HANDWRITING OVER THE SUMMER: PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Brought to you by: North Shore Pediatric Therapy

Our kids work so hard all year long, but did you know that after only 5 weeks children start to lose some of that knowledge?  Spending a little time each week going over the basics can help your child retain most of what they’ve learned over the past school year!

Children worked so hard on writing at school, and they should continue writing over the summer to prevent losing all of the progress they made. Practice makes perfect! Repetition will decrease anxiety and keep them at or above the expectations for the following year. Here are some fun writing exercises you can try over the summer:

HANDWRITING EXERCISES:

• Write a story with your child. Each day, set aside time for her to write a few sentences or paragraphs (depending on her age) for a special story. By the end of the summer, you will both have written a special story together. This approach will keep your child interested, as she will enjoy reading her contributions each day.

• Have him practice the formation of specific letters by writing large capital letters with sidewalk chalk on the driveway. Next, have him use a hose with a nozzle to spray a stream of water and erase the chalk lines. This will help increase fine motor control and strength.

• While you are in the car, or sitting on the beach, use “air writing” to send each other messages. You can also have her write messages to you in the sand on the beach, in the water at the pool, or in the shaving cream while dad is shaving.

Just have fun with it. You can also set aside some serious writing time where you purchase handwriting books at the local bookstore or toy store, or print worksheets from the Internet for practice. Repetition, repetition, repetition!

Have a fantastic summer!!