– Teaches proper letter formation and spacing.
– Increases writing speed and legibility by practicing the “writing patterns” that make up all 26 letters in the English alphabet.
– Can be done along with (or separate from) the Progressive Phonics reading program.
– Teaches good writing habits that “upgrade” easily to joined handwriting programs, such as cursive or italics.
– Starts with LOWERCASE letters which are, contrary to popular belief, easier to learn and write. (Uppercase letters are taught in the next book series, coming out in early February 2016.)
Includes instructions, lessons, student worksheets and a test to see if children are ready to start a handwriting program. 100% free - nothing to buy.
Unlike some handwriting programs, our program doesn't teach bad habits and unnecessary pen strokes. We're not going to name any names here, but our program was developed with several things in mind:
Teach the right moves the FIRST time around...
We don't think it's right to teach children one way of writing, and then a few years later say, "No, no, no, that's not how you do it." Our program is designed to teach the RIGHT way to form letters. This way, a child has an easier time transitioning to "joined" handwriting styles (cursive, italics, etc.).
Note: In some countries, there are different ways of writing some letters, such as the lowercase letters "r" and "k." Progressive Phonics stays with the "American" version of these letters because they resemble the PRINTED versions of these letters, which children see every day in their books and schoolpapers. Children can learn the alternate versions of these letters when they learn their cursive or italic forms of handwriting.
No joined handwriting in school??!!!
If your child is one of the millions of children who will never learn joined-handwriting in school, then our handwriting program helps your child start out with good-enough handwriting. What's good enough? Quick, legible and not too "childish" in appearance.
Wait until they're ready!
We also believe it's important to wait until a child is READY to write. Young children don't have the strength and dexterity to write properly, so they compensate with improper pen-grips, poor writing-posture and malformed letters... all of which have to be UNlearned later.
Come back later...
If your child is too young now, no problem. You can come back to it later. Our handwriting program is completely indepedent of our phonics program, so it can be taken at any time.
While some children are able to read at an earlier age, handwriting is different. Most children do not have the motor-skills for handwriting until age five or six -- it's not a question of intelligence, it's a question of physical development.
Our special Handwriting Test (see below) will help you decide if your child is ready or not.