Login
Rate
(0 Votes)
Teaching Handwriting to Preps
Submitted by Josie (08-11-2012)
Teaching Handwriting to Preps
by Josie
(Victoria)
This is my first year teaching preps and I would love some ideas on how to teach the children to write on the dotted thirds- some just seem not ready while others manage perfectly.
Do you use the dotted thirds lines from the start or a scrap book and then move on to the lines. I understand their fine motor skills are developing and we do lots of play doh, cutting etc to help this along.
So if anyone can share their program I would love to hear, thanks.
Add to my Toolkit
Like on Facebook
Follow on Twitter
Follow on Pinterest
Newsletter Signup
What others are saying...
I teach Grade One and they use 24mm dotted thirds. At the beginning of the year many of them struggle. In Prep, I think developing their fine motor skills and pencil grip by doing pre handwriting exercises and writing on blank paper would be best.
Hi,
From a few weeks, my Prep class attempted writing on large ruled lines in a scrap book. They really had no idea about letters and where to sit their letters on the line.
Week by week I saw big improvements and about half way through the year I moved onto dotted thirds. This gives them a great visual way to see which letters have tails, which sit in the body and which letters are tall. They have all taken off and have beautiful writing.
In my Kinder class I start with scrapbooks (no lines) and at the start of the year I scribe and they trace over and eventually copy underneath. Now that we are in the third Term I have one book that has the dotted top line and the tracks for the children to write in. I do this once a week with them copying me from lines I have on my Activboard.
I use the "head, body and tail of a possum" approach. The top dotted line and the first solid line is the head of a possum, the space between the solid lines is it's body and the bottom solid line and the dotted line beneath this is it's tail.
When we learn to write letters I also refer to whether it has a "head, body or tail or a combination of these". My Kinders write very well in these lines with guidance and I need to get them to do this because next year in Yr1 they move into books with lines. Hope this helps.
We use dotted font, which you should be able to access at school in the font you use at your school, then the children have a go at writing their own letters. In my opinion dotted thirds are visually confusing, little people have enough to deal with when learning to write letters particularly those who find it difficult to write anyway. Ditch the dotted thirds for preprimary.
Here in SA we start handwriting in blank books, then move on to 18mmm lines and then eventually down to 14mm lines. I have never taught Rec 's to write on dotted thirds.
The Handwriting Without Tears Program is the only one I'll ever use!
Please Wait
Success
You are now logged in.
Refresh the page to continue or wait 5 seconds
Member Login
• $25.00 per year.
• Comment
• Vote and Rate
• Share Ideas