Handwriting Without Tears {Schoolhouse Review Crew}

Okay, I have to make a confession: I really haven't used a handwriting curriculum with my kids, none of them. Instead, I have had them do copywork. But I have heard about Handwriting Without Tears almost from the beginning of our homeschool journey.

Finally I've had the chance to have a close-up look at it, and even try it out, now that my youngest is almost "too old" for it! Thanks to the Schoolhouse Review Crew, we have been using the second grade level: the teacher's guide, the Printing Power student book, and the Kick Start Cursive student book.

The teacher's guide, a Guide to multisensory lessons and activities, is full of resources and strategies for teaching handwriting in only 15 minutes a day.

The first several pages of the teacher's guide introduce you to the program, then there is a section which assists you in teaching the foundation skills, such as posture, and how to hold the pencil (I know Little Bit spent months learning proper pencil grip in therapy, so we're good there!).

I like some of the teaching suggestions, such as the song for remembering where to start your letters, at the top! (I think Little Bit would really enjoy the CD, Rock, Rap, Tap, & Learn. If I had more kids, younger than he is, I'd probably get it. Meanwhile, we could listen to samples online.) There are also little catch phrases, like Frog Jump Capitals, or Diver Letters; or the Letter Stories.

Near the back of the book are suggested lesson plans, so all you have to do is look up the suggested activities for the day, go over the lesson with your child, and let them do their work.

We enjoyed watching some of the video lessons, which were good demonstration of the teaching process. I'm still trying to figure some of it out, myself, so it's good to have the videos to access.

Little Bit really likes to do copywork. I mean, he'll take a small chapter book, and just copy from it, page after page. So I figured, for the most part, he was doing pretty well with handwriting. But going through the lessons we have so far, I can see that some of the letters he isn't starting in the proper location, etc. I am hoping, as we finish the program, that it will help him focus more on proper technique.

Even though we haven't started it yet, I plan for Little Bit to also work through the Kick Start Cursive book as well. I'm interested to see how he'll do with it.

One thing you should really check out is the Wet-Dry-Try app! If only we had an iPad! ;-)

Cost: Teacher's Guide costs $9.25; Printing Power workbook, $8.25; Printing Power Plus set (printing and cursive student books), $10.25.

Contact Information:
Website
Email
Address:
806 W. Diamond Avenue, Suite 230
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Phone: 301-263-2700 
Fax: 301-263-2707
Facebook

Be sure to read what the rest of the Crew has to say about Handwriting Without Tears.

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