Help in improving writing for my second grader.

[Anonymous]

My second grader is struggling to write. His grade came down to 2 from 3. Since this is the last quarter, we are concerned. Anyone any suggestions. I was looking for a tutor but don't know how much it might help. Thanks

[Anonymous]

Handwriting without Tears

[Anonymous]

Penmanship writing or content writing? Spelling? Grammar? I'm not sure what you mean by "struggling to write."

[Anonymous]

My sons teacher is offering tutoring for $60 hr, so cheap. Want her details

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Penmanship writing or content writing? Spelling? Grammar? I'm not sure what you mean by "struggling to write."

This. If it's content, practice is what he needs. Have him write in a journal daily. Doesn't matter what he writes so long as he spends 20 minutes on it each day (you can work up to this). Or make it take the form of a letter to you telling you about his day. Then you write back, keeping it simple.

My parents did this with their kids. We all now write for a living -- lawyers, journalists, grant writers.

[Anonymous]

Not OP, but my second grader's writing is practically illegible, all over the place, different sizes and full of big blobs. Still a complete hodgepodge of upper and lowercase letters and no sense of spacing. I was walking around our school showcase last week and was shocked to see how much better many of the children in his class were writing.

Any tips for a kid like this? He hates to write; even signing a card seems like a giant ask and he rushes through it so fast it looks horrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not OP, but my second grader's writing is practically illegible, all over the place, different sizes and full of big blobs. Still a complete hodgepodge of upper and lowercase letters and no sense of spacing. I was walking around our school showcase last week and was shocked to see how much better many of the children in his class were writing.

Any tips for a kid like this? He hates to write; even signing a card seems like a giant ask and he rushes through it so fast it looks horrible.

Does he have a true pencil grasp? Has he ever really learned the mechanics of printing correctly? When children don't form letters correctly it's more of a struggle to move to the next one fluidly. If spacing and sizing is difficult, cursive writing might be a preference. As much as I'd like to say practice, it sounds like he needs to relearn fundamentals again.

Also, perhaps issues that an OT can help with?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not OP, but my second grader's writing is practically illegible, all over the place, different sizes and full of big blobs. Still a complete hodgepodge of upper and lowercase letters and no sense of spacing. I was walking around our school showcase last week and was shocked to see how much better many of the children in his class were writing.

Any tips for a kid like this? He hates to write; even signing a card seems like a giant ask and he rushes through it so fast it looks horrible.

Does he have a true pencil grasp? Has he ever really learned the mechanics of printing correctly? When children don't form letters correctly it's more of a struggle to move to the next one fluidly. If spacing and sizing is difficult, cursive writing might be a preference. As much as I'd like to say practice, it sounds like he needs to relearn fundamentals again.

Also, perhaps issues that an OT can help with?

+1

Get an OT evaluation. Donwait.

[Anonymous]

My son had trouble writing. Penmanship forever. OT helped with that, but it's still not great.

He had content issues, too. He was diagnosed with ADHD, and that's a significant part of the problem. Organizing what he writes. He has great ideas and details. He just doesn't put them together well.

In younger grades, I used graphic organizer worksheets from http://www.education.com. They are free, at least up to 10 a month, I think. And they helped him somewhat. 4th grade was a game-changer and that's when he fell behind. But up til then, those worksheets helped.

[Anonymous]

I don't support the idea that the classroom teacher hires herself out for the very job she should be doing in the classroom.

[Anonymous]

I purchased the Handwriting Without Tears books last year for my 8 yo after DCUM's recommendation. They are fantastic and they helped significantly.

Now we are working on content. He's writing and typing but the spelling and editing is such a struggle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not OP, but my second grader's writing is practically illegible, all over the place, different sizes and full of big blobs. Still a complete hodgepodge of upper and lowercase letters and no sense of spacing. I was walking around our school showcase last week and was shocked to see how much better many of the children in his class were writing.

Any tips for a kid like this? He hates to write; even signing a card seems like a giant ask and he rushes through it so fast it looks horrible.

Does he have a true pencil grasp? Has he ever really learned the mechanics of printing correctly? When children don't form letters correctly it's more of a struggle to move to the next one fluidly. If spacing and sizing is difficult, cursive writing might be a preference. As much as I'd like to say practice, it sounds like he needs to relearn fundamentals again.

Also, perhaps issues that an OT can help with?

+1

Get an OT evaluation. Donwait.

+2 - perhaps an evaluation for dysgraphia

[Anonymous]

who (or what kind of professional) can diagnose dysgraphia?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't support the idea that the classroom teacher hires herself out for the very job she should be doing in the classroom.

Why not? I don't think teachers should be allowed to tutor heir own students but once she is off the clock, why not?

[Anonymous]

Tips for when my first grader says his hand hurts? He loves coloring with crayons or markers, but writing with a pencil seems to make his hand cramp up. Think it's his grip or just a strength thing that will get better?