The Rhythm of Handwriting- TOS Crew Review

Handwriting used to be an easy subject for me to teach. That was before my left handed BOY!  Maybe it is just me, but all of a sudden handwriting just got more complicated.  Reviewing The Rhythm of Handwriting Manuscript, Complete Set  from Logic of English made it simple again.  Thank goodness.

The complete set comes with:

• A Quick Reference Chart
• Student White board
• Student workbook
• Tactile Card Set

The Rhythm of Handwriting, for ages 4 to adult, is a pretty straight forward program to use.  This 236 page workbook is laid out into 2 main parts, lowercase letters and uppercase letters, as well as a quick review of writing numbers at the end.  Each of those sections is broken down into a few smaller pieces, grouping certain letters together based on the particular strokes that are used to form the letters.

First the strokes are introduced and practiced, and then the letters are introduced and practiced one at a time. After a few letters are reviewed, the child writes words that use those letters.  Then the process is repeated with a new set of letters.  Eventually the practice writing expands to sets of words and sentences.  The whole thing is repeated when the upper case letters are introduced.

There are several highlights to this program.  The first is that it comes with a whiteboard that has white space for writing as well as a lined area.  On one side of the board the lined area is large and can be a good place to begin with new writers as well as those with fine motor limitations.  The reverse side of the board has slighter smaller line spaces.

The practice pages in  the workbook are similar, as they offer four different sized lines for your child to choose from to write on.  The pages are also perforated so they can be easily torn out and laid flat for ease of writing.

You can choose to buy the manuscript, like we did, or the cursive writing program.  Both come with a handy reference guide for the teacher's use.

Another neat part of this program is the set of tactile letter cards that are included.  Each letter is raised and  feels like sandpaper.  The perfect tool, especially for tactile learners!

How did we use this program?
Daily!  I originally taught my 6 year old son to write his letters a few years ago.  It was on a wing and a prayer.  One, because he is left-handed and two, because he is determined to do things his way.  It resulted in a pretty messy print and not correctly formed letters.  By using The Rhythm of Handwriting daily, I was able to fix many of the problems and mistakes I had allowed to slide under the radar.  Because he was already writing, we completed anywhere from 2-4 pages a day.  If you were just starting out with the process, I would recommend 1-2 per day.

What did we think?
I like this program.  Because I personally feel handwriting in an "extra" but needed subject that I do not want to spend a lot of time on.  This worked well for us.  It allowed us to see how each letter should be formed, correct mistakes my son had been making, and neatened things up a little.  There is no preparation required, just open the book and go.  Easy, quick, and a success!  We are just now reviewing the capital letters and already I have seen a huge improvement in my son's writing from when we first began.  He is more aware of his neatness and will quickly correct himself in his letter formation if he gets sloppy.

You can purchase The Rhythm of Handwriting, Complete Kit from Logic of English for $65.00.

Other Crew members reviewed additional products from Logic of English that have gotten rave reviews, including their Foundations and Essentials of English programs.  If you are in the market for a well-rounded English program, I would encourage you to read some of the reviews being posted.  We were blessed with the Logic of English program in the past and highly recommend it!

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