Item Description

This handwriting workbook is designed to aid homeschooling parents to effectively teach handwriting or penmanship skills to their child(ren). It contains a practice page for each upper- and lowercase letter and numbers 1 through 10. Each practice page has twelve rows of practice.

The first row is a model with number(s) and guide arrow(s) to indicate starting points and stroke directions. Children should trace these models. There are two more rows with full models that should be traced. Three rows are given as prompts where the child traces the partial model and completes the letter. Two more rows provide a prompt for where to start each letter. Finally, four rows are given for independent practice.

The workbook is spiral bound so it can lay flat on a desk.

Why teach penmanship in this age of computers?

During research the Exemplary Center for Reading Instruction (ECRI) found that:

“It is through penmanship instruction that beginning readers and writers develop the visual memory for the alphabet letters and, ultimately, the visual sequential memory necessary to read words. …As pupils learn to write legibly and rapidly and spell what they read, their reading levels increase, and they use their ability to express themselves in writing more frequently.” (Reid, 1997, pp. 12–13) ^[1]

Parents, to effectively use this workbook, you will actively instruct your child(ren). Instructional pages are provided, which explain the effective teaching process for you to use. Additional pages are provided as you model the behavior while providing instruction.

Verbal responses (having the child say what they do as they write) aid in the development of visual memory, which is necessary for reading to become effortless. It is highly suggested you teach the child to describe the strokes as they practice.

^[1] Reid, E. R. (1997). Teaching Manuscript and Cursive Penmanship. Exemplary Center for Reading Instruction.