|
by Shirley M.R. Minster, MS.Ed.
Writing letters, stories, and reports is a daunting task for many adults, especially if they remember disliking it when in school. Children can learn to enjoy expressing themselves through the written word if a few simple steps are employed.
First, determine whether your child is left- or right-hand dominant. This is important as you demonstrate the correct way to hold a pencil. By teaching this technique, you are saving your child from hand cramps and shoulder pain. If he is a lefty, slant the paper when teaching printing (also called manuscript). If he is a righty, his paper should be kept straight on the flat writing surface. Use lined paper rather than unlined paper for practice of letters because both size and relationship between letters can be distinguished more easily. If unlined paper is used, it is much more difficult to determine this.
When your child is reticent to write sentences, it can be a miserable time not only for him, but for you, too. The following suggestions may prove helpful, especially if you are questioning manipulation by the child because you feel drawn into doing the writing as the child dictates his sentences.
When a child is exhibiting true signs of stress such as crying or intense anger that is not manipulation. Both crying and anger mask the fear of writing. Actually to call it fear of writing is inaccurate because it is not really a fear of the act of writing as much as a fear of either putting down the wrong words or not knowing exactly what to write. If the child is one of those 'very specific' children, everything is said in specificity and it concerns him greatly to write when he does not see any rules to follow. Typically, putting letters on paper is done with specificity ("This is how you make an A.") and the child can handle this. When he is faced with creative writing or plain old 'just write me a sentence' directions, then he becomes unnerved.
So what do you do to help him get past this fear? If you have not showed him what makes up a sentence, start with that because it is specific. There are rules to follow which makes sense to your child. Make up slips of paper with just one word on each slip of paper (nouns, verbs, adverbs, etc.). Include slips with punctuation, too. Then play at the table making sentences with them. As he becomes more comfortable with this, talk about subject and predicate. These steps will demonstrate that there is structure in writing.
To take this a step further, have him use the slips to make a sentence and you write it down, using proper punctuation. Then you make a sentence and have him write it down, making a simple sentence, not a long one. If you have a chalkboard, this can be fun to use instead of always writing on paper.
These simple first steps will make writing more manageable for the child who is concerned that he cannot write well. By following them, he will see that he can write good sentences and communicate in writing.
About the author:
Shirley M.R. Minster is founder and director of Home Education & Family Services and Royal Academy. Working with families all over the world, Shirley and her very experienced staff provide homeschooling families with custom-designed programs for each child . For more information visit the web site: http://www.homeeducator.com
|
