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Learning how
to write is not an easy task. It is very common for a
young child who is beginning to write to come up with
barely legible scribbles.
But it becomes
a serious problem when young children who already know
the alphabet produce illegible handwriting.
Practice makes
skills perfect. Handwriting is considered a skill, and
children needs to practice to improve it. Parents have
many ways to motivate their child to write more legibly
and neatly. To improve handwriting, parents need to provide
writing exercises that the child will find enjoyable.
To improve
handwriting, parents need to provide writing exercises
that the child will find enjoyable.
Handwriting
problems can be classified as follows:
- Inability
to form letters properly;
- Difficulty
in keeping letters on the line;
- Difficulty
to understand the relative sizes of letters;
- Tendency
to crowd letters within words together; and
- Problems
with spacing.
How to Improve
Handwriting
There are many
ways to improve you child's handwriting
How to Form
letters
Your child
needs to learn how to write geometric shapes since the
English letters are based on these shapes. You should
try the following:
1) Encourage
your child to practice drawing clear and geometric forms,
especially circle, on the chalkboard.
2) On a large
piece of paper spread on the floor, help your child finger
paint. Have him paint huge circles. This will involve
not only his fingers and wrist, but also his elbows and
shoulders. Such fun activity reinforces to develop shape
constancy.
How to Improve
Hand-Eye Coordination
The eyes should
closely coordinate with the hands when writing. Thus it
is required that the eyes can move smoothly and can follow
moving targets.
Laying the
foundation for fine and smooth muscle control requires
general motor coordination (skipping, sunning, hopping,
balancing, etc.).
Play tracing
games with your child. Let him sit next to you and tell
him to close his eyes. Hold his writing hand, with index
finger pointing. Guide it and trace a letter or a shape
on a large surface. Have him guess what letter or shape
you traced.
How to Stay
'On the Line'
When your child
faces difficulty in staying 'on the line' as he writes,
you can use a green felt tip pen to rule across the lines
that will be the bottoms of letters. Then try using a
blue felt tip pen to remind your child when to begin his
strokes.
How to Hold
the Writing Instrument
Children have
writing problems because they hold their pens awkwardly.
What you can do is to develop the strength of your child's
hands and fingers for proper and correct grasp. Make activities
that require your child to hold or to hang. Allow your
child to also squeeze objects (rubber balls) or play with
wooden clothespins to strengthen his fingers and develop
finger coordination.
Look if your
child holds his pencil at the tip. This shows that he
is applying so much pressure. Here is what you should
do: place a rubber band just above the pencil's shaved
area. This will remind your child on where to put his
fingers when holding a pencil.
Reversing
Letters
Many children
continue to reverse letters even as their handwriting
improves. If this happens to your child, have him identify
right and left on his body. Play games that will require
him to use just the right hand or the left hand.
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