A child with learning disabilities can be a challenge. Some questions that parents and teachers ask are; "I'm I pushing too much?" Or "Do I need to push him or her a little further." "Is my child capable of doing better? In a lot of cases if things are modified for children with learning disabilities then children can do everything that any other child can do. Penmanship is one of these academics.
~*~ Fifteen Minute Rule ~*~
Have your child practice handwriting for fifteen minutes at a time. Don't go over that time limit, not even if you thing he or she can do more.
By keeping the fifteen minute rule your child will not get frustrated as easily as if they had to do handwriting for thirty minutes. This also keeps you the teacher from pulling your hair out and loosing your patients that your child desperately needs right now.
Sometimes a child with a learning difficulty needs to be reminded several times, be prepared to do it in a quite calm fashion. If you are upset your child can sense it and this can cause unwanted stress for both your child and yourself.
~*~ Keep A Copy ~*~
Keeping a copy of your child's work can increase your child's performance. After about a month or two show your son or daughter how they have improved over this time period. Show them a writing paper from a month ago and compare it with what they have just done. Let your child see how much better they are getting at their handwriting.
You may also want to show off your child's work put it on the refrigerator or make a special wall just for your child's writing. This gives confidence to your child and makes them think "I can do it, my work is good enough for mom and dad's wall!"
Believe it or not this will also encourage you as a teacher, because you can see that your hard work is paying off. Your child is learning the art of penmanship.
~*~ Patience ~*~
I know that teaching the art of penmanship is a time consuming task, and you really could be doing something else but, you need to keep your patience. When you become agitated your child becomes agitated.
~*~ Diligence ~*~
Keep a schedule if you are going to practice handwriting Monday, Wednesday and Friday, than keep the schedule. It has shown that all children benefit from a schedule. Your child will know that at 10 am they will be doing practicing their writing.
In the beginning your child may scuff at having to practice, but they will soon become accustom to practice time and not give you so much of a fight. In fact they will even start to get their pencil and paper out before you tell them too. And won't that be an added surprise for you!
~*~ Rewards ~* ~
Have rewards for your sessions. After your practice give your son or daughter a piece of candy or their favorite fruit. You may want to try having a bag with little toys that you can get at the dollar store. If your child is young enough you can probably get away with giving them a penny after every practice session.
Rewards tell your child that he or she has done well and deserves to have something nice for their efforts.
Although teaching your child penmanship can be very difficult at times, the rewards for you are well worth it. When you see that your child is learning the great art of handwriting.