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Handwriting

Handwriting CurriculumHandwriting Resources

We tend to think that if instruction isn't rigorous and difficult, it's not really instruction; or, we go to the other extreme and assume that everything in the world needs to be easy and fun, and that anything which doesn't fall into both categories should be avoided like an active volcano. As usual, the truth is somewhere in the middle, a fact easily demonstrated by the "right" approach to teaching handwriting.

Kids learn best when instruction is organic. That doesn't mean you have to be a vegan, just that you don't need to turn every skill (no matter how "academic") into a formal school subject. Penmanship involves a lot of skills just as easily acquired through everyday activities, and while putting them together to form the specific ability known as good handwriting requires concentrated effort, giving your kids the building blocks can be far less structured and a lot more fun for everyone involved.

For instance, holding a pencil or pen correctly requires specific motor skills that aren't necessarily intuitive (a lot of kids start out trying to hold their pencil like the hilt of a sword). However, picking up small objects is intuitive, and can be a great way to hone your child's ability to operate his or her hand properly when learning to write. Some educators even encourage parents to start this process with babies as young as nine months.

Learning good penmanship is more than just learning the right motions. Children also need to absorb the names, character, and shapes of each letter of the alphabet, a far more intellectual activity than learning how to hold a writing implement. But even here, they can be taught these things while playing with blocks or letter magnets, while coloring or drawing, and even by making letters out of playdough. (Studies indicate that children who draw a lot end up with better handwriting than those who don't "practice" in this way.)

But why teach handwriting? many will wonder. My child will just grow up typing, anyway; she'll have no need for penmanship skills. Unless the world becomes entirely automated and paper is outlawed by all the governments of the world, that's simply not true. Adults write all day—memos at work, shopping lists and phone numbers at home, even a husband's short love notes to his tired and stressed-out wife. If kids never learn to write by hand, and to write legibly by hand, how will they be able to communicate with others (or even themselves) later on?

Current research shows that simple handwriting instruction, specifically cursive instruction, actually aids academic study and advancement. Because, as much as some would like everything to be simply practical and expedient, academic study and success are important elements in the development of children. To some extent, if we want our kids to be good readers and mathemeticians, we need to make them good handwriters.

Handwriting development doesn't just help a child's academic progress, however. It helps them become detail-oriented, to understand the need for clarity, and gives them something to practice which can be tangibly measured in terms of progress. Yes, good penmanship takes effort and is often frustrating, but the rewards it yields are worth the initial hand cramps and scribbled letters.

In the end there isn't really a "right" way to teach handwriting, or to introduce any of the little helps that reinforce the appropriate skills and get kids interested in penmanship through different avenues. There is a right attitude, though, one which sees a child's development as a holistic process of which handwriting skills are an integral part, and which takes every available opportunity to teach those skills.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur.Read more of his reviews here.

 

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An interesting article with helpful handwriting tips.
Draw Your World: Handwriting Samples
* See samples of the styles described at the left.
95 Items found Print
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Active Filters: 3rd grade (Ages 8-9)
Catch on to Cursive
by Carrie Bailey, illustrated by Katie O'Dell
from Master Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Handwriting Resources (Location: HAN-REF)
$35.00 (1 in stock)
Character Italic - Advanced Cursive
by Martine Cox, Wendy Shaw
from Italic Builders
for 1st-6th grade
in Getty-Dubay™ Italic Handwriting (Location: HAN-ITALIC)
Character Italic - Basic Print
by Martine Cox, Wendy Shaw
from Italic Builders
for 1st-6th grade
in Getty-Dubay™ Italic Handwriting (Location: HAN-ITALIC)
Character Italic - Beginning Cursive
by Martine Cox, Wendy Shaw
from Italic Builders
for 1st-6th grade
in Getty-Dubay™ Italic Handwriting (Location: HAN-ITALIC)
CL Handwriting Practice Pads: 2nd-4th
from Christian Liberty Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in CLP Handwriting (Location: HAN-CLP)
$3.00
Claritas Cycle 2 Handwriting Sheets - Cursive
from Claritas Publishing
for 2nd-5th grade
in Claritas (Location: CUR-CLA)
$10.00 (2 in stock)
Classically Cursive Book 3
by B. J. Jordan
2nd edition from Veritas Press
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Veritas Press Classically Cursive (Location: HAN-VPCC)
$19.00
Classically Cursive Book 4
by Kathy Mahaffy
2nd edition from Veritas Press
for 3rd-4th grade
in Veritas Press Classically Cursive (Location: HAN-VPCC)
Composition and Sketchbook I
from Memoria Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Memoria Press Penmanship & Copybooks (Location: HAN-MPPEN)
$9.75
Composition and Sketchbook II
from Memoria Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Memoria Press Penmanship & Copybooks (Location: HAN-MPPEN)
$9.75
Composition and Sketchbook III
from Memoria Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in Memoria Press Penmanship & Copybooks (Location: HAN-MPPEN)
$9.75
Copybook Cursive I
by Leigh Lowe
Fir from Memoria Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Memoria Press Penmanship & Copybooks (Location: HAN-MPPEN)
$16.80
Copybook Cursive II
by Brenda Janke
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in Memoria Press Penmanship & Copybooks (Location: HAN-MPPEN)
$16.80
Copybook Cursive III
by Brenda Janke
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Memoria Press Penmanship & Copybooks (Location: HAN-MPPEN)
$16.80
Copybook Cursive IV
by Brenda Janke
1st edition from Memoria Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Memoria Press Penmanship & Copybooks (Location: HAN-MPPEN)
$16.80
Copybook III
by Leigh & Cheryl Lowe
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Memoria Press Penmanship & Copybooks (Location: HAN-MPPEN)
$16.80
Cursive First
by Elizabeth FitzGerald
2nd edition from LITHBTH Educational Services
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Spell to Write and Read (Location: PHO-SWR)
Cursive Formation Flashcards
from A Beka Books
for 3rd-4th grade
in A Beka Penmanship/Creative Writing (Location: HAN-ABK)
$16.50 (2 in stock)
Cursive Knowledge
by Jill Pike
from Institute for Excellence in Writing
for 2nd-12th grade
in Handwriting Resources (Location: HAN-REF)
$19.00
Cursive Writing Practice 2-3
from Newmark Learning
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Handwriting Resources (Location: HAN-REF)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Cursive Writing Practice 3+
from Newmark Learning
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Handwriting Resources (Location: HAN-REF)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Daily Handwriting Practice: Contemporary Cursive
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 1st-12th grade
in Evan-Moor Daily Handwriting Practice (Location: ZCLE-EM)
$8.40 (1 in stock)
Daily Handwriting Practice: Modern Manuscript
by Jill Norris
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 1st-3rd grade
in Evan-Moor Daily Handwriting Practice (Location: ZCLE-EM)
Daily Handwriting Practice: Traditional Cursive
by Jill Norris
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 2nd-4th grade
in Evan-Moor Daily Handwriting Practice (Location: ZCLE-EM)
Daily Handwriting Practice: Traditional Manuscript
by Jill Norris
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 1st-3rd grade
in Evan-Moor Daily Handwriting Practice (Location: ZCLE-EM)
Draw Write Now - Boxed Set (Books 1-8)
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from In the Think of Things
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$149.99
Draw Write Now - Workbook
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from In the Think of Things
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$5.49 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Draw Write Now Book 1
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from In the Think of Things
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$19.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Draw Write Now Book 2
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from Barker Creek
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Draw Write Now Book 2
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from In the Think of Things
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$19.99
Draw Write Now Book 3
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from In the Think of Things
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$19.99
Draw Write Now Book 4
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from In the Think of Things
for 1st-5th grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$19.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Draw Write Now Book 5
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from In the Think of Things
for 1st-5th grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$19.99
Draw Write Now Book 6
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from In the Think of Things
for 1st-5th grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$19.99
Draw Write Now Book 7
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from Barker Creek
for 1st-5th grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Draw Write Now Book 7
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from In the Think of Things
for 1st-5th grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$19.99
Draw Write Now Book 8
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from Barker Creek
for 1st-5th grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
Draw Write Now Book 8
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from In the Think of Things
for 1st-5th grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$19.99
Getty-Dubay Italic Handwriting Series Blackline Masters
by Barbara Getty & Inga Dubay
from Getty-Dubay Productions
for Kindergarten-8th grade
in Getty-Dubay™ Italic Handwriting (Location: HAN-ITALIC)
$24.75 $14.00 (1 in stock)
Handwriting 3 - Student Worktext
2nd edition from Bob Jones University Press
for 3rd grade
in BJU Handwriting (Location: HAN-BJU)
$27.78
Handwriting 3 - Teacher Edition
2nd edition from Bob Jones University Press
for 3rd grade
in BJU Handwriting (Location: HAN-BJU)
$55.28 $19.00 (4 in stock)
Handwriting Program for Print
Preventing Academic Failure
by Eileen Perlman, Phyllis Bertin
Workbook from Educators Publishing Service
for 3rd-5th grade
in Handwriting Resources (Location: HAN-REF)
Handwriting Without Tears Double Line Writer
from Handwriting Without Tears
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Handwriting Without Tears (Location: HAN-WOT)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Horizons Penmanship 3 - Set
from Alpha Omega Publications
in Horizons Penmanship (Location: HAN-HOR)
$48.00
Horizons Penmanship 3 - Student Book
from Alpha Omega Publications
in Horizons Penmanship (Location: HAN-HOR)
$31.25
Horizons Penmanship 3 - Teacher's Guide
from Alpha Omega Publications
in Horizons Penmanship (Location: HAN-HOR)
$25.00 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Hymns in Prose - Set
by Sonya Shafer, Lanaya Gore
from Simply Charlotte Mason
for 3rd-8th grade
in Handwriting Resources (Location: HAN-REF)
Italic Handwriting - Instruction Manual
by Inga Dubay & Barbara Getty
4th edition from Continuing Education Press
for Kindergarten-8th grade
in Getty-Dubay™ Italic Handwriting (Location: HAN-ITALIC)
$18.75 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Italic Handwriting - Instruction Manual
by Inga Dubay & Barbara Getty
4th edition
for Kindergarten-8th grade
in Getty-Dubay™ Italic Handwriting (Location: HAN-ITALIC)
$21.75 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Italic Handwriting - Instruction Manual (old)
by Inga Dubay & Barbara Getty
3rd edition from Continuing Education Press
for Kindergarten-8th grade
in Getty-Dubay™ Italic Handwriting (Location: HAN-ITALIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Italic Handwriting C
by Inga Dubay & Barbara Getty
4th edition from Continuing Education Press
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Getty-Dubay™ Italic Handwriting (Location: HAN-ITALIC)
$13.75
Italic Handwriting D
by Inga Dubay & Barbara Getty
4th edition from Continuing Education Press
for 3rd-4th grade
in Getty-Dubay™ Italic Handwriting (Location: HAN-ITALIC)
$13.75
Keyboarding Skills
from Educators Publishing Service
for 3rd-6th grade
in EPS Writing (Location: WRI-EPS)
$32.39
Logos Cursive 1
by B. J. Loyd, illustrated by Mark Beauchamp
from Logos School
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Logos Cursive (Location: HAN-LOG)
$15.99
Logos Cursive 2
by B. J. Loyd
from Logos School
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Logos Cursive (Location: HAN-LOG)
$15.99
Logos Cursive 3
by B. J. Loyd
from Logos School
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Logos Cursive (Location: HAN-LOG)
$15.99
New American Cursive 2 with Quotations from Famous Americans
by Iris Hatfield
4th edition from Memoria Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Memoria Press Penmanship & Copybooks (Location: HAN-MPPEN)
$25.75
New American Cursive 2: Scripture & Famous Quotations
by Iris Hatfield
4th edition from Memoria Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Memoria Press Penmanship & Copybooks (Location: HAN-MPPEN)
$25.75
New American Cursive 3 (Famous Quotes)
by Iris Hatfield
1st edition from Memoria Press
for 3rd-5th grade
$20.00
New American Cursive 3 (Famous Quotes)
by Iris Hatfield
2nd edition from Memoria Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in Memoria Press Penmanship & Copybooks (Location: HAN-MPPEN)
$25.75 $15.00 (1 in stock)
New American Cursive 3 (Scripture)
by Iris Hatfield
1st edition from Memoria Press
for 3rd-5th grade
$20.00
New American Cursive 3 (Scripture)
by Iris Hatfield
4th edition from Memoria Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in Memoria Press Penmanship & Copybooks (Location: HAN-MPPEN)
$25.75
New American Cursive Beginner - My Thankfulness Journal
by Cheryl Swope
from Memoria Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Memoria Press Penmanship & Copybooks (Location: HAN-MPPEN)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
PAF Handwriting Program for Cursive (Left Handed)
Preventing Academic Failure
by Eileen Perlman, Phyllis Bertin
Workbook from Educators Publishing Service
for 3rd-6th grade
in Handwriting Resources (Location: HAN-REF)
$38.99
PAF Handwriting Program for Cursive (Right Handed)
Preventing Academic Failure
by Eileen Perlman, Phyllis Bertin
Workbook from Educators Publishing Service
for 3rd-5th grade
in Handwriting Resources (Location: HAN-REF)
$34.99
PAF Handwriting Program for Cursive - Teacher’s Manual
by Eileen Perlman, Phyllis Bertin
Workbook from Educators Publishing Service
for 3rd-5th grade
in Handwriting Resources (Location: HAN-REF)
$6.49
PAF Handwriting Program for Numerals
Preventing Academic Failure
by Eileen Perlman, Phyllis Bertin
Workbook from Educators Publishing Service
for 3rd-5th grade
in Handwriting Resources (Location: HAN-REF)
$17.49
PAF Stepping Up in Reading 1
by Eileen Perlman, Phyllis Bertin
from Educators Publishing Service
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in EPS Reasoning & Reading (Location: REACOM-EPS)
$20.99
Penmanship Practice
from Memoria Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in Memoria Press Penmanship & Copybooks (Location: HAN-MPPEN)
$14.05
Prescripts Cursive Words and Drawing: Math Terms
2nd edition from Classical Conversations
for 2nd-4th grade
in Classical Conversations PreScripts (Location: HAN-CCPS)
$20.20 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Prescripts Cursive Words and Drawing: Scripture
2nd edition from Classical Conversations
for 2nd-4th grade
in Classical Conversations PreScripts (Location: HAN-CCPS)
$20.20
Prima Latina Copybook
by Highlands Latin School Faculty
from Memoria Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Memoria Press Latina Christiana (Location: FL-LATCHR)
$16.80 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Print to Cursive Proverbs
by Sonya Shafer
from Simply Charlotte Mason
for 1st-4th grade
in Handwriting Resources (Location: HAN-REF)
Reason for Handwriting - Homeschool Guidebook
by Carol Ann Retzer
from A Reason for…
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in A Reason For Handwriting (Location: HAN-REASON)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Reason for Handwriting C
by Carol Retzer
from A Reason for…
for 3rd grade
in A Reason For Handwriting (Location: HAN-REASON)
$23.95
Reason for Handwriting K-6 Comprehensive Teacher Guidebook
by Carol Retzer
from A Reason for…
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in A Reason For Handwriting (Location: HAN-REASON)
$13.00 (1 in stock)
Reason for Handwriting Transition
by Carol Retzer
from A Reason for…
for 2nd-3rd grade
in A Reason For Handwriting (Location: HAN-REASON)
$23.95
Rod & Staff Penmanship 3 - Teacher's Guide
2nd edition from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for 3rd grade
in Rod & Staff Penmanship (Location: HAN-R&S)
Rod & Staff Penmanship 3 - Teacher's Guide (old)
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for 3rd grade
$6.50 (1 in stock)
Rod & Staff Penmanship 3 - Workbook
Rod & Staff Penmanship
2nd edition from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for 3rd grade
in Rod & Staff Penmanship (Location: HAN-R&S)
Science Italic
from Italic Builders
for 1st-6th grade
in Getty-Dubay™ Italic Handwriting (Location: HAN-ITALIC)
Spencerian Penmanship - Theory Book
by Mott Media
from Mott Media
for 2nd-12th grade
in Handwriting Resources (Location: HAN-REF)
Startwrite 6.0
6th edition from Start Write
for K-6th grade
in Handwriting Resources (Location: HAN-REF)
$22.00
Stetro Rubber Pencil Grip
from Stetro
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Handwriting Resources (Location: HAN-REF)
$0.50
Type It
by Joan Duffy
New edition from Educators Publishing Service
for 3rd-6th grade
in Clearance: General Interest (Location: ZCLE-GEN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Typing 2
by Jenny Phillips
from The Good and the Beautiful
for 2nd-6th grade
in The Good and the Beautiful (Location: CUR-GAB)
Typing 3
by Jenny Phillips
from The Good and the Beautiful
for 2nd-6th grade
in The Good and the Beautiful (Location: CUR-GAB)
Write Now! - DVD
by Barbara Getty & Inga Dubay
from Getty-Dubay Productions
for Kindergarten-8th grade
in Getty-Dubay™ Italic Handwriting (Location: HAN-ITALIC)
$29.95 $18.00 (1 in stock)
Write-On Handwriting: Conquering Cursive (Left-Hand)
from Educators Publishing Service
for 2nd-6th grade
in Handwriting Resources (Location: HAN-REF)
Write-On Handwriting: Conquering Cursive (Right-Hand)
from Educators Publishing Service
for 2nd-6th grade
in Handwriting Resources (Location: HAN-REF)
$15.19
Write-On Handwriting: Powerful Printing (Left-Hand)
from Educators Publishing Service
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Handwriting Resources (Location: HAN-REF)
Write-On Handwriting: Powerful Printing (Right-Hand)
from Educators Publishing Service
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Handwriting Resources (Location: HAN-REF)
$15.19
Writing Journal Level D
from Handwriting Without Tears
for 3rd grade
in Handwriting Without Tears (Location: HAN-WOT)
$2.75 (1 in stock)
Writing with Grace
by Michael McHugh
from Christian Liberty Press
for 3rd grade
in CLP Handwriting (Location: HAN-CLP)
$11.75
Writing with Purpose 3
1st edition from A Beka Books
for 3rd grade
in A Beka Penmanship/Creative Writing (Location: HAN-ABK)
$17.00 (1 in stock)
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