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Teaching Handwriting When Homeschooling the Early Years Part 2

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have part 2 teaching handwriting when homeschooling the early years. Also, look at my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum and The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter for more tips.

When I shared Teaching Handwriting The Early Years Part 1, it was important that you understand that handwriting is a natural step.

It’s a step to what your child wants to do next, which is communicate.

Even before a child can speak, they are starting to understand written language.

Those scribbles and shapes (i.e.letters) on the page communicate some kind of message.

The next natural progression then for a preschooler which a lot of parents unintentionally skip is to work on developing fine motor skills. 

Guess what? 

Developing fine motor skills at the preschool age and earlier is not done by teaching letter formation.  Not at this age.

Teaching Handwriting When Homeschooling the Early Years Part 2

Too, I did the first thing most new parents do.

And that is stick a crayon and some coloring books in their kids’ hands. 

Strengthen Fine Motor Skills During Preschool and Kindergarten

I soon found out that I had a couple of boys that hated coloring. 

Problems loomed on the horizon.

Sure all of my boys knew their alphabet by 3 years old but that has nothing to do with being able to pen the letters.

Understanding that developing fine motor skills is absolutely necessary to beautiful penmanship is the first step to teaching handwriting.

I cannot stress that enough in this blog post today. 

NOT writing on the lines, not forming their letters correctly, not writing their letters or even understanding that we write from left to right are more significant at this age than being able to strengthen their fine motor skills and core of their body.

It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be doing fun activities for letter recognition and teaching them how to read.

But formal handwriting does not need to be pushed.

It takes time to awaken those fine motor skill muscles through use each day.

Teaching Handwriting When Homeschooling the Early Years Part 2

(Mr. Awesome and Tiny working on fine motor skills by using edible peanut butter dough.)

This time period in your child’s life is called pre-writing. 

It is called pre for a reason and that is because it is the time they need to work everyday on fine motor activities that come BEFORE formal handwriting.

Little did I understand that asking Mr. Senior 2013 at 3 years old to write a letter and on the line (horrible, horrible) was like asking him to run a marathon before he could walk. 

Like running, muscles have to be strengthened first by stretching, walking and just general use each day before anybody could expect to run a marathon.

Solving Letter Reversals


On top of that I learned right away that boys lagged behind girls in fine motor development. 

Pre Means Before Writing NOT Same Time

There is nothing wrong with most boys, mine included as I found out years later. 

There are just differences between the way boys and girls learn and early on I noticed it too at this tender age.

Having to think outside of the crayon box (corny I know) I had to come up with activities that strengthened my boys’ fine motor skills as well as capture the fun element to learning.

Teaching Handwriting When Homeschooling the Early Years Part 2

(Mr. Awesome “sewing” with yarn and making a puppet.)

Because of the explosion of pre-writing activities on the world wide web now, it is easier to find them.

Choosing things that kids like to do naturally like build and play is the secret to finding activities that your children can do each day without the boredom factor.

Teaching Handwriting When Homeschooling the Early Years Part 2

(Working with their hands and fingers each day is key.)

Your imagination is the only limitation to finding and using things around your house too.

Here are a couple of places that will get you started on fine motor skills.

You must scoot by Heather’s blog as she is a wealth of information for learning about developmental milestones for motor skills. 

She offers a free printable for developmental milestones because sometimes you just need to know whether or not your child is progressing normal and if you need to intervene to seek professional help. 

Also, check out the post I put below because it has cool DIY toys for fine motor skills.

Fine-Motor-Skills-with-DIY-Toys-from-Lalymom

(Picture Attribution: Lalymom)

50 Cool DIY Toys for Fine Motor Skills

Don’t repeat my same mistake by pushing ahead and skipping over this very important and significant level in the handwriting process. 

When penmanship is sloppy in the later years, many times it can be traced back to this very fundamental step that was overlooked. 

This is not just play, it is schooling at this age.

More Homeschool Handwriting Curriculum Tips!

I am not quite ready to talk about about formal handwriting yet because I want you to be able to recognize the signs of writing readiness. 

I will share about that next and then after that I will be sharing some work of my boys’ penmanship at different ages.

Sometimes you just need to see that your child is on target. 

And yes, yes I will be sharing some resources that I like too.

When We Used Beautiful Feet Books as our History Spine

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

When we used Beautiful Feet Books as our history spine, it came closest to what I feel teaching history should embrace.

Learning about history is not about dead people, but about bringing the past to life through events and the lives of people.  Beautiful Feet Books uses that method and more particularly through their choice of living books.

Today, if I had to choose just one program, Beautiful Feet Books would be my top choice at any grade level.  I used Beautiful Feet Books for a few years of high school with Mr. Senior 2013 and it refueled our love for history after having chosen a not so good program the prior year.

Mr. Awesome still uses their books for his required high school reading.  We have used the Early American and World History and the Medieval History Sr. High levels.

The things I am fond about the most about Beautiful Feet Books are that:

  • Living Books are used.

The series of books that made us lap up our history time I have mentioned before are by Genevieve Foster.

Focusing on a famous character of the time period, in each of her books she weaves other events going on and other important characters living at the same same time of the famous character.  One of the most beautiful features of the books is that line drawings of characters and events are in each section.  Mr. Senior 2013 was so inspired by them that he started keeping a notebook and drew some of his events from history.

History Guides As Springboards

Events are folded in naturally and told like a story. No one at any age ever tires of an action packed story.  Too, Genevieve Foster wrote the books in the forties and fifties, pre-politically correct times.  Those kinds of books I hunt high and low to stock in our home.

  • Their philosophy in teaching history, which is that you don’t have to use a chronological method for kids to make important connections was another draw for me.  I was able to relax and realize that though the chronological method to teaching history benefited me at times, it was not the only way to teach history.
  • Their no fluff style of their manuals I also enjoy at this season of homeschooling.  A few ideas on how to engage your child through notebooking, extra reading or a few extra assignments are assigned in the guide and that’s it.
  • I like the fact they help you with planning middle school and high school by assigning credits. This was much help when planning high school credits.
  • I also liked seeing the overview of all the programs or scope and sequence.

However, some of the same things I am fond about the most may be the very things that might not work for you depending on what you are wanting to achieve this year.

Look at some of these things to consider.

  • The manuals are nothing more than a question/answer format.  I prefer this style now in my homeschooling because I prefer always to add in my own content and to use the guide just as a guide.  If you are looking for extensive help on fleshing out background information or hand holding, it is not found here.  For us that year, it served us well because I expected Mr. Senior 2013 to do his own research if he didn’t understand some background information.  Too, Mr. Senior 2013 or Mr. Awesome really didn’t follow the guide for reading assignments. They just read each day within out time schedule and at their pace and use the guide as self-checking.
  • It uses a more Charlotte Mason approach which is a more gentle approach to high school.  At the high school level, some parents want more reading assignments.  This gentle approach suited us because I wanted my sons to have reading assignments in our Bible material and language arts.
  • Some of the books that are used move fast and events change quickly.  I feel a good reader would be able to keep up with the quick stepping pace of the books.  However, a slower reader may get lost in how fast the books can change topics.  It may require some research for background events.  However, if your child keeps on reading past parts that don’t make a complete picture at the moment, all of the main points soon are tied together.  My sons used the guide to help them see the main points or events from the reading.

Middle school and high school though wasn’t my first introduction to Beautiful Feet Books.

When I first started homeschooling, I did one elementary level, the Early American History, with Mr. Senior 2013 when he was in Kindergarten. Or I should say, I used the D’Aulaire books for our read aloud time.  I absolutely savored our time together reading those books, but soon left Beautiful Feet Books because I was afraid of repeating a mistake.

At that time, I was attempting to move away from boxed curriculum after having failed miserably the first time in putting my curriculum together.  So I was real cautious about laid out curriculum and didn’t have enough experience to know that it had the gentle nature that I was fond of.

Little did I know then that I would be returning to Beautiful Feet years later, seasoned and with a lot more clarity about the way I wanted my sons to learn history.  Too, I realized that Beautiful Feet Books had just the right amount of guidance that we wanted.

BFB Notebooking 1BFB Notebooking 2

Fast forward to the high school years, Mr. Senior 2013 soaked up his high school years because he went down trails of history that he blazed as I once again used Beautiful Feet Books. One day he would focus on art and another day he wrote about mythical gods.  None of this was assigned in Beautiful Feet Books, but it just served as a springboard to studying what he was interested in at the time.

I think your reader of history would love the books even if you didn’t follow the guide and reading assignments like we did.   Making it our course, we thoroughly enjoy this style of learning history and using Beautiful Feet Books as guides when we need them.

Hugs and love ya,

Want to read more?

Review of What Every Child Needs to Know About Western Civilization by BrimWood Press.

How to Use a History Spine to Build Your Study of History

When we used Notgrass World History as our History Spine

8 Ways to Teach Homeschool History Other Than Chronologically

Should Homeschool History Be Covered in Chronological Order?

When We Used Story of the World as our History Spine

5 Signs That You Need to Switch Your Homeschool Approach

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Sharing 5 signs that you need to switch your homeschool approach, maybe I will spare you my same stubbornness struggle.

5 Signs to Switch Your Homeschool Approach

Switching from a strictly classical approach to a more unit study approach with an eclectic twist was not easy for me. However, there were tell-tale signs.

Unless you have a public school teacher background (I did not) when you first started homeschooling, you probably were unaware of a homeschool approach. I wasn’t even able to define the term.

First, being able to define a homeschool approach helps to sort through what will work for your family and what will not.

5 Signs That You Need to Switch Your Homeschool Approach
A simple definition for homeschool approach would be the techniques, style, manner, and beliefs as to how you will educate your child.

1.You now understand that you may have chosen your current homeschool approach by default not choice.

Being able to understand and articulate that simple, but powerful definition of a homeschool approach was my first prompt in realizing now that I had homeschooled a few years, I needed to research more carefully the best way to teach my children.

When I started homeschooling I almost felt like I chose a homeschool approach by what I call default.  Classical approach was the homeschool approach my brain was drawn to; it made sense to me.  By default because I was the teacher, I chose that homeschool approach for my children.

2. Regardless of your teaching preference, your children learn better with another style.

My second sign was that although the classical approach worked most of the time for my oldest son, my middle son learned best by more hands-on activities.  I truly was not going to leave any child behind.

3. When you’re losing your homeschool joy because you want something to be successful.

The next sign was one that was real important to me and that was that all of us, including myself, were losing the joy of learning.

Although the definition of homeschool approach in its simplest form means your individual style of teaching, it has to be something you enjoy doing each day too.

Losing a bit of my joy in teaching, I knew the classical approach wasn’t exactly a perfect fit for my teaching style.

Constant moans when we got ready to homeschool played a part too.

You know they weren’t the normal I-am-not-in-a-mood-today-for-school moans, but major moans. The I hate to read now were words spoken in my house. 

My heart was heavy because my push and my drive for a heavy language arts focus was stealing our joy.

Although I can’t all together blame the classical approach because I could have added balance, it certainly started feeling like a noose around my neck.

I could easily move past not having such a great day teaching, but young children don’t have the same ability to reason that sometimes things are temporary.

4. Your day is getting longer and longer because you’ve been focused on following the curriculum instead of the lead of your children.

Another negative sign was that I started making our days go longer and longer, which is beyond anything that I preach tout for teaching kids in the younger years

5. Knowing that when we added in something else other than what our curriculum called for, my kids were more engaged. In our case, it was hand-on activities.

Also, we were finding delight when we took time out of our reading and writing.

For instance, we added a volcano activity, outside geography hunt in the yard or made a themed history meal. They were indicators that we needed more hands-on activities.

Careful Stubborn teacher that I was, it still took me another two years before I changed.

Also, I knew that I had to adopt a homeschool approach that fit my whole family and not just suited me as the teacher.

The good thing about homeschool definitions that you adopt is that they can be expanded.

Now, my expanded definition of homeschool approach would be this:

A homeschool approach would be the techniques, style, manner, and beliefs as to how you will educate your child AND it is the way a teacher nurtures a love of learning recognizing and accepting how a child learns best.

You’ll also love these other tips:

5 Signs That You Need to Switch Your Homeschool Approach

Do you have any of these symptoms signs?

5 Signs That You Need To Switch Your Homeschool Approach @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus.

Hugs and love ya,

Homeschooling Middle School Doesn’t Always Mean Middle Way

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Arriving at the middle school years can be a time of mixed emotions for both mom and child.  But homeschooling middle school doesn’t always mean middle way in our journey.  It is only natural though that middle school weigh heavy on the mind because it is a midpoint. Also, look at my page homeschool middle school for more fun tips.

3 Smart Strategies to Middle School Homeschool

Having gone through these grades twice now with my oldest sons, there are several things that helps me to stay grounded.

  • It’s about discovering your child’s individuality. 

Curriculum will come and go, but this is the time to focus on who your child will become.  It was hard for me to look at my boys then to picture the men they will become but it happens.

Middle grades are a time for discovering the strengths and weaknesses of your child’s character.  Middle school kids want to know how they fit in the world and they need time to explore a whole host of activities.  Whether you think they are behind or ahead in academics has nothing to do with their changing emotional and social needs.

Homeschooling Why Middle School Doesn't Always Mean Middle Way in Homeschooling

Self-discovery may come through field trips, attending classes without other siblings, or even volunteering for community service projects.  It may even come through an activity they enjoy doing alone.  Bottom line is that it is about discovering who they are and how they will contribute to this world.

I think it is one of the hardest times to homeschool too.  Because the kids are feeling the tug of adulthood but don’t have the skills like driving or the experience at planning to fulfill them, it is very discouraging at times.

It requires extra work on our part because it requires extra time.  Add in the time demands of a toddler or younger siblings to a middle schooler’s unique needs and it can be quite stressful.

Finding another homeschool mom you can trade off with in driving your child to his classes, hosting a co-op on a subject your child likes with only one other family at your house and driving them to classes every other week are things I have done to feed their need for adventure and discovery.

During those grades I have also found that my sons were ahead in subjects and lagged behind in others.

With both of my older sons, it has never meant either that we were exactly middle way in our journey or in academics.

  • Re-evaluate the academics. 

This is the time too that I have to switch from my teacher hat to supervisor hat.  Like us, our middle school kids want the same freedom to pursue subjects that interests them.  Without giving up the parental guidance, we need to throttle back the control.

It’s important for them to understand that though they have more input in their academics now, it doesn’t mean that you are willing to negotiate the core subjects.

You have to be willing though to let them try a new math program (approved by you of course) or writing program.  Negotiating how they approach core subjects, times about when they do them or where they do them shows you are willing to let go of control.

Many times I gave my sons a couple of choices in curriculum that I had weeded through at some of the conventions.  Some of the programs were ahead in some subjects, on target in others and a few for lower grades.

My oldest son was very decisive at that age about which math and writing program he wanted to stick with.  My second son, not so much.  So I made the choice for my second son and he was completely fine with it.

The point I am making is that both of my sons had a choice about academics because I wanted to show my willingness to be reasonable as this journey eventually becomes their education.

Too, some kids are very advanced in middle grades and are already capable of doing high school level work.  I always let me sons move ahead where needed and simmer on other subjects as they needed to.

  • Letting go of the best homeschool approach – your approach.

Ouch, this next suggestion of being willing to let go of a homeschool approach that you have followed for many years is a touchy one.

However, being willing to switch your homeschool method or approach that has been working for you as the teacher is crucial to surviving middle school.  Try to avoid micromanaging your children because it stifles any efforts for self-independence.  Clear accountability works better and is of more value because in real life, that is when they are adults, nobody runs behind us to remind us.  We learn by reaping the benefits or consequences of bad decisions.

I’m right there with you too because this is kind of scary for us as moms when we have been use to taking all control for their education up to this time.  I had to learn differently too because my sons now learned differently.  If you want your children to be independent learners then your method of teaching has to follow what works best for them.

When I started homeschooling and my children were young, the classical approach to homeschooling fit my idea of what my husband and I thought homeschooling should look like.  It still does in many ways.

Along the way though I learned that I didn’t have to be so dogmatic about it but that I could embrace many strengths from each homeschool approach.

Having boys and knowing they learn best by hands-on allows me to mostly choose resources that fit our unit study method.

I have not given up any of my homeschool goals but have partnered with my sons in embracing their homeschool approach that becomes more clear during the middle school grades.

I have found that the middle school years are an exciting time as my sons emerge.  It is a good place to be if you stay flexible and realize that the many different approaches to homeschooling exist because we have many different types of learners.  Embrace it, don’t run from it.   And change for goodness sake if you need to because it will mean the difference between making the most of middle school or having a collision midway.

I will be sharing some resources in upcoming posts that worked good for us too during the middle school grades.

Are you willing to let go of the middle school struggle and seize these exciting years?

Hugs and love ya,

2012Tinasignature DIY Homeschool Organizing With Duct Tape

When We Used Story of the World as our History Spine

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

When we used The Story of the World as our history spine in the younger years, it was one right choice I made for us.

Although loving history, my knowledge included only the history of the United States and it was pretty lame at that.

Because the The Story of the World came out around the time my oldest son was in the early grades and because I had read numerous good reviews, I used it. 

It ended up being a perfect fit for all of my sons.  We did begin with Volume 1 and worked our way through Volume 4, which is the whole series.

When we used The Story of the World as our History Spine

It is hard to find history programs for very young children that are presented in a story format and that make teaching history to young children easy. That is one thing I appreciated about the format.

I think it’s a must to have not only the story book, but the Teacher’s Manual which has the activity pages in them or purchase the activity pages separately for each kid.

STORY OF THE WORLD AS A HISTORY SPINE

The teacher’s manual not only has questions that help you to review the story but it has the answers right there too.  No flipping to another section to find the answers  That is a huge tiny pet peeve of mine about teacher’s manual.

Also, there are plenty of resources listed and choices for extra reading for a variety of ages.

It is a multi-age resource, which is a great find too if you are teaching more than one child.

If you are new to homeschooling or if you don’t have a huge background in history, The Story of the World  makes teaching history painless. It would make a great addition to your curriculum too even if your kids are a bit older. 

If your oldest kid is beginning middle school, I think this curriculum is still doable to teach all your kids if you have that circumstance.

Volume 4 is targeted for grades 4 to 8.  So if you have children in that age range and want to use this, just remember that Volume 1 was written for 1st to 4th grade.  I don’t see any harm in using it for your kids if they are older and can tolerate a bit of the language written in the earlier volumes for younger children.  It sure helps the teacher mom along.

The Story of the World is just an introduction to history and I think it does a fantastic job of hooking your children on history along with the maps and activities laid out in the program.  It helped us to form in our minds some major pivotal history points that the boys still refer to today.

It has slight Christian content, but we always added more.  I have said before I appreciate that fact about curriculum sometimes because we can cover Bible subjects at our pace.

Overall, The Story of the World is a keeper for us because of the ease of use, story format, use for multiple ages, teacher helps and having everything laid out.

On to more history spines we used through the years in my upcoming posts.

Hugs and love ya,

Want to read more?

Review of What Every Child Needs to Know About Western Civilization by BrimWood Press.

How to Use a History Spine to Build Your Study of History

When we used Notgrass World History as our History Spine

8 Ways to Teach Homeschool History Other Than Chronologically

Should Homeschool History Be Covered in Chronological Order?