Handwriting

We all have a variety of clothes.

Let us start at the top. There are the party clothes. These are the dresses, suits and dinner jackets that are wheeled out on special occasions. If the event is `important’ enough we can always justify buying yet one more piece of party clothing.

Then we have our work clothes. There are the clothes we wear on a daily basis to go to work in. Enough said.

Next come our holiday clothes. They are always just that little bit brighter and slightly more sensational.

Then our relaxing clothes. We wear these when we are certain that no one will see us. They are the sort of clothes we change out of when we go shopping.

What we wear reflects our moods, instincts and passions of the day. Our clothes determine how we are going to behave and how we will deport ourselves. Our clothes send signals to our family, friends and even to casual observers. We all can remember a teacher who wore a red top on some days – and the whole class was quiet and prepared for war on that day.

Handwriting sends out similar signals. Some children will always have neat and tidy writing. These are the children that tidy their bedrooms.

Other children will have a mixture of neat and untidy writing.

Then there are the children who almost take pride in being untidy and illegible. These are not the children with writing problems - they are the children who are able to write letters neatly but choose to be `otherwise’.

Amidst all the clutter on the page, look carefully for letters that are regular in shape and size and have good proportions of letter parts. There could be just one example on a page. Build an encouraging sentence together that encompasses most of the letters. Invite your child to write just one sentence neatly and carefully. Praise the neat letters. Extol the virtues of neatness. Take just a few letters a day.

Build the change in attitude towards writing step by step. Never show frustration or anger. Look for positive progress.

When you have achieved a degree of success, reward this with a prize. If you are not sure of what to give you can always go shopping and buy some clothes. Naturally you will want to purchase some for your child for all their hard work and endeavour. More importantly buy a `little something’ as a reward for yourself. It will make you feel better.