Handwriting Without Tears

I have been looking at several techniques to teach a child to write. Especially for those who have learning disabilities. I found the method used by Handwriting Without Tears (HWT) is good. It's simple and systematic which a child can easily follow. At least I found it easier to explain and guide the child.

Rather than using the conventional way of 3 line writing page, HWT uses only 2 lines. The child only needs to know how to draw a line - both big and small and curves - both big and small. Instructions are kept to the minimal.

Normally I would advice that the child traces before attempting to start to write the letter. There is a sequence of letters which are recommended for the teacher to start with the child. Not the typical methods you find in most workbooks comprising of dotted letters and repeated letters.

Reason being that the child tends to follow the dots, rather than knowing the actual flow/sequence of the letter which starts from top to bottom and right to the left. You never write from bottom up or right to left. Very often I noticed especially with younger children, they tend to start writing at any direction especially from bottom to up and their pencil grip is also wrong. Most times especially in Malaysia, children are expected to write at the age of 3. We have to note that the fine motor skills of young children is constantly developing. Forcing a child to write before he/she can hold a pencil properly is detrimental. I would suggest working on the fine motor skills first e.g playing play dough or making letters using dough......etc...., follow by pre-writing skills first. There is no hurry and pressure to insist that the child must write at 3-4 years old. Make it fun and interesting for the child, rather than a chore for both the teacher and the child. We often end up frustrated and scolding the child and if you think about it, it's really unfair.

For more information please visit the following site - Handwriting Without Tears

Why it works for my child: My son is 6 years old. I have been teaching him writing for at least 2+ years and he still cannot write properly. The biggest frustrations we face teaching him is he always will not write in the space. So he and us we are often frustrated. I used to use the 3 lines writing page and it gets very confusing for him to take instructions of which line to stop and which line to begin. I didn't have the technique and method of explanation for him eg. start on the `happy face' - which sits at the top left hand corner of the letter, big/small lines or curves....


So far I have make it simple and started all over again with him in the process and sequence to reinforce the correct flow. I found it less stressful and I think he also enjoyed the session more than having to be scolded again and again for his inconsistent writing. The double lines helps a lot to reduce the confusion of lines.


I used the singular line exercise book and drew 2 lines with a coloured pencil (you can use blue or other colours than black, since he will write using a pencil). I added on a faded top line so that he can know where to start but that's not necessary once he gets the hang of it.


Here are some pictures which you could find in the HWT website which I copied for easy reference.