Whatcha Teachin'?: Kindergarten & 1st Grade Handwriting

When we embarked on this homeschool journey, the very first curriculum I found was Handwriting without Tears.  This curriculum is adored in the autism community, endorsed by occupational therapists, sworn by by parents, and enjoyed by kids.  I heard a ton of buzz about it before ordering and I'm happy to say that as we go into our third year of using it, all the buzz is true.

This year we are using the Kindergarten and 1st Grade Curricula.

Kindergarten: Letters and Numbers for Me

1st Grade: My Printing Book

One of my favorite things about this curriculum is the supports woven into it.  Here's two of our must have "accessories" to the books (besides the teachers manuals):

Wood Pieces Set for Capital Letters
We have used these from the beginning and they are great for review even in 1st grade.  The wood pieces are not only essential for understanding the shape of letters, but needed to make the famed Mat Man.

Get Set for School CD
My kids still love this CD!  We have learned a lot just by playing it in the background.

This program goes far beyond handwriting.  There are literacy and math options available, as  well.

The curriculum goes from Pre-K to 5th grade addressing early fine motor skills through cursive writing and onto mastery of both printing and cursive skills.

Handwriting is a lost art and it's necessary.  It goes far beyond writing a pretty letter; there is much going on with brain development, as well.  Cursive for example (which is seen greatly as an archaic form of writing, and even being dropped from school programs) requires both hemispheres of the brain.  So that means just the act of learning cursive and practicing it makes your child smarter.  Read this great article to learn more about it.

Check out this curriculum and I promise you won't be disappointment!