Handwriting Without Tears

At Mustard Seed School, we use the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum. We have spent most of this year following the developmental progression from scribbling to coloring to drawing as children master the developmental stages of writing, hand skills, and crayon grip. Now we are focusing on capital letters, in particular the first letter of a child's name. Children encounter their name on their clipboard, using name sticks for morning attendance, and place names at snack time.

We begin with a song to help children remember we start each letter at the "top, top, top!"

Using their dominant pointer finger, children trace the letter while hearing a description of the shapes in their letter, for example an M, "Big line down, frog jump! Big line slides down, and up, and down".

Next, the children use wooden pieces to form their letter. Diagonal lines are a challenge to place as seen in our A, M, and W letters.

Now we move on to writing the letter, following the movements we have practiced several times. Most children are using a three finger pinch grip.

Several children share a first letter of their name, and take great delight in this!

Older children extend their learning by including more letters of their name or different colors for each line.

Once a child has made their letter, they head straight to the message table where they can put this knowledge to use, making a message for a friend. It's easier to know who your message is from when the writer includes their letter.

To help your child write their name, this link is a helpful place to start:
Help Me Write My Name