A Peek Inside: Creative Alphabet For Preschool and Kindergarten

Marie Picard’s handwriting series startes with a Creative Alphabet For Preschool and Kindergarten and goes up to well beyond 5th. I use the K-2 books for one reason, EBOOKS. I bought them ages ago and print them out. I especially like the later books that teach handwriting according to similar shape, not alphabetical order.

I use THIS BOOK for First grade and THIS BOOK for 2nd grade when we’re learning cursive. If you’re using Sound Beginnings, you really don’t need a separate handwriting book.  IMG_0614

This text is used in the older for MODG Kindergarten syllabus.  It is only intended for handwriting practice.  One page is taught per week, spending a little time each day forming the letters and tracing the words.  The syllabus follows the text by teaching the letters in alphabetical order which will not match the reading assignments.  There is no attempt to make them match this year.

The idea is to get a handle on this wacky invention we call the pencil.  It’s not necessary to have any idea what you are writing.  We’re going for muscle memory, or at least muscle-familiarity.

This is also why it’s important to practice actual letters, rather than just drawing or doing mazes and whatnot.  Even if a child doesn’t know the letters he’s making, his hand begins to memorize that we always start at the top, we always make our circles THIS direction, etc.

These days MoDG recommends Writing our Catholic Faith. My kids don’t love it. Like the Picard books, they’re just black and white. When I do go buy handwriting books, I get the Universal Handwriting books, which are IDENTICAL to the Writing Our Catholic Faith, but IN COLOR and sadly without religious clip-art and exercises.