How to Improve a Five Year Old's Handwriting & Reading
Most 5-year-old children are in preschool or kindergarten, which provide the foundation for academic and social skills. Reading and handwriting are two major educational objectives for students at their current developmental stage. These subjects are not mutually exclusive. Students who easily recognize letters will probably begin reading earlier than classmates who struggle to identify them. Frequent handwriting practice in a variety of activities will help kids acquire letter-naming fluency essential to reading proficiency.
Instructions
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Teach phonics directly. Your students have to master many beginning reading skills to build phonological awareness, which is the knowledge that letters have corresponding sounds and shapes. Teach these skills daily in whole and small-group instruction. Target two letters a week and teach their names, sounds and shapes.
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Demonstrate correct handwriting procedures during whole-group reading instruction. Begin the day with a morning message consisting of one or two sentences. Write this message after the students are assembled and paying attention so they can watch you form the letters.
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Access the Internet for games and activities that improve reading and writing skills. Starfall.com has interactive games for every beginning reading skill you teach in kindergarten, from phonics to comprehension. Mrs. Alphabet.com has online games and suggestions for classroom activities that reinforce ABC knowledge. This site also has a handwriting feature called "Alphabet Practice Pad." Students click on a letter and watch while a spider writes the letters with a pencil.
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Combine handwriting and reading practice. Kindergarten students usually spend a significant amount of time in learning centers which are small-group, cooperative learning activities. Students rotate among centers while the teacher monitors and observes. In the reading and writing centers, include lined primary tablets and have students write sight words that are posted on the word wall.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Young child learning to write her name image by levo from Fotolia.com
