Teach Handwriting Without Worksheets
If you’re wondering how to teach handwriting without worksheets, we’ve got you covered. Usually, when you think of teaching kids to write letters, you think of workbooks and tracing sheets. It seems logical. Students trace letters to practice their writing, and eventually, they learn, right?
Literacy experts are beginning to lean away from formal worksheets and believe that educators need to focus on how to make learning handwriting fun. Worksheet-focused practice often ends up with frustrated kids, frustrated teachers, and frustrated parents.
But with a little creativity and fun, you can find tons of ways to teach handwriting without worksheets.
Yes, You Can Teach Handwriting Without Worksheets
The goal of teaching handwriting is to make a child neat, legible, and fluent. You want your child to be able to form letters and numbers without thinking about it so that they can focus on the content of their writing. If a child has to stop mid-sentence because they need to think about how to form a letter or what size it should be, they’re not going to get very far.
The problem with worksheets is that they’re usually boring and don’t offer much in terms of interactivity. Sitting at a desk re-writing the letter e? What kid wants to do that?
They’re also not great for promoting independent learning because they are too much like puzzles with only one correct solution. A child who completes a coloring page or printable puzzle can feel proud, but there’s not much else for him to do once he finishes it.
Since learning handwriting is so foundational to overall literacy education, it is important that kids learn in the way their brains process information best. And that means using fun ways to practice writing letters!
How To Make Learning Handwriting Fun
Handwriting can be a tedious and boring task if taught in traditional ways. Kids often resist practice because they need to develop the muscles in their hands, and the beginning stages can be confusing. After all, having to erase your work because you made a mistake is hard when you’re 5!
But kids need a handwriting routine in order to learn efficiently. The key to making it an easy part of the day is to make it fun and interactive!
Here are some fun handwriting activities for kindergarten and primary students:
1. Shake Up Writing Tools
Let children choose which writing tool they like best — pencils, markers, chalk, crayons, etc. A young child who isn’t thrilled at the idea of handwriting practice might be excited at choosing a special marker or pen they get to use only during handwriting time.
2. Try Out Different Surfaces
Writing on vertical surfaces builds shoulder strength and stability, which will help kids with their fine motor skills and eventually their handwriting skills. Writing on non-paper surfaces also provides proprioceptive feedback that helps kids with sensory integration issues (and many other kids as well). And if you use paint or shaving cream instead of pencils and paper, you can also work on hand-eye coordination, directionality, letter formation, and visual discrimination.
You can also practice writing in the air! Nope, you don’t even need paper to practice writing! Writing letters in the air with your finger is a fun activity that keeps kids moving! You can do this outside, in the car, or just hanging out for the afternoon. This is one of the many fun ways to teach handwriting that you can sneak into your day-to-day life.
3. Encourage Drawing
Instead of teaching handwriting as soon as your child learns how to hold a pencil, you can encourage creativity and imagination through freehand drawing and coloring instead.
All of those squiggly masterpieces displayed on your fridge? Yeah, those are important! Art helps kids develop fine motor skills, cognitive skills, and an understanding of colors and shapes — all things that will help them when it comes time to learn to write!
4. Use Real Life Experiences
Include regular exposure to print in your child’s world — labels on items in your home, signs around town while out and about, and books at home.
Involve your child in real-life activities that involve writing: grocery lists, invitations to friends for playdates and birthday parties, thank-you notes for gifts received, and more.
5. Handwriting Stories
Phonics in Motion’s handwriting stories are an easy way to teach handwriting without worksheets. These engaging, fun stories help kids remember letter formation and directionality. They connect each story with a KMP (kinesthetic motion for the phoneme), and kids are able to recall the story while writing the letter.
Find Fun Ways To Practice Writing Letters
Kids must have fun, multisensory learning experiences in order to learn all skills faster, and that includes writing. A child who is bored or frustrated will tune out and not remember anything you’ve taught them about how to write a letter! A child who is having a good time learning is more likely to remember what is taught.
Young writers need time to trace and write letters on their own, and they also need time to “write” with their bodies. Whole-body learning helps children learn better and faster.
When children are allowed to explore things for themselves, they develop better problem-solving skills and a deeper understanding of the material. It also helps them connect what they learn and what they already know. It’s the reason why young children are such good learners!
How Phonics in Motion Helps Teach Handwriting Without Worksheets
Phonics in Motion is focused on developing writing foundations in a way that honors kid energy. We know that kids need more than worksheets to engage and properly learn how to form letters.
Our handwriting stories are fun, and engaging and help kids remember a funny storyline for each and every letter. These stories let students recall letter formation and directionality much quicker than worksheets!
Since we are focused on high energy, multi-sensory learning, kids are able to play and have fun while they learn this oh-so-important skill. Our Reading & Writing Monster keeps everyone moving and help you teach handwriting without worksheets.
Check out Phonics in Motion To Teach Handwriting Without Worksheets!
Since it is so important to make learning handwriting fun, we have a free lesson for you! This lesson will help your students learn how to write in a way that they love! We’ve also thrown in some easy ways to introduce KMPs (kinesthetic motion for each motion) and resources that you can use today!
Pick your program for your free lesson!
Explore the Phonics in Motion Reading and Writing Program
Backed by the Science of Reading, PIM is focused on teaching kids in the way their brains learn best! Check out our Preschool through Third Grade reading and writing programs for teachers, homeschoolers, and parents looking to give their kids a head start in early literacy!
