On my blog’s Facebook page, I was asked to recommend a handwriting curriculum. I have received this question many times before and always cringe when asked. I cringe because I have nothing to recommend. Years of homeschool reviews and homeschooling under my belt and I still have not used a formal handwriting curriculum. Frankly, I never understood why one would use a curriculum based on handwriting. I teach handwriting the old fashioned way by sitting at a whiteboard and showing each stroke of each letter. My children would sit with lined paper and mimic my movements. I will not claim to have children with the best handwriting. However, I feel I have successfully navigated the homeschool waters without a handwriting curriculum.
How to reinforce handwriting without a formal curriculum:
Copywork: Instead of a formal curriculum I had my children do copywork every morning. The type of copywork would change from using hymns, bible verses, poetry, math equations, language terms, etc. The copywork would be focused on using their very best handwriting and copying ability.
Spelling: One of the activities I use for spelling is writing words and writing definitions of the spelling words. These activities doubled as handwriting assignments.
Everything Counts: If I cannot read it then it does not count. I emphasize that writing is a form of communication and as such it must be clear and represented properly. If one of my children turns in a paper with poor handwriting then she or he must do it over again. I do not demand perfection yet I will not accept illegible handwriting or chaotic writing.
Site Recommendation: I love copywork books. In fact, I make copywork books and sell them on CurrClick. However, I understand that you may not always want to purchase a copywork book or you may be studying something a copywork book does not cover such as your child’s name. Many copywork books are not in cursive. Handwriting Worksheets Wizard is a great site where you can design your own copywork and handwriting practice pages in manuscript or cursive. I highly recommend it!
Christin Liberty Press: Preschool Curriculum