writing help for 10 year old boy

[Anonymous]

Can anyone recommend a place to go to help my ds with writing? I'm not sure if it is that he doesn't like it, so he doesn't focus enough on it. He is 2 years ahead in math, his test scores for reading have always been high, so I know he has it in him to do better. First of all, his handwriting is illegible, he still forgets to capitalize the first word after a period and he can't seem to remember to start on the first line- always in the big white part of the page (which we have reminded him several times). He can actually write a great story, when I can figure it out! Thanks for any suggestions. He is in 5th grade.

[Anonymous]

Have you had him tested for dysgraphia, a disorder characterized by difficulty in writing?

[Anonymous]

When eldest was in 5th grade, we had him dictate to us and we wrote it down for him. Then we had him copy it. This helped him get all his great ideas down and made him practice his handwriting.

[Anonymous]

Another thing you can do is have DC practice keyboarding skills. Most kids type faster than they can write.

[Anonymous]

My DD is similar. Very strong in Math, solid in reading, writing is weaker than the other subjects. She's a horrible speller. Her 4th grade teacher encouraged her to type everything because autocorrect would help. Same beloved teacher also explained to me that DD will just have to understand that she has to work a LOT harder at writing than she does on other subjects. For us, we have told her you need to work on writing like you work on your sports practice because she is a committed athlete. For kids where some things come easy, this is an important lesson.

She also enjoyed a writing camp at Bullis this summer. I'm not sure it helped much, but she enjoyed it as it was a different kind of writing. She also, last year declared that she loved writing poetry. Finding ways to help him identify as a strong writer of XXXX (comic books, poems, music lyrics, etc.) Something that he can build on would be good.

[Anonymous]

We are having our son type his reports first and then hand-write the final product. He is more focused on the content and it's easier for him to make corrections. THEN, we can focus on his handwriting.

[Anonymous]

OP, here, thank you for all your suggestions, I will try to use some of them with him

[Anonymous]

Hi OP. I am a teacher and tutor. Please email me if you are interested in tutoring. [e-mail]

[Anonymous]

practice makes perfect. my 10 year old was and still is similar. but last year he had a long weekly writing assignment and over the year, he improved. this year he has a daily assignment, and it just seems to flow better. sure, there is struggle, but it seems the more he writes, the better it gets. so if he is not getting the daily assignment, give him one or have a tutor give him one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you had him tested for dysgraphia, a disorder characterized by difficulty in writing?

I would look into this if his handwriting is illegible.

Also, there are tutors who can help with writing and learning how to organize thoughts.

[Anonymous]

I would take a tutor, am doing so for my 9-year old son.