Homeschool World Forum

[laurabeth]

My son wants to do everything his sister (almost 7) does and a part of it is writing. At first I was able to get him to do the same things just differently, like she would have a worksheet that had a word bank and you fill in the blanks with the word bank words,(social studies which we all do together) and instead of him writing the words I had him circle the word and draw a line to the blank it went on. Other times I have written the words for him and he would trace them.

He can write his name very well, and he is doing well with numbers (he had to learn those so he can do "sisa"s math lol) but the problem is he has trouble forming the letters. I don't think he is ready to be "writing" quite honestly, and he gets so frustrated that he cant form them correctly but he wants to do it regardless of what I say. He isn't happy with doing all capitals which is what he has the easier time forming, he wants to be just like her. So I guess my question is what do I do lol........... is there some activity's that I can do with him to help him get that dexterity he needs quicker so he can do it?

I don't want to push him and have him learning to write incorrectly or have him hate to write later like my dd does but he is pushing to do it. Its like he wants to cover all of preK-K like yesterday and be in 1st lol. I don't know how to get him to that point any quicker than I am and he isn't happy with the speed.

Any suggestions or even just "I been there"s are appreciated!!

[Lily]

You can have him write in sand, play with tweezers and eyedroppers for dexterity, use a dry erase board with mini markers..
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[Ramona]

I always love sand-writing! Also, form the letters out of dough, write on your back and have you guess what letter he wrote, you write on his back and have him guess, write on the sidewalk with water or bubble solution, write on cookies with decorator gel, "write" on sandpaper with his fingertip, cut the letters out of paper with scissors (either around drawn letters or free-hand--very large letters are easier to start with).

Ramona

[laurabeth]

Thank you for your ideas on this

[KarinKath]

It has great tools and exercises for young children (preschool) and then progresses from there. I use the program with my 2 year old and my 4 year olds. Lots of manipulatives and they all feel happy with their writing.

We then include chalk letters on the sidewalk, finger painting, whipped cream on a tray, sand writing etc.
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Karin Katherine
SAHM to 3, age 3 and under!

[Lauxa]

I've heard that knitting is a pre-writing skill taught in some Montessori schools and that they start learning it at age 4. Also that young kids learn better from older kids than adults. Maybe you could teach both of them to knit and/or encourage his sister to work with him more on his writing.
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[Rayaansmom]

Hi,

Trace the letters on sandpaper. You can find sandpaper alphabet tablets at a Montessori store, or you can make them yourself with cardboard and sand paper cut outs.
Give him a pair of blunt tipped scissors like baby nail clipping scissors to cut through paper in neat lines for a crafts project. It gives them better ability to handle an object and manipulate it.
Let him make alphabet shapes out of playdough.
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[Jazzy]

Here are some preschool writing activities that may help.
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[elliemaejune]

You can also let him write with chocolate pudding or KoolWhip

It would be good to show him how to write letters with the correct directionality. For example, he can learn to write circles by starting at the top, where the Spalding Method calls "2 on the clock." (I have even used a clock rubber stamp and stamped it on paper, with an arrow pointing to the 2.) So circles start at 2 on the clock and go up and around and back to 2. Vertical lines start at the top and go straight down. Horizontal lines are written in the direction that we read and write (we say that instead of using "left to right" because little kidlets don't always have left and right clear in their minds).

If you teach him how to write those shapes, using clear directions, he'll be that much readier to write and read

[Mathmom]

Has anyone used workbooks for pre-writers, like the ones they sell at Wal-Mart?
It would help him feel included with what his sister is doing.
I think my kids get along so well(people seem to comment about it at places like church or the library, when they are new) because they do similar activities together.
Just a thought...

[momo3boys]

If you can find them, there are some great pre-writers that are dry erase. I found some for $1 at a discount store. mY 3yo loves them. He feel so big to have his own homework.
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[Agusboh]

Hi, i think he is VERY ready to start writing. What i suggest you to do is to by a very good book of Lynne Lawrence its based on Maria montessori metod. To follow the stragegy of her method wich refers a lot of how to teach kids around 4 years old to read and write.
the name of the book its "hep your children to write and read with the montessori method" i just tranlate the title from my spanish book, so may be wrong but i think you can check in amazon.com for sure you´ll find it by the name of the author.

good luck!
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[amymom]

Jell-o writing. Similar to sand writing, but much more tasty because he can lick his fingers and taste raspberry, lime, etc.
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Amy

[Blessings4all]

You might want to try the Callirobics program. An Occupational Therapist referred me to it. My kids enjoyed the program because they got to draw interesting lines and shapes while listening to music. The program helps to train children's hands to make the lines used in handwriting. Here's the website: http://www.callirobics.com/
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[Tashathomson]

If you want him to improve his writing, let him play with small blocks (like legos. Let him use big paintbrushes, big pieces of chalk and even his fingers (fingerpainting) to practice letters and numbers. These methods are more fun and he will not feel frusterated.