After years of teaching handwriting to individual clients and classrooms full of kids, I have become a big believer in the use of multisensory activities to facilitate learning. Today I want to show you several favorite activities and methods you can incorporate into your teaching. Because this is such a fundamental aspect of my therapeutic approach as an OT, I can hardly believe I’ve never published a blog on this important subject before. Aside from pencil and paper, how else can kids practice handwriting? Copy Letters or Words on Vertical Surfaces Such as a Whiteboard or Chalkboard Writin ..read more

If you are a parent, home-school parent, or teacher looking for a cursive program, you will find many cursive curricula to choose from. Most are less than stellar, and it can be difficult or expensive to find an effective program. I can help show you what to look for and what to avoid. Teaching cursive seems easy, right? It’s just the ABCs! Perhaps you were taught printing or cursive using these methods: ABC order, Capital & lowercase letters, Dash-line tracing sheets. (See below.) Beware, high quality effective instruction is not that simple! Don’t Use These 1. Here’s the problem. Once ..read more

As an occupational therapist working in schools, I have taught hundreds of children how to transition from printing to cursive. But it wasn’t until I uprooted my adult life and moved from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest that I encountered the simple, elegant style known as italic cursive. What is Italic Cursive? Italic Cursive is a simple method of learning cursive that utilizes the natural joining of printed letters and minimizes the use of loops and flourishes. Why is Italic Cursive so Great? In working with children of all abilities, including kids with dysgraphia, I have found th ..read more

Many people have asked me how I am able to teach handwriting using Google, Zoom, or any virtual platform. When COVID-19 first shut down my OT clinic, I had the same question.  Now I have some real answers, and I hope these tips will help you with your virtual interventions. Eleven Tips for Teaching Handwriting Virtually The student’s laptop cover is slightly closed so that their writing can be seen. Optimizing the Working Environment 1. If at all possible, ask that your student use a laptop for your virtual sessions. In that case, their camera is mounted so you can easily watch as your st ..read more

Today I am reviewing All About Spelling © 2015 which is Published by All About ® Learning Press My experience with All About Spelling As an occupational therapist, one of my great passions is helping children overcome their struggles with handwriting.   Teaching children correct letter formations is mostly a cognitive skill and is only the first step to handwriting fluency.  Children who struggle with the legibility and speed of handwriting may understand completely (at a cognitive level) how to make letters but may not have the necessary motor-memory skills.  If ..read more

 Motivating Your Child to Do Chores Start slowly.  Let your child know what your expectations for chores are ahead of time.  Children need to know that their help is needed. “Personal responsibilities” include chores like cleaning your room, picking up your dishes after you eat, or doing your homework. Other chores like taking out the trash, putting away groceries, or sweeping the kitchen floor are what I refer to as “family work.”    If your child is one to question “Why do I have to…?”, it is helpful to be able to describe the work as either a “personal responsibi ..read more

Teaching children to button is easy and straightforward, but is a skill that is often overlooked.   Over the years I have taught hundreds of children to button, including many with significant disabilities. You can teach your children to button too, by following this simple developmental sequence.  If buttoning seems overwhelming to your child or student, start with the step below their current skill level and spend a couple minutes daily to practice 2 or 3 steps to build confidence. Once a child has mastered a skill level, keep practicing that step and gently introduce the next leve ..read more

Do your students have the motor skills they need to be ready to learn to print? Over many years of teaching children early drawing, pencil skills and handwriting, I have found that there is a particular foolproof order of pre-writing development.   First: Children need to be able to imitate fine motor actions.  Learning the song plays that are associated with singing is a fun way to learn motor imitation.  1. Imitating Gross and Fine Motor ActionsSecond: They need to be able to follow dot cues to form early lines and shapes. They learn to control the pencil so that they ca ..read more

So what are the fine motor skills that give young children such a serious academic advantage? Last time we talked about how children with good fine motor skills are most likely to succeed with academic challenges in K to 3rd grade.  This time we will look at specific skills.  If you are a parent or teacher, when you think ‘fine motor,’ you probably think of holding a pencil, forming the letters accurately, drawing so that others understand the representation, and cutting precisely. As an occupational therapist, I agree, pencil skills and scissors use are great examples of functional ..read more

What does research tell us about the impact of fine motor skills on early academics?     Do you recall what kindergarten used to be about? I don’t want to age myself, but I recall when children were first taught social and self-regulation skills and then fine motor skills. It turns out that researchers are now showing how important these skills are for early school success.     Fine motor skills in preschool and kindergarten are the Number One best predictor of academic skills and achievement for your kindergarten-age students.  At the preschool age, we know ..read more