I do not know about 'Handwriting without Tears", I am not sure if that is anything that is available in Canada, but as a educator I do know that when children are offered authentic experiences, those which are meaningful to them they will develop all of the skills that we as educators know are important for them as they grow and develop. Yes it is important for a child to develop the skill of holding a pencil, but this skill does not need to be 'taught'. when offered experiences to develop fine motor skills, such as through manipulating playdough or clay, and other opportunities to engage with mark making tools, such as paintbrushes, chalk, charcoals and pastels, they will find their way to holding a pencil. As educator we need to remember their are many stages to handwriting and it does not just begin when a child prints their first letter or their name. They are building this skill on a continuum, from the first time they grasp an object to their first scribbles and paintings to representing pictures and print which are meaningful to them. Too often we want to 'skip a step', but it all of the engaging experiences of exploration leading up to that final 'holding the pencil' milestone that are important. We need to not forget the journey, it is what gets us to the destination.
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Linda Gould
New Brunswick Community Coll
Miramichi NB
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-06-2019 12:22 PM
From: Stacy Benge
Subject: Handwriting in preschool
Carol -
Thank you so much for your perspective. I am of the belief we develop the entire body before introducing formal handwriting alongside providing open-ended scribbling and drawing experiences for emergent writing. Many schools use Handwriting without Tears, but I really don't know much about it. Being created by an occupational therapist, you want to trust that it would approach handwriting in a developmentally appropriate manner; however, when teachers start to mention using the program's worksheets and coloring sheets, I start to question the mechanics of it. (And, in all fairness, whether the school is using the program appropriately or not.) I know it is hard to go against the grain sometimes, but you have shed some light on the subject for me and I appreciate it!
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Stacy Benge, M.S.
Early Childhood Speaker
Texas
www.StacyBenge.com
Original Message:
Sent: 05-02-2019 06:38 AM
From: Carol Murray
Subject: Handwriting in preschool
I am very much against hand writing without tears. I've been to all the workshops because I was curious about why it has become so popular and has been marketed so heavily. I believe it is conceived from a place of deficit and practice of isolated skills rather than emergent writing and curiosity and whole body whole child learning. It might be okay for older kids but I keep it out of preschool. Work books,. Coloring sheets. Whole group didactic lessons. It's sad how it has taken Arnold Gesell research and used the stages of writing and drawing as a rationale to teach isolated skills. I have never seen preschoolers in tears over handwriting- they love to draw, write, paint, dig, cut, use their hands. I know it is popular and widely used and that my perspective is not common. I am also a special ed teacher and have worked with many children with OT needs. I don't think hand writing without tears is the way we should be going as early childhood specialists.
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Carol Murray
Bard Nursery School
Red Hook NY
Original Message:
Sent: 04-30-2019 09:43 AM
From: Emily Brown
Subject: Handwriting in preschool
Hi all,
I know this topic has been discussed on this forum in the past. My colleagues are meeting about handwriting in general in kindergarten and first grade and have mentioned "pushing" this down to preschool as well. Any help/articles would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Emily
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Emily Brown
Hailey Elementary Preschool
Hailey ID
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