Handwriting Without Tears

The preschool that Emma goes to adopted a handwriting program several years ago that introduces children as young as 2 years old to the handwriting process. Now, that does NOT mean that at 2 years old they put a pencil in the child's hand and push them to start writing letters and their names. That is NOT at all what this program is about. Rather, it introduces children to curves and lines - the 2 things that letters are made of. It focuses on strengthening the muscles in the child's hands, fingers, and arms so that when they are ready to write, they will be able to do so without getting fatigued and be able to hold writing tools properly. It takes a whole bunch of the pieces of the handwriting puzzle so that eventually the children can put them all together and begin writing when they are AGE-APPROPRIATE.

Emma has been interested in writing and spelling her name for a long time now. We have never taught her how to write her name, just letting her use her scribbles and imagination to write her name. She has known what letters are in her name for months, just not how to form or write them.

Last weekend, while eating breakfast she was doodling on a piece of paper and she suddenly announced that she had made an "E." I looked, expecting to see some scribbles but was shocked to see a very legible "E." Come to find out that they had been talking about letters and had introduced Handwriting Without Tears earlier in the week (guess I should have read the notes home from school).


Over the course of this past week, she has been using her MagnaDoodle to write her name over and over again, each time making the letters look more and more like "m" and "a", but Bill and I have not been stepping in to correct her. She isn't even 3 yet and we both feel that it will come in its own time and that is why she is at school - to get the letter and number exposure. She doesn't need the "drill & skill" at home. Today, we were getting ready to head out to her friend's birthday party and I handed her the card and asked her to please write her name. I reminded her that she should do her "best" writing (meaning - please don't make a mess of the card and color all over the place so that you can't read anything that is on it). I also reminded her that if she wrote her name nicely, then M would know who the card and the gift was from. Boy was I surprised....no, stunned is more like it, maybe shocked, amazed, bewildered, in awe. Heck, I was DAMN PROUD when this is what she handed back to me.....
(CLICK ON IMAGE TO MAKE IT LARGER!)


I am so incredibly proud of her!