S/O of Sharon's homework thread

Anyone have any neat tricks to get your child to care about their handwriting? Brooke and Morgan are not graded on their handwriting. Brooke's is always nice and neat and Morgan's, well, let's just say we are happy when we can read it. Let me start by saying, Morgan can have very nice handwriting when she tales her time. If she does her homework, and it is sloppy, I will make her redo it. I usually warn her before she starts, to try and do her best, or we will erase and redo. Then, when she ends up having to erase and redo, she pitches such a fit. Is there something I may be missing? Should I let her just write sloppy (I really don't WANT to do that though). Her teacher is aware that she knows she can write better. I just don't know what to do. Homework takes her much longer because of this issue.

 

Heather, since she can do it, there really isn't much you can do beyond encourage her to do her best. Maybe use a point chart for good papers, and she can have a reward for x number of good papers. Remember that next year, handwriting will become a priority again as they will start learning cursive.

I just thought of one. Use the timer and time how long it takes her to do her work. Then time how long it takes her to re-do it. That way she will have a concrete measure of how much quicker she will be done if she takes the time to do it neatly to begin with.

Most of the suggestions I have for handwriting are for kids who can't write neatly.

 

I know that my two are only in Kindergarten, but Maddie's handwriting is so much neater than Connor's most of the time. Connor CAN do it, he just tried to rush and get it done so he starts out ok and then it become illegible. Now he even tries to write his name in cursive. :laughing: I will usually make him re-write things if it is stuff I have given him since they don't usually have actual homework.

 

Your post reminds me of my boys: Kiko is very neat, Sam not so much.

Last week I was in Sam class teaching their art project and noticed that Sam was using his left hand as much as his right to paint with :huh: It made me wonder if he isn't left handed!? At this point he's been writing and using scissors with his right hand for nearly 4 years (in preschool and elementary school) so when I asked him to write with his left he did a fairly decent job, but it was uncomfortable for him. I only mention it because I wonder if he, and Morgan are mirror twins?

Or is that just over-thinking the whole problem, and what he really needs is to learn to slow down and concentrate :lol:

 

ds Ryan's handwriting is attrocious (sp?) and he is in 2nd grade! It's so frustrating.

Sharon (don't mean to hijack but....) how much emphasis is put on cursive where you are?
My kids learn it in 3rd grade, learn how to do it but then are never required to use it. I think DD did it for a month or 2 then hasn't used it since except for when I make her use it. From I understand (via the principal) "no one" is pushing cursive or handwriting anymore and there is not much emphasis on it anymore. Just wondering if that is just our distriict/state or all over.

I do think haveing legible and neat handwriting is important but I seem to be in the minority here I guess.

 

QUOTE
Sharon (don't mean to hijack but....) how much emphasis is put on cursive where you are?
My kids learn it in 3rd grade, learn how to do it but then are never required to use it. I think DD did it for a month or 2 then hasn't used it since except for when I make her use it. From I understand (via the principal) "no one" is pushing cursive or handwriting anymore and there is not much emphasis on it anymore. Just wondering if that is just our distriict/state or all over.


We were forced to use cursive handwriting from Grade 3 to grade 8 and I think that's to blame for my bad handwriting. I could never manage to write nicely in cursive (trust me there was no lack of trying on my part) but no matter what I was not allowed to write in "drukskrif" (what's the term in English for 'normal' handwriting?) I switched as soon as I got in highschool and suddenly my writing was legible. I still don't have the prettiest handwriting but I think there's a big difference between doing your work neatly and writing nicely (although it is easier to make it look neat with a nice handwriting)

I always joke that if I stuck to my medical studies at least my handwriting would've fitted into the doctor stereotype

 

QUOTE(Twinrific @ Apr 2 2009, 01:25 PM) [snapback]1256506[/snapback]
I was not allowed to write in "drukskrif" (what's the term in English for 'normal' handwriting?)

I always joke that if I stuck to my medical studies at least my handwriting would've fitted into the doctor stereotype

Printing

:laughing: Maybe ds will be a doctor then!

 

Thank you Alison!

:lol: Maybe!

If our children is lucky they'll get André's handwriting. Yeah André does the writing on all our cards (such as ones you give on birthdays, weddings etc) People always think it's me that wrote it though :lol: :blush:

 

QUOTE(Twinrific @ Apr 2 2009, 01:34 PM) [snapback]1256522[/snapback]
If our children is lucky they'll get André's handwriting. Yeah André does the writing on all our cards (such as ones you give on birthdays, weddings etc) People always think it's me that wrote it though :lol: :blush:

I think André and my dh have a lot in common. Beautiful flowers just becasue and the handwriting thing. He also writes our cards. My handwriting is not so great, not terrible but not as neat as his.

 

Well then your dh must be a great man! We're lucky :wub:

 

I was just looking through Jackson's graded papers. He got an A on something on which he used horrendous handwriting. I said, "Jackson, your brothers write more neatly than you do." His response? "My teacher can read it." So his standard is that as long as its legible -- regardless of how close it is to being illegible -- it's OK. ARGH!

When it's homework over which I have a little control, such as book reports and literature logs, I make him take his time and re-do what's messy. Unfortunately, I can't oversee what he does during class.

 

Sharon, that's good idea, I am definitely going to try that.

Ellen, I have often wondered that too. But, like Same, she says it isn't comfortable.

She is actually learning cursive now. Once a week they have a sheet to write certain words. Her cursive is actually MUCH neater than her printing. Maybe she will like cursive better, and this won't be much of an issue. Hoping.....

 

My guys both write wayyyyyyy neater than I do They both can write their names in cursive, but just from messing around on their doodle pros with their big sister or dad.

I can remember a comment on my first grade report card "Michele needs to improve her penmanship" I can remember my teacher making me write my name over and over on a piece of paper trying to make me learn to "write neat" lets just say , it didn't work I could easily be a Dr. if just tested on handwriting skills. I am one of those print/cursive combo gals. If I slow down and try really hard I can write neat, but it is painful to slowdown, its like my brain is thinking faster than my hand can move so it just comes out messy. I say messy handwriting is a sign of intelligence

I do try to encourage neat work with my children, I only have one that writes messy like mom out of the four.

 

QUOTE
Sharon (don't mean to hijack but....) how much emphasis is put on cursive where you are?
My kids learn it in 3rd grade, learn how to do it but then are never required to use it. I think DD did it for a month or 2 then hasn't used it since except for when I make her use it. From I understand (via the principal) "no one" is pushing cursive or handwriting anymore and there is not much emphasis on it anymore. Just wondering if that is just our distriict/state or all over.

Here they learn it in 3rd and are required to use it through 5th. After that they go to the Middle School, and I am not sure what the requirements are there.

QUOTE
She is actually learning cursive now. Once a week they have a sheet to write certain words. Her cursive is actually MUCH neater than her printing. Maybe she will like cursive better, and this won't be much of an issue. Hoping.....


There is always that hope

 

Isiah's handwriting is MUCH neater than Michael's. One day I was looking at some graded papers that Isiah brought home and I thought he had someone else's papers b/c the handwriting was SO NEAT! LOL I said, "Isiah, did you write this?" He just grinned from ear to ear and said "Yep!" Michael, on the other hand...yikes! Even his numbers are sloppy.

 

I figure as long as you and your child (well and in most cases the child's teacher) can decipher what has been written, handwriting isn't all that important. I would rather my daughter get all of her thoughts down on paper in whatever handwriting style she can, than refuse to write just because it is so much work to do it "neat". I do make DD do copy work in her "neat" handwriting, but even that isn't all that pretty. I will make her fix questionable letters and numbers on spelling and math assignments before I check them (that falls under being able to decipher what was written rule). I personally have horrible handwriting, and that may skew my thoughts on the matter since it has never hindered me. By the time I was really having to write reports for teachers, everything had to be typed anyways, so it really didn't matter that I had chicken scratch for handwriting.