Peterson Directed or HWT?

[SandraDumas]

Whoo hoo. Pigs fly. I decided to take the advice of the Hive Mind and do the eclectic workbook thing with my dd (preschooler)

She'll be five in November of next year. This is for next year.

Right now she flies through mazes but I think her fine motor skills are average to below average.

I am buying the rest of R&S preschool (we already have Adventures with Books.), MCP K Phonics, Singapore Earlybird 1a and b, and Kumon numbers...

Now all I need is handwriting!

I can't decide between HWT K and Peterson Directed K. Any thoughts?

The reason I like the idea of Peterson so much is that my older son exhibits more than the usual letter reversal issues. I think this may have been decreased by the method of memorizing the chant with each letter.

But my dd is different and who's to say she will have the same issues. I have limited time and HWT looks a little easier to implement, and cheaper.

I also hate it that HWT only does capital letters for two years. Why is this? Or am I wrong? Or is this a good idea b/c of motor skills? Maybe I shouldn't hate it.

ONE last question: Has anyone gone from HWT to Ball and Stick? My dd will start with CHC in first grade and they use ball and stick. I wonder if it will be hard for her to work with the three-line system after using HWT? That's a biggie in the decision.

[Julie in GA]

Well, I don't like HWT personally, but I noticed that they have a 3-line version in my font CD. Would having something like this help you with your transition? I can email you an example, if you like.

Also, it seems to me that starting one method in kindergarten, and then switching to a different method in first grade would be frustrating for your dc. I wouldn't do it, but would maybe get started with some preparatory "ball and stick" stuff instead.

[Beth in Central TX]

I really, really like the Peterson directed method with my boys. Chanting the letter movement along with the large motor skill movements and then the small motor skill movements has made teaching writing so much easier for me. I think I started with this method too late for my older boys; either that or they've just inherited their dad's messy handwriting genes. I've also had to lower my expectations for their handwriting too. Many people compliment their handwriting, so I think I'm just a little too overcritical in this area. Plus they're boys, and handwriting is not as exciting for them as it is for me. With that said, the approach to handwriting from the Peterson directed materials has worked very well for our homeschool. I've seen better success with my youngest since it's the only method he's been taught. If nothing else, I would recommend that you pick one handwriting program and stick with it. It really doesn't help to improve handwriting by switching programs every year. Well, at least not in our case.

I've never seen HWT, so I can't compare the two programs.

HTH!

[SandraDumas]

I am actually considering ordering direct from Peterson and getting a second book for my older son. THey are not that far apart (22 months) and he would enjoy working with her on something. I could re-teach him handwriting. He woulnd't be switching styles, just getting more direction for how to remember writing.

Often I find him turning letters into pictures...this would help him.

So maybe I'd kill two birds with one stone too!

[ELaurie]

ds 8 has had a lot of difficulty with handwriting, primarily due to some visual processing issues which have made developing his fine motor skills more challenging. Letter reversals have been a problem here too.

Peterson directed hand writing provides kinesthetic, auditory, visual and tactile input that promotes neurological development and integration, at the same time your dc are learning handwriting!

It's working very well for us : )