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When I was in school, learning proper handwriting was dull, dull, dull. I distinctly remember my hand hurting by the end of the day because we did so much tracing and writing.
It doesn’t have to be that way! Teaching handwriting can be fun. It can even be done without pencil and paper!
The key to teaching handwriting is to provide lots of opportunities for practice. Kids can’t just practice writing any old way though. They have to make a consistent intentional effort to form letters properly. Thankfully, there is a way to have make handwriting so fun, your kids will beg to practice!
Make Handwriting Fun
My favorite material for teaching handwriting isn’t paper. It is shaving cream. I know, it sounds weird, but it really is the perfect medium for practicing handwriting without hand cramps. Kids develop muscle memory without tearing up sheets of paper.
Shaving cream – The traditional foamy variety is perfect. I usually buy whatever is cheapest.
Baking sheet *optional* – A baking sheet makes clean up faster, but is completely optional.
First you are going to want to set expectations and lay down any rules.
Do this before putting any shaving cream in front of your kids. My main rule is that only the ‘pencil finger’ (aka pointer finger) is allowed to touch the shaving cream unless they are smoothing it out. It is hard to make too much of a mess using only one finger. Kids will naturally want to play in the shaving cream, so I promise my kids they can draw in the shaving cream after they practice their handwriting.
Squirt shaving cream onto the baking sheet or table.
I give my kids a half-fist size squirt of shaving cream to start. You can always add more shaving cream as needed. A reasonable portion keeps the mess under control.
Instruct your kids to follow your example using their ‘pencil finger’.
Show your kids how you want them to write by providing an example on either a white board or your own dollop of shaving cream. Narrate what you are doing. Watch their first few letters closely to make sure they are forming the letter correctly. It doesn’t do any good to practice incorrectly. If they run out of room in the shaving cream, just smooth it back out and try again.
- Spelling lists
- Phone number
Allow for free time.
Once the kids have practiced their handwriting technique for a while, let them play in the shaving cream – still only using their ‘pencil finger’. This is a fun reward for working hard during the lesson. My kids like to draw pictures in the shaving cream.
This is easier than you might think. If the shaving cream is on a baking sheet, just wash it off. The foam will disintegrate as soon as the water hits it. If it is directly on the table use a wet cloth to wipe it up. I usually need to go over it a few times to get it all up, but it doesn’t take long. Kiddos, of course, need to wash their hands.
This fun handwriting method works for manuscript and cursive. It is a fun hands-on addition to any handwriting program and works for any age. I used this activity in my kindergarten classroom and with still use it with my 7th grade daughter.
Have you ever used shaving cream to practice handwriting?
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