Do some of your kiddos struggle with penmanship? This “Penmanship Sticking Points Poster” has REALLY helped. I LOVE IT!!!
We refer to it, recite it, and discuss various chunks of it all of the time. It is there to help us remember the rule – a chant to stick into our schema. Examples of neat printing are found everywhere in the room.
I really think it is the smartest change/addition I’ve made to my classroom in the longest time.
Seriously, I LOVE IT!
The kids are working harder than ever to form their letters correctly and use their best penmanship.
My kiddos use 3-line paper for everything we do. It’s super important that those lines be USEFUL and reasonable for kids. Some resources tend to use lines that are spaced too far apart. This doesn’t help improve penmanship as writing letters that huge neatly is quite difficult.
A Few Hand Motions
When we recite this poem we do little hand motions, too. Just to get the whole body engaged, ya know 😉
For the “between each word belongs a space” line…. we use our pointer finger, pointing upward, and motion placing “finger spaces”.
Our hands go up high on “tall letters touch the lines at the top”.
We poke our finger out in front of us noting “dots” during “short letters stop at the lines with the dots”.
On “Letters with tails, drop below” we motion a sweeping tail behind us.
And finally, with “This is how neat printing must go!” we point with each word… exemplifying the finality of our penmanship rules.
Helping Those Motor and Memory Skills
It’s silly and quirky, but it sticks in your head. That little rhyme is easy for them to remember and repeat to themselves as they work on developing their neat penmanship skills.
When I’m working with a kiddo who is struggling with using the lines, I repeat parts of this poem to him.
“Uh oh… where are the short letters supposed to stop?”
“Oh yeah! The lines with the dots! I’ll fix it!”
“Oops! That’s a letter with a tail.
“Oh yeah! It drops below! I’ll fix it!”
Anyhoo – it’s helpful, easy and super effective. I hope your kiddos will enjoy practicing their penmanship rules by reciting it, too!
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