Handwriting .....

[SEP18]

Help.... I am at my wits end with my DS. At 11, his handwriting was far better ... Two years later at parents evening, his English teacher said his content is very good but the presentation was very poor.

I've just had a look at his English homework and I am so disappointed. He has written four words with no spaces between them. He is writing his letter 'h' like a 't' and his 'n' like a 'r'.

I have tried the gentle approach about taking more time when writing etc etc but this is clearly not working.

Has anyone else had any problems like this and what did you do? Should I go back and make him do extra handwriting???

[Samlet]

Yes, exactly the same problem, only my DS is Yr 7. We had been all through this in Yr 5 with handwriting lessons, practice etc, then after the 11+ I relaxed and without me noticing it - so did he. So, I threw my toys out of the pram when I discovered just how awful his writing had and bought him handwriting practice books and a Lamy pen. When he has no homework I make him do a page from the book and the combination of the pen, the book and me getting livid is definitely having results. It isn't beautiful, and I don't care about that, but it is massively more legible.

What is frustrating is that, in reality, this is a problem which will only last a few years. By university I expect that everything will be typed, even perhaps exams. But for now, unless there is a medical problem with handwriting, we just have to sort this out.

[Thingsbehindthesun]

DD1's teacher mentioned at our first parents meeting in Dec, she needed to start writing cursively as her current writing wasn't always 100% clear. Cue us starting from the basics using handwritting books for younger children ( we used the Nelson Handwritting books which go upto book 6) and buying her "proper" pens with soft grips. She practised bits everyday and has actually managed to improve dramatically within a few months- so it can be done!

[Amber]

Help.... I am at my wits end with my DS. At 11, his handwriting was far better ... Two years later at parents evening, his English teacher said his content is very good but the presentation was very poor.

I've just had a look at his English homework and I am so disappointed. He has written four words with no spaces between them. He is writing his letter 'h' like a 't' and his 'n' like a 'r'.

I have tried the gentle approach about taking more time when writing etc etc but this is clearly not working.

Has anyone else had any problems like this and what did you do? Should I go back and make him do extra handwriting???

He is destined for a career in Medicine.

[fatbananas]

Can I ask, I've seen lamy pens often recommended on here. Are these fountain pens? And why are they so good for encouraging good handwriting?

[Amber]

We use these and yes, I would say they are good. We have lefties and they seem to be the only ones which don't smudge.
That said, we don't do neat - Lamy or no Lamy. We have probably just about made it to legible in 3 out of 5 cases in the household.

[Fran17]

We had the same problem with our DS3 in year 7. I happened to walk into his bedroom when he was doing his history homework. I was appalled at the presentation of his work. I gave him a lecture about taking pride in his work etc. I sat down with him the following weekend and worked through his handwriting. Now in year 8 his handwriting has greatly improved although I don't think it will ever be wonderful. At least it is legible now. We have experimented with lots of pens but he has found that he writes best with the basic BIC.

[SEP18]

Help.... I am at my wits end with my DS. At 11, his handwriting was far better ... Two years later at parents evening, his English teacher said his content is very good but the presentation was very poor.

I've just had a look at his English homework and I am so disappointed. He has written four words with no spaces between them. He is writing his letter 'h' like a 't' and his 'n' like a 'r'.

I have tried the gentle approach about taking more time when writing etc etc but this is clearly not working.

Has anyone else had any problems like this and what did you do? Should I go back and make him do extra handwriting???

He is destined for a career in Medicine.

[SEP18]

Thanks for the replies.

I'm feeling a bit calmer today .......

So, I think we will try some different pens and I shall be investing in a handwriting book. Perhaps this might give him the help he clearly needs !!!

[Yummiemummie]

Have you seen these? They come in left and right handed varieties. http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Stabil ... _Easy.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
They seem to work quite well for some children.