Switch it up!
Try writing in shaving cream, in rice, or in finger paint. Color, draw, or trace with dry erase markers, crayons, markers, paint, and everything else you can get your hands on. Sometimes it takes some trial and error to figure out what your kid prefers. Some kids really excel and enjoy using dry erase markers as opposed to pencil and paper. Do some experiment to figure it out!
Copy pictures.
Copy pictures is one of my favorite activities to work on. It targets spatial awareness, fine motor skills, and tons of important pre-writing concepts but is still fun! You can start basic with different colored shapes and transition to more and more complex pictures!
Make it routine.
When you get back to some paper and pencil writing, make it part of the routine. Things that we do everyday give us practice to improve and the consistency removes any surprise factor that your kids may not enjoy. Incorporate writing into morning routine or daily independent work.
Add in some structure.
Add in som visual cues like small boxes or boxes that correspond with the length of word or shape or letter to cue students in on where their writing should go. This will help kids be more successful!
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One Response
Oh, this is so very much my son. They have literacy stations and writing back-to-back, and it make for a very long hour and forty minutes. He refuses to do his work, instead of asking for help – but, aside from the typical difficulty of vocalizing what he needs vs. “acting out”, it dawned on me that perhaps he doesn’t ask for help b/c he doesn’t know enough about what he doesn’t know in order to ask? (If that makes sense.)
Btw – I just watched your you tube video on behavior contingency maps where you addressed work avoidance. I’m going to see if something like that will help him understand that the work has to get done no matter what!