5 Summer Handwriting Activities
While kids are out of school for the summer, the likelihood that they will pick up a pencil and put it to paper is usually pretty slim. Most kids take a break from assignments and writing during the summer, however, if your child struggles with writing legibly, it’s important to work on these skills ALL year round! There’s no need to make them copy boring sentences for hours on end, a few minutes of handwriting fun each is all it takes to help your child continue to strengthen those skills. Sp keep those pencils and paper handy to ensure that your child’s handwriting skills don’t regress during the summer months! Here are 5 fun and engaging activity suggestions to try this summer to work on handwriting:
1.Pen Pals
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It’s amazing to me how some kids find it SO motivating to write a letter to a pen pal. This activity works on handwriting (because you want your pen pal to be able to read your letter) and also works on social skills! Your child may need help to format the letter properly and some kids need help with the etiquette of letter writing, but overall, I’ve found this to be a super motivating and fun way for kids to work on handwriting skills! There’s also the added bonus that there is no screen involved and what kid doesn’t like to get mail? So call up a family member or coordinate with some parents in your neighborhood or friend group and have your kids write letters… you know, the old fashioned form of e-mail.
2. Word Puzzles
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Word puzzles can be great because they don’t always have to involve writing full sentences, but you can still work on letter formation, letter sizing, and line orientation. Puzzles like word jumbles, fill in the blanks, and even simple crossword puzzles can give your child opportunities to practice writing one word at a time! Another fun word puzzle is to break out some Scrabble tiles and make words that you write out on paper. Then count up the points for each word and see who can get the most points!
3. Recipe Writing
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Does your child have a favorite recipe? Cooking together can be a great way to work on fine motor, sensory, and social skills. But did you know that cooking can also be useful for handwriting practice? The next time you want to cook something simple, ask your child to write out the grocery list for the ingredients (you’ll need to be able to read the list to get the right ingredients at the store). If your child is able to write in sentences, ask them to write out the instructions for how to make the recipe, keeping the words on the line and making the letters as legible as possible!
4. Silly Stories
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Silly Fill In’s (aka Mad Libs) and Roll N Write stories are often big hits with the kids that I work with and motivate them to write neatly. If you’re not familiar with a Silly Fill In, it’s basically a story with blanks that you fill in (based on what type of word is missing, such as a noun, adjective, or verb). The catch is that you don’t look at the story as you’re filling in the blanks, so the end product is usually a pretty hilarious story that kids will love to listen to! Silly Fill In’s are great for kids to work on writing one word at a time.
If your child is writing sentences, try a Roll N Write story. All you need is a Roll N Write chart (there are many examples online or check out our resources page),a die to roll, some lined paper, and a pencil. Roll the die and copy the first part of the sentence based on what the number is. On the second roll, write the next part, and so on until you reach the end of the sentence! For examples, check out our OT resources page for some free downloads!
5. Jokes and Songs
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Over the years I’ve found that many kids love music and many more love to tell jokes! The final handwriting activity is to have your child copy (either from memory or from a visual example) the words to their favorite songs OR write out their favorite jokes! Some kids even find it motivating to “write a book” of jokes to share with friends and family!
While handwriting can often be a touchy subject for kids who struggle with legibility skills, the more they practice, the better they will inevitably get. While there’s no need to FORCE your child to write every day, making writing fun and engaging is the best way to motivate your child to write on a more consistent basis. I hope that these activities will give you some ideas to keep your child engaged and working on those skills all summer!
