Poor handwriting may be used as a cover for difficulties with spelling but some children have a degree of dyspraxia and this will cause problems with the fine motor control movements needed for handwriting (dysgraphia). Motor control difficulties due to immaturity are more common in boys, who, in the early years, are often up to a year behind girls developmentally, especially in the fine control skills needed to manipulate pens, pencils and scissors. Playing with 'Duplo', threading beads and using other manipulatives, can improve hand strength and dexterity.

Encourage your child to hold the pencil correctly right from the beginning (RRF 46 p18) especially if they are left handed. Remind them of ''froggy legs with pencil resting on the log''. Initially use 'handwriting' exercise books with special ruled guidelines, or make your own by ruling over every other line in a conventionally lined exercise book with a dark coloured pen or pencil. Before showing children how to form individual letters let them practice making strings of different shapes and patterns (Williams p54-55) These could be used to make decorative borders for their own pictures.

'Ball and stick' print script should not be used. Start all children off with a pre-cursive style of handwriting (see RRF link below for an example); the individual letters are less easily confused and moving to joined-up writing is easier. http://www.rrf.org.uk/newsletter.php?n_ID=45

A common problem is b / d confusion - this is more likely when print script has been taught; show the child how to use their own mouth shape as a cue. 'Make your mouth the shape to say a letter b ..... your lips make a straight line, so you write the letter that starts with a straight line- the b. When you start to say 'd'.... your lips and tongue make a circle (ish) so that's the letter that starts with a circle'.

www.scribblers.co.uk/cgi/gridlines.pl Handwriting paper to print.

www.first-school.ws/theme/printables/writing-paper/handwriting.htm Choice of handwriting paper to print.

www.prometheantrust.org/admin/files/tracing.pdf Sound Foundations handwriting tracing sheets; pre-cursive leading to cursive.

www.senteacher.org/wk/hands1.php Patterns to help pre-schoolers with pencil control.

www.aei.org/news/filter.,newsID.13071/news_detail.asp 'The Write Stuff' by Christina Hoff Sommers, on Boys and Handwriting.

http://www.kber.co.uk/hfw30.htm Handwriting for Windows CD-ROM.

http://desktoppub.about.com/library/fonts/hs/uc_boringboring.htm Free 'Boring Boring' font to download.

www.clubtype.co.uk Sassoon educational font family including Dotted and Joiner.

www.spellingsociety.org/journals/j19/handwriting.php Handwriting, and its relationship to spelling.

http://www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk Dyspraxia Foundation.

www.amazon.co.uk/Write-Start-Programme-Perceptual-Handwriting/dp/1855032457 Write from the Start: Unique Programme to Develop the Fine Motor and Perceptual Skills Necessary for Effective Handwriting by Teodorescu.

www.indiana.edu/~primate/lspeak.html gauche! Left-Handers in Society

Letter writing 'patter'

c – start at the top… come round… and stop.

a - start as if it was c for cat.. come back up like an acrobat… down to the ground … and flick.

o – start as if it was c for cat… but make an orange just like that.

d - start as if it was c for cat… come back up like an acrobat… now climb back up the dinosaur’s neck… slide back down to his foot and flick.

g - start as if it was c for cat… come back up like an acrobat…slide underground.. and curl back round.

q- start as if it was c for cat… come back up like an acrobat… slide quickly quietly underground…. And flick (and never do a q without a u)

s - start as if for a cat all curly… but halfway down you come back early … and curl back round for a snake on the ground.

e - take the elephant to the exit....back over the top... round and stop!

f - a backwards flip...fall underground... curl back round...and cross.

l - start at the top for l… straight down… flick and all is well.

i - straight down like a stick… and flick….don’t forget the dot.

t - take it from the top slide to the ground and flick…and cross it quick.

u - start like i.. like a stick… under up..down and flick.

y - do a u…slide underground… and curl back round.

j - start like i like a stick.. slip underground..curl back round…and dot it!

r - down to the ground.. back up and round……rrrrrr.

n- down … up… round … down to the ground.. and flick.

m- start like an n…. up and round again…. and flick.

p – go down underground… back up.. and round … and curl back.

h – start high up and hurry down… go halfway back and hurry round… hit the ground and flick.

k – start high up and hurry down… go halfway back, then halfway round… curl back to the stick… and kick.

b- start at the top of the bat… come down to the ground like that… go halfway up.. over and round… to make a ball lying on the ground.

v - slant down to the ground and slant up in the air

w - down up down up .

x - slant down to the ground...lift your pen... up in the air...cross back again.

z - zoom forward...zigzagging back...zoom again
(Sue Palmer. Foundations for Literacy)

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