TOS Review: Peterson Directed Handwriting (Cursive)

This year, Jungle Girl will be learning to write in cursive.

When I made this decision,
I really had not given much thought to HOW I was
going to teach this skill.

I mean, just print off pages and copy, copy, copy, right?

Well, after receiving...


...the Peterson Directed Handwriting for Cursive Program
to review,
I have changed my approach a bit...

*******************************************

This program explains that in order for a child to
achieve a true mastery of writing,
it has to be more than implanted in their
"muscle memory."

In order to do this,
the Peterson approach has the child speak
as he/she writes.

The above picture shows Jungle Girl
practicing the four basic stokes used to complete
all the letters in the cursive alphabet.

As she completes a stroke with her finger,
she says the action words while writing,
such as
"Sharp Top" or "Roll Top."

(Please note that she has not even picked up
a pencil to write with yet-
that comes later.

The Peterson Program recommends practice writing
with the finger first until the child has the
stroke down pat while saying the words.)

Another key component to this writing system
is the positioning of the paper...

...and practicing the strokes...
...in the air.

When a child has mastered his/her "finger writing"...

...he/she can move onto writing on a
chalkboard or dry erase board.

The final step will be putting the writing down
on paper with a pencil.

All these steps move the writing skills "further"
into a child's brain-
past handwriting just being muscle memory.

Handwriting then becomes another component
which aids in a child's reading development.

****************************************

I am SO THANKFUL to be using this program with
Jungle Girl this year!

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this product,
if you are looking for a way to incorporate handwriting
into your homeschool curriculum
and make it very beneficial to your reading program.

Also, another lovely bonus about this program is the
support system that is available to the parent-teacher.

When you first receive the product,
you can get in contact with the nice folks at
Peterson and they will schedule
a live, on-line training session with you.

I participated in one,
and it really helped me understand the program
and its implementation so much better
than if I had to do it all on my own!

*******************************************

Whether you are wanting to teach print or cursive,
I believe you will find The Peterson method
a nice addition to your homeschool.

And, for $19.95 for an individual license,
this product is certainly affordable,
considering all the coaching you can receive...

To find out more about this product,
please click HERE
to visit the Peterson website.

*********************************************

Disclaimer: I was provided this product free
for my honest opinion.
I have not been compensated in any other way.