My Child Hates Writing

My Child Hates Writing

I have 5 kids that are all homeschooled. The differences between them is absolutely insane. Where my 5 year old will happily sit and complete worksheets all day, every single day – my 7 year old will revolt. He hates worksheets, hates writing, and thought he hated homeschool. This is how I change everything when my child hates writing.

 

I tried to look at this through his eyes.

 

His handwriting was barely legible, but this made sense to me because he refused to do any writing until we literally forced him to.

 

Then he was throwing a fit while trying to write, so of course his writing was messy.

 

It wasn’t until he said “I can’t write, it’s too messy!” that a lightbulb went off for me.

 

His issue wasn’t laziness or lack of interest – it was a confidence issue.

 

This is where I realized I needed to stop trying to check “writing” off of our to-do list and focus on making my son hate writing less.

 

Where before I wanted beautifully handwritten pages to include in my kids’ portfolios at the end of the year, I changed my goals.

 

Now I wanted to just see him willingly write something, anything, without it being a fight.

 

Without both of us ending the day feeling completely defeated.

 

Explore Alternative Methods: 

Recognize that not all learning needs to happen through traditional handwriting. 

I started asking my son to tell me stories about things he was passionate about doing.

He was building a lego set one day and I asked him to tell me a story about the characters.

It was short, but I quickly typed it out in a text to my husband.

This gave me an idea.

Now I sit with him while he’s busy playing with action figures or another lego set and type out on my laptop a story as he dictates.

While this isn’t handwriting, it’s 100% related.

Now my son sees the benefit in learning to convey his message.

Short, Frequent Sessions: 

Instead of long, tedious writing sessions, break up handwriting practice into shorter, more frequent sessions. This prevents burnout and frustration.

• Make it Fun: Incorporate games, puzzles, and activities that involve handwriting practice. For example, you could write letters in shaving cream on a table, use magnetic letters, or write with colorful markers. Turning handwriting into a game can make it more enjoyable for your child.
• Use Multisensory Approaches: Engage multiple senses while practicing handwriting. For example, have your child write letters in sand or salt trays, use textured materials for tracing letters, or create letters with playdough.
• Focus on Practical Applications: Connect handwriting practice to real-life tasks that your child finds meaningful. This could involve writing letters or cards to friends or family members, making shopping lists, or writing stories or journal entries about their interests.
• Offer Choices: Give your child some control over their handwriting practice by allowing them to choose the materials they want to use or the topics they want to write about. This can help increase motivation and engagement.
• Positive Reinforcement: Praise your child’s efforts and improvements in handwriting, even if they’re small. Positive reinforcement can help build confidence and encourage continued practice. No one wants to hear that they HAVE to do something. They’re passionate about things they feel they’re winning at. Making writing that. Only you can cheer your child into loving writing and handwriting.
• Address Underlying Issues: My son has always, literally always, hated coloring and writing. We built up the necessary muscles in his hands by encouraging him to play with playdoh and clay. The difference is seriously astonishing.
• Be Patient and Flexible: Understand that progress may be slow, and your child may have good days and bad days. Be patient and flexible. If today is just a crappy day, don’t try to force it. It’ll only end poorly for both of you.
• Seek Support: Connect with other homeschooling parents or online communities for support and ideas. You may find helpful tips and encouragement from others who have been in similar situations. While I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook, homeschool groups have been awesome for this!

Remember, the goal is not just to improve handwriting skills but really to not make them hate it. We all had a subject in school that we hated because we felt terrible at it. By making handwriting enjoyable and incorporating things your kids think are cool, you can help them develop the skills they need while minimizing frustration and resistance.