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You are here: Home / Archives for handwriting

handwriting

10 Strategies for Improving Dysgraphia

July 29, 2019 By Valerie Mcclintick 1 Comment

Dysgraphia truly requires a multi-pronged approach to see the most success.  Like many other learning disabilities, there is quite a wide range for how light or severe the symptoms are and how much they affect day to day life. Some children improve with lots of writing practice, some need a break from excessive amounts of writing because it just becomes overwhelming. Using a variety of tailored resources can help improve your child’s dysgraphia and cut down on their frustration.

What is Dysgraphia?

“Dysgraphia is the condition of impaired letter writing by hand, that is, disabled handwriting.” (International Dyslexia Association) Dysgraphia is more than just poor handwriting and there are multiple conditions that closely resemble dysgraphia, so educating yourself about and understanding related or comorbid conditions is paramount to teaching a child with dysgraphia. Here is a great resource for understanding what Dysgraphia is and isn’t.

Homeschooling with Dysgraphia

  1. Occupational Therapy- An occupational therapist can help your dyspraxic child thrive. Not only will a good OT work on your child’s biggest challenges with them at sessions but they will also work with you to give you strategies to continue at home. They will address the physical aspects of writing and other fine motor issues as well as how they handle it emotionally. If it is possible for you to see one I highly recommend at least getting a thorough evaluation so you have a good baseline to work from.
  • Slant boards- Slant board help create a better posture and hand alignment for your child to write with, increases the stability of the paper, and helps with visual tracking.
  • Apps- Use apps like SnapType, that was developed by an OT to reduce the amount and stress of writing. Whether they attend public, private, or homeschool this accommodation can make a big difference in the quality of their work. Grab a snapshot of their work with the iPad, open it in the app and they can touch where they need to add text and a keyboard pops up for them to enter answers. 
  • Reducing the amount of writing- Some kids may just get worse and worse the more they are required to write. Dysgraphia is not something that just goes away and while some kids may improve with consistent writing practice, some just may not. Reducing the amount of required writing by using assistive technology or allowing answers to be given orally can take off a lot of the pressure. Homeschooling allows for these learning adaptations, so don’t be afraid to adjust lessons to suit your child.
  • Change up the way they write-  Sometimes just the act of writing with a pencil puts a strain on them emotionally, it can be so difficult for a dyspraxic child to put their thoughts on paper or remember how to spell a word when they are focusing on neatness. Breaking up the monotony can help! Take your writing to another surface like a dry erase board, a chalkboard,  on a table covered in shaving cream, or in a salt tray.
  • Build Up Fine motor skills- Encouraging your child to play with LEGO, clay, playdough, puzzles, and simple things like gluing and cutting help to improve fine motor strength and skills which can in turn help with writing. Use whatever their favorite activity like a reward and also just plain fun, incorporate it as much as possible, they won’t even realize that they are building up strength in their hands. Check out our Fine Motor Skills Activity Packs Here.
  • Typing– Typing for many children allows them to work on things like sentence structure, paragraphs, grammar, and spelling without the stress of also worrying about neatness. Find a great typing program like Typing Without Tears for your child to complete larger writing assignments.
  • Try Cursive- Many children with dyspraxia find cursive much easier than print. The smooth flow of the connecting letters offers a steady movement that they find easier to master. There is less struggle with letter spacing and it seems to put less stress on the hand. 
  • Pencil Add Ons- There are many to choose from and you may have to try a half dozen or more before you find one that is just right. From pencil weights the encourage children to slow down their writing to those that help improve pencil grip.
  • Exercise- You may not think whole-body exercise plays a part in improving dysgraphia but it certainly does. Getting plenty of exercise for the whole body improves fine and gross motor development, posture, and overall muscle tone- which will show up in their writing!

BONUS TIP: Offer smaller writing lines for your student. One mistake I made with my kiddo was thinking that he needed to perfect his letters at larger sizes BEFORE moving him to smaller lines. However, in his particular case, I noticed that his letters got much tidier when he was able to write smaller. So, don’t be afraid to try smaller lines, it may be a good fit for your kiddo too!.

Filed Under: Dysgraphia, Special Needs Tagged With: dysgraphia, dyslexia, handwriting, special needs, support

Patriotic Mazes for Kids

May 29, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick 1 Comment

PatrioticMazes

Summer is upon us and the Fourth of July is just around the corner!  In anticipation of our National Holiday I wanted to make some fun and FREE Patriotic themed mazes you can use with your children.  Many of us our out of school for the Summer but these would be great alongiside Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day and anytime you are studying the USA.

Each USA themed maze features follow up questions, handwriting practice or a tracing activity and can be used with children of all ages and abilities.

Print USA Mazes Free From BrainyMaze.com

Find More Free Mazes For Kids Here

Try our USA State by State Activity Packs Today!

usabundle

 

Filed Under: Fourth of July Crafts, Mazes, Memorial Day Printables, U.S. Government, U.S. History, Unit Studies Tagged With: fourth of july, handwriting, mazes, USA, worksheets

Alphabet Mazes

August 6, 2016 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

LetterMazes

 

If you haven’t already noticed, I love mazes!  I loved them even more a child, and now that I’m all grown up I think they are a fantastic learning tool when paired up with educational content.  This basic idea is the concept behind our newest website: BrainyMaze.com

FreeLetterMazes

On Brainy Maze, you’ll find Hundreds of Free Mazes for Kids, all of which have been created with education in mind.  With our newest Letter Maze Set, Children can work their way through the alphabet, while learning beginning letter sounds and practicing key handwriting skills.  This set features the entire lowercase alphabet and would compliment our letter of the week Alphabet Curriculum Notebook quite well!

These would make great review worksheets for young children entering Kindergarten or First Grade.

Print Free From BrainyMaze.com.

Find More Free Mazes Here.

Lowercase Alphabet Maze & Trace

Uppercase Alphabet Letter Mazes

Number Mazes

Skip Counting Mazes

Mega Maze

Filed Under: Alphabet Printables, Mazes Tagged With: alphabet, handwriting, letter of the week, mazes, preschool

Lowercase Alphabet Mazes

June 11, 2016 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

LowercaseLetterMazesYoung children love to do mazes, and these Animal Alphabet Mazes are just right for building key motor control skills while having fun learning about animals.  This set is available free on BrainyMaze.com and features:

  • Letter Formation
  • Short Reading Practice
  • Tracing Animal with Beginning Letter
  • Lowercase Letter Maze
  • Lowercase Handwriting Practice

 

Tracing is a a great way to build those small muscle movements as children move their pencil along each animal outline.  There are many fun Rainforest animals and Australian Animals included in this set so children are sure to be engaged when learning the names of new creatures.  Text for each page is written in an, “A is for….” format using an EZ Read Dyslexia font.  Children then solve the lowercase letter maze and practice their handwriting skills with letter tracing at the bottom.

AnimalABCMazes

These would make great review worksheets for young children entering Kindergarten or First Grade.

Print Free From BrainyMaze.com.

Find More Free Mazes Here.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Alphabet Printables, Animal Printables, Handwriting Worksheet, Mazes Tagged With: alphabet, animal, handwriting, mazes, tracing

ASL Worksheets & Mazes

May 23, 2016 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

ASLABCMazeHeaderASLMazes

 

A collection of Alphabet mazes featuring ASL hand signs along with uppercase and lowercase letter practice. These mazes are great for children learning basic hand signs, and provide opportunity to practice small motor control and dexterity.  Handwriting practice for both uppercase and lowercase letters is provided below.

Print ASL Mazes free from Brainy Maze

If you are looking for premium ASL teaching resources, we have a 104pg ASL Activity Pack you can use with your students.

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ASL Alphabet Activity Pack

Our ASL ABC eBook is filled with printable resources you can use to create hands on learning games, charts and follow up worksheets for children. Featuring high-quality photographs this set is print ready for use in your homeschool or standard size classroom.  Recommended for grades K-3.

 

 

Filed Under: Alphabet Printables, Mazes Tagged With: alphabet, asl, handwriting, mazes, sign language, worksheets

10 Commandment Printables

August 7, 2013 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment


TenCommandmentPin

We have a New Subscriber Freebie for Christian Preschool Printables!
If you have little one’s learning to letter, this is a great way to sneak in those ten commandments along the way!

Hand1

If you join today, you’ll receive a confirmation email, and then our free printable pack within 48 hours, usually much sooner!






If you already subscribe to Christian Preschool Printables, your email should be in your inbox. IF your spam filter got it Be sure you are set to receive emails from valerie@christianpreschoolprintables.com, sometimes adding us to your address book helps us deliver those emails to you. I will be re sending it in a few days for those of you that didn’t get it the first time around :)

handcommand

Use these resources alongside this awesome book Hand Commands which will give children a way to remember the ten commandments with their hands.

More Ideas:
Laminate and reuse with a dry eraser.
Use fine line markers so children can really see where they are lettering
Do each line a different color
Review the commandment daily

More Preschool 10 Commandment Printables
K-5 10 Commandment Printables

Siggy

Filed Under: Bible Printables, Ten Commandments Tagged With: children's ministry, handwriting, preshool printables, sunday school, ten commandment printables, worksheets

Making a Classroom Quilt: Printables!

April 21, 2013 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

 

Yup, just for you!

QuiltPin

We’ve got ABC’s, 123’s, and everything in between!

You can print it all FREE!

Wondering how to use the printables?

It couldn’t be eaiser!

 


Print up a set of Classroom Quilt Printables.  You can use regular paper, if children are coloring with markers or watercoloring you might use cardstock instead.


Print up a set of Classroom Quilt Printables. You can use regular paper, if children are coloring with markers or watercoloring you might use cardstock instead.

NOTE:  Some of our Classroom Quilt printables even come with optional handwriting practice on the side.  You can instruct children to cut this part off first, write their name on it and turn it in.


NOTE: Some of our Classroom Quilt printables even come with optional handwriting practice on the side. You can instruct children to cut this part off first, write their name on it and turn it in.

Have each child color in their own quilt square.  Have them write their names on the back.


Have each child color in their own quilt square. Have them write their names on the back.

Have each child cut out their own quilt square.  There are easy cut dotted lines around the square.


Have each child cut out their own quilt square. There are easy cut dotted lines around the square.

Show children how to slide their square into the correct pocket.


Show children how to slide their square into the correct pocket.


This is the Quilt Pocket Chart we use, however any bulletin board or blank wall space works too!

IMG_0014

 

Stand back and enjoy your classroom quilt!  These look amazing when they are filled up with children's artwork!


Stand back and enjoy your classroom quilt!
These look amazing when they are filled up with children’s artwork!

 

Like our Classroom Quilt Pocket Chart?
Here’s where we got it!

Ready to make your own?

Click Here for ALL of our Classroom Quilt Printables

ABC Quilt

123 Quilt

Alphabet Animals Quilt

Butterfly Quilt

Christmas Quilt

Community Helpers Quilt

Earth Day

Easter Quilt

Farm Animal Quilt

Seasons Quilt

 

Want to suggest a theme?

Have an idea for using these in the classroom?

Leave us a comment below!


Filed Under: Animal Crafts, Butterfly Printables, Christmas Printables, Classroom Projects, Coral Reef Crafts, Creation Crafts, Earth Day Crafts, homeschool printables, Preschool Printables Tagged With: alphabet, classroom quilt, coloring, free, handwriting, homeschool, numbers, pocket chart, printables, teacher resources

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I am a Christian mother of four, with over 13-years experience homeschooling in Southern Oregon. The resources and products I create are designed to keep the prep to a minimum while also bringing a little educational fun to your classroom

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#worksheetsforkids #mazesforkids Our new Arrow Maz #worksheetsforkids #mazesforkids Our new Arrow Maze Pack will have your students following directions, literally! With different pictures representing the same direction, your students will use critical thinking to move from one arrow to the next. Try it in a group setting and having your students follow your oral directions of left, right, up, and down! These are sure to be a hit with your class. (Link in Bio) #craftyclassroom #homeschooling #homeschoolmom https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Arrow-Mazes-6644547?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=thecraftyclassroom&utm_content=Arrow%20Mazes
#worksheetsforkids #mazes for kids Our new lowerca #worksheetsforkids #mazes for kids Our new lowercase alphabet mazes worksheets will be a hit in your classroom! Your students will work on their fine motor skills as they follow the lowercase letter through the maze. These printable mazes are also great for building problem-solving skills, patience, and persistence. Add these fun and functional mazes to your curriculum now! (Link in Bio) #craftyclassroom #homeschooling #homeschoolmom https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Lowercase-Alphabet-Mazes-6636314?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=thecraftyclassroom&utm_content=Lowercase%20Alphabet%20Mazes
Free Printable Kindergarten Number Worksheets desi Free Printable Kindergarten Number Worksheets designed to teach and reinforce number writing and recognition skills through fun, hands-on number tracing, writing, and counting activities. Numbers 1-30. #kindergartennumberworksheets #numberoftheday #numbertracingworksheets (Link in Bio) #craftyclassroom #homeschooling #homeschoolmom
Our 15 Free Preschool Color Charts with help your Our 15 Free Preschool Color Charts with help your student learn their colors quickly and easily. Learning colors in these valuable charts will teach children to recognize colors and common sight words. (Link in Bio) #craftyclassroom #homeschooling #homeschoolmom https://preschoolmom.com/preschool-resources/free-printable-charts/preschool-color-charts/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=thecraftyclassroom&utm_content=Preschool%20Color%20Charts
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