Remember the first time you received a heart-melting note from your chubby preschooler full of capitalized consonants strung together in a charming way that put your detective skills to the test? Throw in a few of the most beautiful crayon stick figures you’ve ever seen and it’s enough to make any beaming parent open an impromptu art gallery on their refrigerator.
From our earliest days, we all long to express ourselves through words. In infancy, we progress in a few short years from adorable babbles to focused conversations that mimic adult discourse. But as we grow and approach the preschool years, many of us long to express ourselves in a more permanent way. Our first attempts are simultaneously charming and clumsy but with plenty of encouragement and practice, we find our voice. Make no mistake about it–there is power in the written word. Words are the medium of ideas and ideas eloquently articulated can, for better or for worse, change the course of the world. Writing well is no small endeavor.
Unfortunately, writing can cease to be joyful during the course of the school years and begin to feel like downright drudgery. Laden with reports, tests and all manner of busy work as well as trying to master the intricacies of English grammar can often turn once aspiring authors into reluctant, if not recalcitrant writers than rely on AI-generated papers to check the boxes for graduation. Homeschool parents do have more latitude in their approach to writing instruction than many traditional school settings but nonetheless…the task can be daunting. Where does one even start?
As a homeschooler, I have found many things that did and didn’t work for our family in teaching writing. My youngest son, who was diagnosed with dysgraphia at age eleven, was especially reticent which was very ironic, since he definitely had a lot to say. In an effort to help others get their kids started on their writing journey and to offer you the benefit of my many mistakes, I’ve compiled a list of basic tips which will likely be helpful for those endeavoring to use the Charlotte Mason Method as well as others that rely on copywork and dictation as the bedrock of their program.
(Please note that we follow Mason as we are able but do make adjustments as necessary in respecting personhood.)
- Curriculum: To begin at the very beginning, the first step to teaching writing is to choose a handwriting curriculum. To minimize frustration for both teacher and student, I recommend a style like Getty-Dubay where the print and cursive alphabets look very similar, so the child is not learning what looks like an entirely new alphabet after spending countless hours mastering print. Another style especially popular with teachers of unwilling writers is aptly named Handwriting Without Tears. It can take some time to determine if you have selected a good fit for your family, so hold your program loosely and be ready to switch gears if necessary. The goal, as much as possible, is a pleasant experience. Which will largely depend on…
- Short lessons: A hallmark of the Charlotte Mason method is short lessons so stick with that mindset when it comes to practicing handwriting. Remember, an elegant hand will not happen overnight–it is a labor-intensive process. Do not underestimate how much effort must be expended to produce a beautiful letter. Writing will come easier for some than others. Ensure your student is using correct pencil grip to avoid hand fatigue…the earlier this taught, the better, as it can be hard to correct an older student who is set in their ways. Encourage and allow the student to do as many strokes or letters as they can correctly in a set time. How long of a time limit depends on the age and attention of the student. For beginners, 5-10 minutes should suffice. Celebrate each small success and try to end each lesson on a high note, even if that high ends before the timer sounds.
- Copywork: After the student has become reasonably proficient at letter strokes, copywork is the next step. As the name suggests, copywork is simply the student copying words (and eventually sentences) from a sheet of paper on a piece of age-appropriate lined paper. As the student becomes more adept at writing and develops more sophisticated fine motor skills, the lines diminish in size. Simply pick a few words or a sentence from the student’s reader and have him copy them into his notebook. Again, keep the lessons short: make friends with the timer. If your student knows there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it can really help with motivation. As long as they don’t spend half that time in the bathroom….ahem.
- Software: I have found it useful to type copywork in Microsoft Word in the same font as is being taught in handwriting. It helped for my student to not have to see the words in one font and write them in different one. Early on, we bought a very affordable disk with lots of different fonts on it (including GD and HWT) which I found to be a valuable resource, if not a little clunky. Today, the Getty-Dubay website has an option for making your own worksheets and I’m sure other websites offer this service as well. I realize some of you will be on a tight budget but this splurge may well be worth it as it will be used for many years to come with as many students as you home educate.
- Dictation is similar to copy work but does not replace it. This activity is reserved until the student is at the ability level of writing simple sentences. Start with just one sentence from one of their readers (or a book they love) and print it on a sheet of paper. Have the student study it for a couple of minutes: Confirm the student is familiar with the words and notice certain details: Which letters are capitalized? Which punctuation is used at then end of the sentence? Which letters are ‘troublemakers’ for your individual writer? After this prep time, simply read the sentence one word at a time and adjust your pace as necessary. The whole activity should only take five to ten minutes at the earliest levels. You will want to do copy work three or four days a week and dictation on your last school day of the week.
- Meltdowns: Any student can have the occasional bad day during a handwriting session. But if writing has turned into a mostly daily battle for the two of you there may be more than meets the eye. Students with dysgraphia will need additional help and lots of extra patience. My students have written in sand, shaving cream and even instant pudding to make letter practice more ‘palatable’. A focus on building hand strength with enjoyable activities (such as playdoh and other manipulatives) is essential. While it is true that correct pencil grip can assist in avoiding hand fatigue in any student, this is sometimes easier said than done. A little empathy goes a long way. Let it be known I actually bribed my youngest son to complete his assignments with episodes of Phineas and Ferb. In hindsight, this was actually a tell-tale sign I had picked an ill-fitting curriculum that needed to be revamped or discarded altogether. I learned the hard way to listen to my child and collaborate with him rather than adhering to the use of rewards and punishments.
- Creativity: Make writing fun whenever you can. As time allows, act as a scribe for your child in creative writing projects where they get to “tell the story” without having to physically wield the pen. This frees the mind to focus on the story rather than the physical act of writing. As the scribe, you faithfully record the student’s words and read them back to them to make sure you heard them right. It is a proud moment when the student gets to hear her thoughts and ideas and see them on paper, even if she is not a proficient reader at this stage in the game. Working together as a team helps kids develop their author’s voice and if you collect these early works in a folder, you are setting yourself up for some sweet moments when you find yourself walking down memory lane. You could even do some family stories where kids collaborate and adults do the writing!
And there you have a few pointers for teaching writing to young children: hold curriculum loosely, keep lessons short and positive (end on a high note), utilize technology whenever possible and collaborate in fun projects that will blossom into sweet memories! There will still be some teary days to be sure, but writing can be done. My own son is a junior in high school and hated writing with a passion but he actually does quite well at the five paragraph essay now and has a great writer’s voice.
What resources and tips have you found to be helpful in teaching writing? I look forward to reading about them in the comments below!
Decidedly Different 