The Write Start (6 page)

Important Safety Note
: Cutting requires hands-on adult supervision at all times. When not in use, scissors should be kept securely out of the reach of children. Children should also be taught the proper way to hold scissors when carrying them and how to safely hand them to another person. And don’t forget to teach that classic old-school rule: “No running with scissors!”

6. Big Muscles Support Little Muscles

Writing is not purely a paper-and-pencil activity. Nor is it strictly a cerebral pursuit. Writing is a whole-body activity, like playing sports, learning to dance, or riding a bicycle. It requires coordination, strength, and stamina. When children are writing, every muscle is at work, either stabilizing the body or controlling the skilled movements of the hand.

Although it may seem like a stretch, running and jumping, hopping and skipping, climbing and crawling, throwing and catching actually prepare children for writing. These activities are definitely part of the core curriculum for young writers. They build and reinforce the foundational skills that support writing-skill development. And skills built on a strong foundation are built to last.

It is important to incorporate some big-muscle time into every day, which we probably do instinctively anyway due to our awareness of the many benefits of exercise. We have already learned through experience that regular physical activities keep our kids healthier, calmer, happier, and in better shape.

Well, now you can add another item to your list of reasons why a daily “workout” just makes good sense: writing readiness. Strong bodies produce confident strokes, coordinated children control their pencils better, and kids with physical stamina have more endurance for seated tasks that require sustained attention.

Despite this, some schools are cutting down on physical education or cutting out recess altogether. Don’t let this happen to your kids! Advocate for their gross-motor needs as passionately as you would for their academic needs. The two go hand in hand. And try to avoid restricting physical activities when your children haven’t finished their work. This penalty is counterproductive, both at home and in school. The fact of the matter is children who are struggling to get their work done probably need to jump-start their minds and bodies with some movement. A little big-muscle play may be all they need to get their writing muscles in gear.

In addition to the backyard, the playground, and the schoolyard, my all-time favorite big-muscle activities for children include the following:

wheelbarrow walking (hold your children’s feet as they walk on their hands)

walking on a balance beam (or a low curb)

hanging from monkey bars (or a chin-up bar)

crawling (through tunnels, around the house, over pillows, and so on)

playing catch

playing balloon volleyball

jumping on a mini trampoline

 

Big-muscle activities are just about the most fun you can have as a kid. Aren’t we lucky that they make a big impact developmentally too? So when in doubt, let kids go out and play.

7. Read the Writing on the Wall

The writing on the wall is clear: going vertical is one of the best ways to pump up the writing muscles.

I’m referring of course to vertical surfaces.

Any activity that is done on a vertical surface strengthens the shoulder muscles by encouraging them to work against gravity. Each time children reach up and out, they are developing the stability that promotes mobility. Simple activities done at arm’s reach support writing development by helping children become stable and able.

Encourage your children to try the following on-the-wall activities whenever possible:

painting or drawing at an easel

drawing on a chalkboard

playing with magnets on a refrigerator or magnet board

drawing on a dry-erase board

playing with shapes and figures on a felt board

drawing or putting stickers on a large piece of paper taped to a wall

drawing on bathtub walls with tub crayons

“washing” windows or shower doors with water

“painting” outdoor walls or fences with a large paintbrush and water

using sidewalk chalk on outdoor walls

 

Any way you look at it, elevating the writing surface is a surefire way to take children’s writing readiness to the next level.

8. Sit for Success

Postural control is the backbone of good writing skills. Writing without postural control is like writing on a moving bus: nearly impossible and barely legible.

Postural control is the key to our ability to achieve and maintain a steady stance. Our trunk provides a base of support for moving our extremities. When our posture is even slightly unstable, our limbs pitch in to help hold us up, compromising their ability to complete the task at hand. When we have adequate control of our posture, we free up our arms (and hands) to function. Simply stated, stability is at the core of mobility.

When it comes time to write, the secret to postural control lies in how children sit at a desk. Assuming their desks and chairs are the proper height (this is important; see the chapter on “
The Write Stuff
”), there are four factors that will promote good posture:

∗
Their feet should be flat on the floor in front of them.

∗
Their hips should be slid all the way to the back of the chair.

∗
Their paper should be positioned properly.

∗
Their helper hand should be stabilizing the paper.

 

Then (and only then) are they ready to begin.

Knowing this, I came up with a quickie four-step routine that I do with kids every time they sit down. The ritual of it becomes habit before long, until, eventually, the optimal posture becomes second nature.

Run through the steps as soon as your kids take a seat; it only takes a few seconds, at most. When your kids get the hang of it, they’ll start doing it on their own. The steps are:

1. 
Stomp:
Show your children how to stomp their feet on the floor when they sit down. The force of the stomping sends a powerful message to their brain that reinforces the idea that feet should be planted firmly on the floor.

2. 
Slide:
Show your kids how to slide their hips back until they bump the back of their chair. This ensures an upright posture and prevents kids from rounding their backs or slouching in their chair.

3. 
Slant:
When they’re seated, have your kids slant their paper slightly (approximately twenty degrees to the left for righties; up to twenty degrees to the right and shifted slightly to the left of center for lefties).

4. 
Slap:
Finally, have your kids slap down their helper hand at the top corner of their paper to reinforce the idea that they have to stabilize their paper. Again, we slap because (like stomping) it’s intense enough to send a loud-and-clear message to the brain: “Do this!”

 

9. Teaching Children the Right Way to Write Letters Makes a Huge Difference, Both Now and Later On (Huge, Trust Me)

If you’re planning on going somewhere new, there are a couple of ways you could go about it. You could map out your trip beforehand, finding the most direct route between point A and point B. Or you can meander toward your destination, making decisions on a whim. You could choose to turn or go straight depending on what looks interesting, or where you think you are in relation to your destination. You could make up your route as you go, correcting yourself if you go in the wrong direction, starting over again if you get totally lost. Will you get where you’re going? Possibly. Eventually. But at what cost? Maybe you wasted time, got frustrated, or felt confused. Or maybe you gave up and never got there at all.

Comparatively, the first approach is definitely the most efficient one. It has another big advantage as well: it is easily reproducible. The next time you are headed for the same place, you can follow the same map. And the next time. And the time after that. After several successful attempts, you probably won’t even need the map anymore. You’ll know the way by heart.

At the beginning, it may have taken a few extra minutes to figure out the best path. But boy, was that time well spent in the long run. Not only was taking the most efficient route successful, it facilitated learning as well.

The same holds true for learning to write the letters of the alphabet, of course. Plotting each letter’s path, right from the start, sets kids up for success. With just a bit of practice they will internalize the way and make it their own. Their writing will become efficient and automatic, as if someone hit the cruise control button.

Children who teach themselves to write, however, are often at a disadvantage. They meander along when it comes to letter formation. When you watch them write, you get the sense that they’re reinventing the wheel with every letter they attempt. They seem to draw each letter, as opposed to writing it, tinkering with it until it looks just right. Easily frustrated (and with a tendency to accumulate a collection of crumpled papers), they focus too much attention on the
how
of writing at the expense of
what
they are writing. They certainly may get where they’re going, but, by the time they arrive, they’re so exhausted, they’re not sure they ever want to go back.

DIY:
Alphabet Chart

 

Copy the
alphabet chart
from the templates section, or use it as a guide to make your own chart using markers and large paper or poster board, and post it by your child’s writing space. Looking at each letter with its arrow guides is the best way for children to realize that every letter has its own road map. By placing this chart in your children’s writing area, you are teaching them to follow the best path when writing (and that it’s okay to ask for directions).

 

Luckily, this is
easily
preventable with a little help. And I actually mean a little. This isn’t tough stuff we’re talking about here. (If it was, would someone have coined the term, “As easy as learning your ABCs”?) Sure, it’s a little effort up front. But like teaching your children to tie their own shoelaces, pedal a two-wheeler, or look both ways before crossing the street, it’s a sound investment with big rewards. The payoff is kids who are off and running on their own. So very worth it.

Here are a few basic alphabet-writing rules to live by:

1.  Always start letters at the top, and make all vertical strokes from top to bottom.

2.  Make horizontal strokes from left to right (to be efficient, letter strokes should move in the same direction that writing moves across the page, so your hand isn’t going back and forth).

3.  Make circular strokes (capital
C, G, O,
and
Q
and lowercase
a, c, d, e, g,
and
q
) in a counterclockwise direction.

4.  To prevent reversals in the most commonly flip-flopped letters,
b
and
d,
teach these letters using different movements. Lowercase
b
starts with a straight line down and then has a small curve, while lowercase
d
starts with the small curve (as if you were writing a
c
) and then adds a straight line down. Mind your
p
s and
q
s as well:
p
starts with the line down and then the curve;
q
starts with the curve (like a
c
) and then the line down.

 

10. Multisensory Learning Rocks!

When it’s time for your children to learn to write their ABCs, there’s no better way to start than by putting the shape of each letter right in the palms of their hands.

It’s one thing to sing the ABCs, or to recognize them by sight. Getting a
feel
for the alphabet, on the other hand, is something else entirely. And a feel for the alphabet is exactly what children need in order to learn to write.

This is because the alphabet is not just a set of little picture symbols or a collection of sounds. Each letter is also a movement. (For example,
A
is a big downhill line, hop back to the top, downhill the other way, and a little line across.
B
is a big line straight down, hop back to the top, and make two little curves. And
C
is one great big curved line down. Get the picture?) Each letter has its own unique choreography. If children learn the right moves, their writing will dance across the page gracefully. If they make up the steps as they go along, however, writing becomes a struggle along the lines of dancing with two left feet.

When children manipulate three-dimensional letters (such as alphabet puzzle pieces or magnetic alphabet letters), they get to run their fingers along the lines and curves as they look at each letter and say its sound. The touch system sends information to the brain along with the visual and auditory systems. What a learning experience! Multisensory information makes the brain positively light up from all of the connections it is making. In other words, when children’s brains process input along several sensory channels at the same time, everything just makes more sense.

In addition to manipulating letters, children can also get a feel for letters by putting together their component pieces. For example, Handwriting Without Tears (see the
resources
at the end of the book) has a set of generously sized wood lines and curves that can be used to build all the capital letters.