How to Make Handwriting Fun....not Work

I've been a mom for almost 6 years now and each and every day has been a learning moment.  This year, as she is a real deal student and kindergarten has probably been the biggest and most challenging parenting experience thus far.  To make things totally clear...I don't like to push my girl academically. I figure, like everything else in her little life, it will just come along when it comes along.  However, this kindergarten and homework thing has been overwhelming and taught me more than I could imagine.

One of the things I focus on at work with all my kids is making "work" fun.  What is the point of all of this therapy if the kids aren't having fun and looking forward to coming to their sessions?  What's funny is that for all those kids I work with, making handwriting and other graphomotor skills fun is kinda easy.  With my daughter, all I tend to feel is stressed which clearly hasn't been helpful for her or me.  One of my New Year's resolutions is that I will do whatever I can to make learning, particularly handwriting and learning how to read, fun for Quinn.

Interestingly enough, I have a kid who happens to have a terrible grip on writing instruments.  I have tried to correct it and encourage her to hold it the "right" way but I have found that that ends up causing a problem and stress before we have even begun working on our actual handwriting.  It's been difficult, but I have had to let go of that and just let her hold it her way.  I have found that this simple practice has made a bigger difference than I could have imagined.

1.  Practice "writing" with different materials-who says that the only way to learn how to write is with pencil and paper?  As a therapist with a lot of years under my belt, I have found that writing with a pencil is actually the last thing you should do, especially for younger kids.  Make it fun, make it hands on and make it an experience that they are excited to literally dig their hands into.  Use shaving cream in the bathtub or on a really big mirror if you have one.  Pour some rice on a cookie sheet or in a tupperware.  Roll playdough into a flat surface, find alphabet cookie cutters and write words with them.  There are so many options here so you can be totally creative.  This kind of activity is also great for working on building up kids' tolerance for playing with different materials if they tend to be resistant and also great for working on improving grasp strength and manipulation skills.

2.  Word Games-I have found that playing "games" with my daughter makes her attention last longer and get less frustrated.  I have a bunch of these awesome vintage letter rocks from Hope Learning Toys on Etsy and Quinn loves them.  One of the things we have done with them is to take her sight words and practice spelling and reading them while using these.  She loves digging through the letters and finding what she needs and is so proud of herself when she finally gets the word.  We will often use a Boogie Board to then practice writing the words afterwords.  Another great word/letter game is Spot It.  I am a huge fan of all things Spot It but was super psyched when I saw they created a whole line of alphabet and word games.  The kids I work with are super in love with the Spot It alphabet and word games that feature some of their favorite characters like Anna and Elsa from Frozen, Princess Sofia, Disney Princesses and their favorite Pixar characters .  Be sure to check out my post from a couple of weeks ago talking all about another wonderful line of Blue Orange games, the Super Genius series.  There are so many other great word games out there too....Boggle Jr., Scrabble Jr. and Zingo Word Builder are just a few of them! The best part of all of these games are that they can be played as a family or with friends.

3.  Magnet Play-I am pretty sure that most of us grew up with those plastic alphabet magnets on their fridge.  Little did I know growing up how awesome those alphabet magnets would be and how I would use them in my actual profession.  If you have a kid who is interested in learning how to write words but is struggling for some reason with the actual handwriting aspect of things (decreased grasp strength, poor grip, decreased handwriting endurance, poor confidence/self-esteem....I could go on), start with magnets.  Not only can you find a variety of alphabet (upper and lowercase) magnets, you can also find lots of great magnet sets for sight words (check out these by Educational Insights).  As your kids get older and are actually reading but need some encouragement for writing, check out this set by Magnetic Poetry for Kids.  Start by having them pick out their word magnets and "write" their story. This could take as long as you need for them to feel awesome about what they have written.  Once the story is complete, you can have them start to copy it (as much as they are comfortable with at a sitting) into written form.  If you want to get real crazy, have them illustrate their story as they are copying it.

4.  iPad Games-using technology isn't for everyone and that is something I totally get.  For me (with my own kid and the kids I work with), the iPad has been a bit of a game changer for me.  Let me get this out of the way....I don't use the iPad exclusively.  I use it as a motivator.  I use it to get my little ones excited about learning.  And it has worked.  The most important thing is picking the right apps to put on your iPad. It's hard to navigate that massive App Store...there are so many intriguing and beautiful looking apps out there that you can easily be convinced to buy those that aren't that great.  Here are my favorite and most recommended alphabet and reading apps:
LetterSchool-easily my most favorite handwriting app out there.  All my kids love it and are so motivated by the awesome graphics to learn how to write their letters and numbers that I use it and recommend it over and over again.
Endless Alphabet-I really can't get enough of all the Originator apps, but their original Endless Alphabet app will always hold a special place in my heart.  Kids not only learn how to identify letters, they learn their sounds and how to put those letters together to make words.  My daughter's understanding of vocabulary has really increased (like the word belch is super funny) from using this app.
Writing Wizard-this app by L'Escapadou is another one of my go-to's in regards to handwriting.  What I like about this one is that you can not only practice letters, but create word lists for your child.  Great for working on sight words!
***one of my favorite iPad tricks is to use a stylus for all appropriate apps.  My new favorite is the Cosmonaut Stylus, the iCreate Crayon Stylus and the Kikkerland Design Mini Retro Pen Stylus.  

5.  Write Books-one of the most motivating activities I have done with handwriting involves stickers.  When my kids have hit a bit of a wall with handwriting but I know that they know how to write the letters, I have parents pick up a bunch of stickers of something their kids are super motivated by.  For example, I had a kid years ago who put up such a fight about practicing his letters.  It was clear that he was bored and we needed to spice things up.  Well, this kid loved sports and I had his mom buy all kinds of stickers and he had to write the team names for each sticker.  It was so fun to watch him learn to love how to write.  For the first time, he began to understand that if you put a bunch of letters together you could write words and the most exciting thing for him was that he could write the names of sport's teams.  I have done this with the Disney Princesses, Shopkins, superheroes and a bunch of other things.  In the end, the kids get to take home this booklet (I also will print out coloring pages with pictures of similar themed things as to the book they are writing) and show off their weeks of hard work.

6.  Find a Penpal-one of the reasons I am really excited for my daughter to learn how to really write is because once she does, she will begin writing a Circle Journal with her aunt who lives in California.  Basically, they will write letters to each other in a journal that will go back and forth between Brooklyn and Los Angeles.  This is something my sister already does with my older nieces and I know that it is something that will not only help with Quinn learning how to write better, but something that will help her keep in touch with someone she loves who she doesn't get to see all the time.  While we are fortunate enough to have Facetime and email, I love the idea of my daughter being able to write letters and look forward to getting actual mail.  For your kids, you can pick out a bunch of fun postcards or have them help decorate their own stationery and choose one person per week to write to.  Designate a night to write the letter so it becomes something to look forward to each week.  Make sure that you choose people to write to who will write back so they can have the excitement of not only sending mail, but recieving it.

So these are some of the ways I am making handwriting fun not only for the kids I work with but my own kid.  Not to repeat myself, but it's so important that in a day and age where learning has become such work at such a young age, I want to stress how important it is to make it fun when at home. Sometimes just finding the best writing instruments (we are a big fan of the Yummy Yummy Scented Glitter Gel Pens in my house) for your kid will make handwriting fun.  Maybe it is finding the coolest journal or making fun stationery that will make your kid excited to write.  Whatever it is that motivates and excites your kid, make sure you maximize on that opportunity.

Now that I have shared some of my ideas, I would love to hear from any and all of you....parents, teachers and/or therapists....please let me know what your favorite writing activities are.  I am always so excited and grateful to hear from you all and your ideas help so many people.  I am only a click away and truly love hearing from you all!

What's On My iPad

I had grand plans this summer to do wonderful things with my blog and write at least weekly...maybe even more.  Well, the beach and my kid called and I hardly wrote at all.  Now I am playing catch up because this time next week, I'll be in that back to school panic mode and worry I won't have time to write.

I spend a lot of my summer trying to figure out ways to get things new and fresh for the new school year.  While there are a ton of apps on my iPad that I've had for years and that the kids never tire of, I like to add new ones.  In this post, I will share the apps that are the most popular with the kids in my life right now.  Some may have been written about before and others will be new.  The common factor is that they are fun, motivating and worth every penny (for those that you have to purchase).

I know that using an iPad in therapy is not for everyone and I certainly don't use as my sole means of

teaching a child a skill.  The truth is that using an iPad and finding good apps can be really motivating, especially to children who are struggling with skills.  I have found that an iPad is exciting for them, particularly for those children who don't have access to one at home.  Another great thing about it is that it is easily used in conjunction with other activities that address similar goals.  For example, how many of you have a kid or work with a kid who will avoid handwriting at all costs?  I have had so much more success with getting a kid to pick up a pencil and copy a shape or write a letter or number after they have practiced it on the iPad.  There are also a lot of ways to make using an iPad more therapeutic:
*use a stylus whenever you can while using the iPad, especially if you have a child who needs to work on improving their grip on writing instruments.  My favorites are the the iCreate Crayon stylus, the Kikkerland Retro Stylus and the Paper Mate 2 in 1 Stylus pen.
*whenever possible, I have my kids lie prone on the net swing or over a bolster when using the iPad.  This works on improving upper body strength but they are often so focused on what's on the screen that they aren't focusing on being or getting tired.
*when appropriate, try and have kids work together to play the iPad.  People don't think something like an iPad can encourage social skills, but I have found that it is a wonderful tool for that.  Turn taking, problem solving for puzzle games and increasing pragmatic language are all things that can be worked on using an iPad
*bring parents in and show them the apps you are using with their child so they can do them with them at home.  Parents are always asking me for things that they can do that isn't really work.  I know from trying to "work" with my own child, that if it looks like work to her, she won't do it for me.  Making sure it is fun goes a long way and parents feel good that they are having quality time with their children while working on important skills.

Here are my iPad choices for right now.  Each of them has been kid tested and therapist approved!  

Star Gurus-I'm always looking for connect-the-dot like apps but most of them are boring and the kids tire of them quickly.  Additionally, you get a couple of puzzles and then have to keep paying extra money in order to add more to your collection.  A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon Star Gurus by Colto, a wonderful a creative studio dedicated to creating educational apps that will "make your kids smile", and was so excited by how captivating and motivating they were.  In addition to teaching your kids to count, it works on improving eye-hand coordination, visual tracking and several other occupational therapy skills.  One of the things I like about this particular connect-the-dot app is that you also have the option of counting by 2s or 10s which makes this more appropriate for some of the older kids on your caseload.  I have also found that the kids I work with are super motivated about the final product of connecting the dots....once all the stars are connected, they form a constellation.  Very motivating and exciting for kids, especially those who are interested in stars!

Shape Gurus-another great app by Colto, Shape Gurus is a fun and motivating way to learn about shapes, colors and early geometry skills (I wish I  had something like this for myself when I was growing up!).  This app is appropriate for children as young as 2 years old, but the older preschoolers and young school age kids on my caseload are loving it.  Shape Gurus stimulates creative problem solving, sequencing, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and many more.  I like how each puzzle moves into the next one allowing the parent or therapist to work on building language skills at the same time.  At the same time, it can work on increasing attention span.  Since each puzzle moves into the next one, the kids are engaged and not wanting to stop playing the game.  Some of my kids with the shortest of attention spans easily spent the 15 minutes it took to complete the whole game without any encouragement from me.   

Lazoo Art Box-I wrote about this one in great detail here a few weeks ago, but didn't want to leave it off this list of my favorites.  Lazoo has been a long time favorite of mine and I discovered their apps because of the amazing activity books that they have developed over the years.  They have taken the magic and uniqueness of their books and put them into a truly dynamic and motivating app that encourages, motivates and gets kids excited about art.  The best part for me is that while there are clear ideas and suggestions about what to do (i.e. draw something coming out of an elephant's trunk, put swirly wool on a lamb or color in an airplane before it takes flight), they leave plenty of room for a child to think outside of the box and be as creative as they want to.  Lazoo Art Box is a great way to work on improving graphomotor skills such as 

LetterSchool-as for as handwriting apps go, LetterSchool continues to be my go to and the first one I recommend to parents who are looking for a fun way to practice letters with their children.  Whether you want to begin working on teaching children how to write their letters or if you want to review what they already know, this is the best app out there.  It comes with three options:  uppercase, lowercase and numbers.  There are two levels of play for lots of practice.  For each letter and number, you work through 3 games (tap, trace and write) in order to earn stars.  Once you have completed both the silver and gold levels of play, you can then unlock the opportunity to do free-form writing.   Don't forget to use your stylus when using this app!

Winky Think-Spinlight Studio is a series of logic puzzles that will help your kids develop problem solving and fine motor skills.  Due to the puzzles getting increasingly more challenging, this app is appropriate for preschoolers and school age children.  To quote my 5 year old daughter, "This started really easy but it's getting more difficult!"  However, it doesn't stop her from doing the harder puzzles and feeling more proud of herself when she gets the puzzles on her own.  I've tested it out a few times and must admit that I ended up getting sucked into it as well!  With each puzzle, kids learn a new tool that will help them solve puzzles that will show up later in the game.  One of the things I like most about this is that there is no timer and the children are given as much time as they need in order to solve each puzzle.  Often times these kind of math and reasoning games are timed and end up causing the kids I work with to get nervous and have increased difficulty in completing it.  Another great app for older kids.

Avokiddo Think Rolls/Think Rolls 2-another one of those apps that I have written about in great detail before but can't be left off this list.  Most of the apps I have are geared towards the preschool or early school age kids.  Finding apps that will keep the attention of the older kids on my caseload is more difficult and when I find one, I am super happy.  You can read all about all of the Avokiddo apps in this post here but Think Rolls and Think Rolls 2 is awesome for the older kids on my caseload.  Kids choose a character and have to move them through a series of obstacles and mazes.  Each chapter introduces a new object with a unique physical property that kids will have to manipulate and experiment with in order to get through each puzzle.  These games are great for working on focus, attentional and problem solving skills.  I sometimes have kids play this game together in order to work on improving social skills.  It's a great app for kids to problem solve and work together to solve the puzzles...especially as it gets more and more challenging.

So, these are the apps that are getting the most screen time on my iPad.  I love that almost all of them are appropriate for a wide range of ages and that they are interesting and challenging enough that parents won't mind playing them with their kids.  As a new school year begins and you might be looking for educational but fun apps for your kids, I recommend any or all of these 6 apps.  I know that we tend to try and decrease the amount of screen time our kids have during the school year, but rest assured that any of these will help with learning and building important skills that will carryover into what they are focusing on in school.

Do you have any great apps you discovered this summer?  Now that my own child is going into school, finding wonderful apps is even more important for me.  Send along any suggestions, questions or thoughts to me.  I am only a click away and love hearing from each and every one of you!

The Writing is on the pad...the iPad

I am always looking for great handwriting apps.  One of the things I work on with most of my children is handwriting and encouraging them that it can be fun.  With the introduction of the iPad to my professional (and personal) life, I have been able to motivate some of the kids who struggle most with handwriting by using the iPad.  I have a bunch of them on my iPad and iPhone.  Have even begun to use them with my almost 3 year old daughter, Quinn.  She is already eager to learn because of the super cool apps out there.  LetterSchool is definitely one of my go-to apps.  I use this in conjunction with the Handwriting Without Tears program and have found that my kids at work are more motivated and excited about learning how to write their letters and alphabet.

Today, during one of my home sessions, I was talking to an 8 year old who his struggling with handwriting and has recently been introduced to cursive.  She is one of the most awesome and hardest working girls I know and I want to find ways to make her feel better about her handwriting.  As we were practicing writing, I decided to do a search for fun and motivating iPad apps that featured cursive handwriting.  I am so excited about what i stumbled upon.  Fizzbrain Apps has a series of handwriting apps that will be sure to excite and motive your child.  I have already downloaded the Touch and Write and Cursive Touch and Write apps on my iPad.  And I can't wait to start using them at work.

There are a lot of great features of this app and I am still learning them all.  One of the things I really like is that it follows the Handwriting Without Tears way of writing so I will be able to use this in conjunction with the workbooks I use.  One of the things my kids love is that you can choose from over a dozen different materials to write with such as shaving cream, green jello and ketchup!

Another great feature is that you can change the level of difficulty depending on your child's skill level. For beginners, there is are cupcakes throughout the letter you are practicing that you have to drag a monster too.  Once you have mastered that level, you can choose to just drag the monster through the letter without the cupcakes as a visual cue.  If you don't draw the lines in the correct order, you have to keep trying.  The picture below shows the monster being dragged using chocolate frosting and having to follow the cupcakes as a visual cue.  

One of the last features I really love is that you can work on writing words as well.  There is an option so you can add words that you want to work on.  Great for children who need practice with their spelling lists.  Could also add your name (as seen above) and maybe the names of your friends or family members.  I love the idea of being able to personalize the app to your child's needs and/or interests.  

I can't wait to spend more time exploring this app with my children at work.  There is nothing like watching a child begin to master and feel more confident with their handwriting.  Children have so much on their plates in school these days.  So many expectations and they are constantly comparing themselves to other children and recognize their struggles or how things come easily for other children. My goal with finding these apps is to have fun while helping to develop a sense of mastery with skills.  As a therapist, I try and "hide" the work aspect of things and focus on the fun.  Chances are they will master and generalize the skills much easier and faster if i do it that way.  

For those of you with younger children who aren't working on letters yet, they have created a shapes version of this app.  Check out Shapes Touch and Write for you little ones.  It is never too early to start working on developing good graphomotor skills.  I am definitely going to begin using it with my almost 3 year old daughter Quinn.  

Do any of you have any great handwriting apps that you can share with me?  Would love to hear of any others out there or if you too have had success with either of these Fizzbrain writing apps.  As always, I am just a click away and would love to hear from you and answer any questions you might have.