This Teacher/Mom’s Favorite Handwriting Resources

Handwriting Resources

We have been working with Nicholas for a few years now on his handwriting. He has been receiving occupational therapy since age two for motor skills development. Abby is four and starting to learn how to write as  well.

When I was teaching, it was up to us whether or not we wanted to include handwriting instruction as part of our day because it was not a formal part of the curriculum. When I taught first grade, I invited our school’s occupational therapist into our room a few times a week to help me work with my students on their handwriting. I think establishing a strong foundation is important and helps to set kids up for success. 

Disclosure: For your convenience, this post contains Amazon affiliate links to the products mentioned. 

Handwriting is something all children must learn and something we are working on very, very hard in our house. If you are in a similar position, I have some handwriting resources to share that have been very helpful to our family. Aaaaaannnddd…here they are!

1. Handwriting Without Tears– This program has been recommended to me by no less than five different occupational therapists. It uses lines and curves to teach children how to visualize letters before they write. There are also some kinesthetic techniques like “wet, dry, try” associated with this program that are very helpful for children who are still in the beginning stages of learning how to form their letters. You can purchase many of the Handwriting Without Tears workbooks and other materials on Amazon.

2. Mr. Pencil from LeapFrog. Santa brought this little wonder to our house for Christmas a few weeks ago and the kids actually fight over who gets to practice their letters on the iPad now. It is a super cute stylus that is compatible with an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. It comes with a free download for an app that teaches the correct formation of letters and numbers (where to start on the page, which direction to move, when it is all right to pick up the pencil, etc). Mr. Pencil won’t let you move on in the game until you trace your letter or number correctly three times. My kids truly love this game and it is easy to incorporate into your day if you already have an iPad or iPhone, which makes this momma’s heart happy.

3. How to Build an A.  Full disclosure, I am actually not completely in love with this book. It gives examples like “X is for Xmas” and it confused Abby at first because a few of the examples are not finished. (See the unfinished letter A on the cover? Several letters in the book are like that.) BUT it comes with a great mesh bag full of 11 vinyl pieces: lines and curves that match up perfectly with the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum. I do think How to Build an A is worth the small investment just for those pieces, even if you decide not to use the book, because I have yet to find those same lines and curves at a better price.  (Or you could just make your own pieces out of foam from the craft store, which is what I did before I found this book.)

So, there you have it, my three favorite handwriting resources for parents.

Are there any other topics you would like to see me cover as a teacher? Because, honestly, this is fun for me and if you actually do have questions about a specific subject area, I’d love to help.

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Don’t forget to pin this post to the Pinterest board where you are collecting your school resources! 

Amazon affiliate links provided for your convenience. Photo Credit: Deposit Photo