If there is one thing my boys struggle with the most at school, it is handwriting! When it comes to handwriting, some kids get it and some kids don’t. If your child is having some trouble understanding the ins-and-outs of handwriting, work with them by utilizing these activities to improve handwriting.
Activities to Improve Handwriting in Kids
Each of my boys has struggled with handwriting at one time or another. I’ve decided they are in too big of a hurry to finish their work, that they don’t take the time to make their handwriting neat. Plus, boys tend to lack in fine motor skills, and often do not hold a pencil correctly. Here are some activities you can do with your children to help improve handwriting. Post contains affiliate links.
Finger Painting
When children are small, you can begin to develop their fine motor skills, which will make handwriting easier when they begin school. Allowing your child to finger paint, will help them as they prepare to use a pencil. Children will eventually learn how to write with a pencil, but before, they need to know how to make movements with their fingers.
Hands-On Activities
Any activity you can do with your hands is a great activity for kids that are learning to write. Fine motor skills can be defined when a child is cutting, coloring, and pasting. It’s all about getting those little fingers to move around. My youngest loves cutting snowflakes all year round and that is great for developing fine motor skills.
Practice Correct Pencil Grip
My boys have no problem pinching each other, but grasping their pencil correctly has been more challenging. Have your child practice using their pincher fingers to pick up small objects. One of my boys needed a special Pencil Grip
Make it Fun
Some kids just do not find writing very much fun, but it is an important skill that we all need. So make it fun! Have your child draw for a little while each day or purchase some activity books that include mazes or dot-to-dot puzzles. Their handwriting can improve while they are having fun.
Getting your child to improve their handwriting skills, won’t be easy. With a little bit of fun and hard work, your little guy or gal will be writing better in no time. Just remember to make it fun!
What tips do you have for helping children improve handwriting skills?
This post is a part of our series 31 Days of Tips for Raising Boys. Each day throughout the series we are discussing a different topic regarding raising boys. I’d love for you to follow along and share this series with other parents of boys who may need some support or just to hear that they aren’t alone in their journey of raising boys.
Find all of our posts in one place on our series home page: 31 Days of Tips for Raising Boys
How much time do you have your kids practice drawing in one sitting? My son’s not super enthusiastic about it, so it can be a bit of a battle and I don’t want him to hate it.
I would say that it depends on the age and the child. My boys are all so different but I would avoid getting to the point where it is a battle. One of my boys really struggled up through Kindergarten and his teacher was really great to help him and showed us some things we could do at home to help. We just used those techniques during homework time and he gradually improved.