Paper | The Canvas

We don’t always realize the importance of the surface we write on. Paper is an important piece of the puzzle to mastering handwriting.

Consider the following:

Blank piece of white paper: This is too much of a blank surface to write on. You end up seeing different size letters and words that start at the top of the page but end up at the bottom of the page :)…when using blank paper, use a highlighter to make boxes as a frame within which your child has to write. It will help them learn to stay in the lines and size accordingly.

Wide/pre write: To a young child who is starting to write, solid lines and dotted lines have absolutely no meaning. (this needs to be taught)..this kind of paper can actually look confusing. I like to use this paper and highlight as I go (if you highlight the whole page…it’s not teaching them where to write, it’s just that their page is now yellow!!)

Note: I like to cut the paper in half (chances are with little ones you won’t be using a whole page AND it’s less overwhelming)

You can print out this type of paper here.

You can also get this paper with raised lines. This is great for children with visual difficulties to help them judge boundaries without visually monitoring.

Wide rule: for older kids I like to use wide ruled but with dotted lines too. I find that the older children who come to me with handwriting difficulties still need the visual cue of dotted lines when forming lower case letters. Once again I highlight as I go.

You can print out this type of paper here.

You can also get this paper with raised lines. This is great for children with visual difficulties to help them judge boundaries without visually monitoring.