http://www.thinkingtoys.ie/handwriting-aids---all/pencil-grips

There are some handy little grips and aides for helping those who struggle with their handwriting.

I've no real advice as my madam is a perfectionist and spends ages on her writing. But a friend has a daughter the same age with a weak hand and she finds the aides a great help.

barbiegirl · 06-11-2012 12:08PM

Could you perhaps try him with different writing instruments. My handwriting was terrible, all the way up through primary. Like your son I was very intelligent and it really was only writing I had a problem with, well that and spelling :rolleyes: Anyway in fifth class I was doing an art project and wrote with a marker and the teacher couldn't believe it was my writing, it was perfect. Then she tried me with a biro and again my writing was great. It was just pencil and ink pen I had an issue with.
Also once I started to get praise for my writing suddenly it got better over all media, though with a pencil it is messy.

Sardonicat · 06-11-2012 12:19PM

angeldaisy wrote: »

he isn't left handed but didn't show a real preference until he was around 4ish.

We haven't put much pressure on him at all, its something that comes up each year at the teachers meetings. To be honest I was of the opinion that he would improve over time, but it seems to be getting worse. I looked in his homework diary and could barely read a word he'd written, how his poor teacher manages I have no idea.

Fleetwoodmac - thanks for the website I'll take a look at that later.

I have a background in child care and special needs - so I know all the theory - its just so different (and difficult) applying it to your own child:rolleyes:

This sounds like me. I'm dyspraxic. Of course, it does not mean your son is but some things you posted are jumping out at me.(lenghth of time it takes to do homework, no real lef/ right preference...)

It would be no harm to get him assessed , if he does have dyspraxia or any other sld it could seriously hamper his educational prospects if it isn't diagnosed.

Equality · 06-11-2012 02:38PM

Fleetwoodmac above has the correct solution.

The OT will assess the child, and will sometimes write a note saying that the child must have a laptop for written work. The SENO can sort out the laptop, the Dept of Ed pays for it. It is great for older children, as typing is much faster than writing, so they tend to get much better grades in the exams.

The OT will also give exercises to help the child with fine motor skills. These probably won't be handwriting, it is usually things like using play dough and enjoyable age appropriate activities.

Some health insurance covers the OT or 80% of the cost. You have almost no chance of getting the school / Dept of Ed to pay for it, as there are children with a greater level of need, usually behavioural problems, and they take priority.

Depending on the child's age, you could apply for an assessment of need to the health board, if the child is the correct age they are required to do the assessment of need free of charge to you. Ask for OT and physio assessment, if you are entitled to this. I think your child may be the wrong age, but you could ring the hse for the application form anyway and fill it out. By filling out the form he will probably go on a waiting list, as you are notifying the hse of the problem. I think his age is such that he will not get a priority (within three months) appointment, but there is no harm in sending the form anyway.

You are more likely to get additional resources if you pay for a private OT assessment, rather than going public.

Equality · 06-11-2012 02:41PM

To the OP: If you have a child under 5, get them assessed under the HSE Assessment of Need if you think they have the same problem. This is free.

Roselm · 06-11-2012 07:32PM

angeldaisy wrote: »

I do, I never considered that option? I might have a word with his teacher and see what she suggests. Would I have to organise it through the school or could I do that myself?

As for 3 hours doing homework - it was tough - at one point we were both in seperate rooms so we didn't kill each other :D

Some areas of the country also have community occupational therapists working for the hse (so it's free). Your child's teacher/principal might know if there is a local Paediatric Occupational Therapy Service but schools are often unaware of these services (in my experience).
You might be able to find an OT through the hse.ie website if school can't help. http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/Find_a_Service/LHO/
Best of luck

Help improving child's handwriting

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