Handwriting Without Tears

She did it, my poor daughter who was given 9 letters in her double name legibly wrote them in the right order.

I'll never forget her buddy Sam coming over one day when they were three and saying to her "S-A-M that's how you spell my name, how do you spell yours?" Blank stare.

No one warned me about the perils of trying to get a preschooler to remember the order of 9 letters when we picked a double name, which was kind of an accident in itself. Originally we were going to just call her by her middle name, Clare. After she was born we kept using both and it just stuck, so we have a Mary Clare.

As to the legibility of her name I give credit to a fabulous program called "Handwriting Without Tears". We just finished the Pre-K book and as the title promised, no one cried throughout the entire process. Unless you count my toddlers whining over his desire to scribble all over the beloved, special workbook that was reserved only for Mary Clare's pink crayon.

"Mat Man". He had feet, but they are slightly erased. 

The program begins with the assumption that your preschooler has never picked up a crayon before and by the end they are able to write all of their capitol letters, numbers and shapes. It also teaches colors and how to draw a person. Everything is very hands on and fun.

There are an overwhelming amount of things you can purchase with the program, so it can seem overwhelming at first. Did I really just type that? If you have a little one who is ready to start writing, and you think things like teaching your kid to write are fun, I would suggest buying the following:

Get Set for School Workbook
Pre-K Teachers Guide
Wood Pieces Set for Capitol Letters
Stamp and See Screen
Get Set for School Sing Along CD

Everything else you need you can just improvise or find cheaper at Target.

Happy Handwriting!