I have two kids. One who has loved to write since the age of three. The other.... Well, let's just say we are working on it. Some might say it doesn't matter, that in this technological age, typing is more important than handwriting. I disagree!
Not only has there been a lot of research showing how handwriting skills are linked to other areas of cognitive development and academic achievement, a child's success at handwriting is also linked to their self-esteem.
I know, because this is very true for my 6 year old. A continual refrain last year was "I hate writing." Despite occupational therapy, his handwriting skills are developing very slowly and it has a big effect on his confidence in all areas of school.
My son loves to make up stories, but getting him to write them down is another story altogether. This summer, I have been working on encouraging him to write about himself and his own experiences.
Since he loves comics, I whipped up some comic book sheet templates for him and he has been writing comics about himself and his dreams. In the story below he relates his own success as a hitter for the New York Yankees! (See end of post for a short video and a link to the printable.)
He loved writing the comics, although he told me that he prefers when I don't take pictures of him writing!
My hope is that writing stories in which he is the hero will boost his confidence about the process of handwriting.
Writing down his own story also encourages him to reflect, focus on details, re-tell others his experience. He focuses less on the frustration of forming letters, and more on the fun of the storytelling.
Other ideas to help kids who hate writing:
- Create a giant comic strip.
- Make a Funny Flip word game
- Encourage them to draw.
- Create secret codes for them to decipher.
- Encourage them to write notes to friends and neighbors to pass under the door.
- When they say "I want that toy", ask them to write it down.
- Have them keep track of their allowance and savings in a ledger. This is good for kids who enjoy math and counting but would rather do problem solving in their heads.
- Write a letter to a favorite character.
- Just like reading, handwriting should be part of every day. Aim for at least 15 minutes a day.
Want the printable for our comic book pages? CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
Here my son narrates as he writes. You can hear him try to sound out words. Usually he hates that, but when he works on his own story he is more determined.
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