These paper strips, both the short (shown) and the long versions, are great for summer writing practice. Here are a few handwriting tips to make writing on these strips really fun:
- They have two different sides; use both of them. There is a single baseline side which can be much less confusing for the Pre-K set. Trim the width so that the top of the paper is the top line. You don’t need to write a top line in. If you find that a child really cannot or will not stop at the baseline, make the baseline thicker with a wide marker and then cut off the space under the baseline. You won’t need that room for uppercase letters. I tend to agree with Handwriting Without Tears about too many lines for little kids. The kids finishing kindergarten can handle a variety of lines, but the 4’s just get confused.
- Use these as affordable nameplates in your home for kids who are just starting to read print or cursive.10 Easy Ways to Prepare Preschoolers to Write
- Make a treasure hunt that requires them to copy a word in order to receive the next clue. Don’t forget that if the child is a lefty, the word they are copying is to the right side, and the space they are writing on is on the left. They need to see your word clearly without twisting their wrist. Take a look at The Two Differences in Teaching Lefties to Write That Teachers Forget for another secret of teaching writing to lefties!
- The paper colors are wonderful, so for children who cannot effectively copy from a model yet, use a gray crayon stroke like Handwriting Without Tears, then have them trace your writing in black. Use the single baseline side. Their work will be vibrant.
- Write a story using the long strips, taping each sentence together. Vary the colors and it will be a wonderful graphic as well as a treasured creation.
- If you are a big fan of HWT, you can add in the midline to the side that just has a baseline for lowercase letters and cursive. Remember, kids like to know grown-up things, so be sure that you instruct them on the real name of each line (baseline, midline, topline). Not to be too critical of Fundations, but even though the “worm line” sounds cute, the kids I know are not into cute as much as they are into being 5 going on 15. They want to know what grown-ups know.
- You could just buy the long strips and cut them shorter if you have a steady hand. I think they are very affordable, but it is possible that you wouldn’t go through 75 short strips and 100 long strips by the time school starts again!
