The Kids' Guide to Getting Your Words on Paper: Simple Stuff to Help You Develop the Skills and Strength for Writing

by Lauren Brukner

Does your hand ache when you write? Packed with fun and simple ideas to help kids feel good about writing, this handwriting book with a difference helps children embed the strength and skills they need to get the most out of their written work, at home and school! From different kinds of cushions, hand warm-ups, and cool eye scan exercises, and pencil grips to yoga balls in cardboard boxes, personalized activity binders, playdough, lego, and Velcro on pencils, this book is filled with fun stuff to help kids focus, get stronger, and be in control of their writing. The strategies in the book are accompanied by cartoon-style illustrations, and the author includes useful tips for parents and teachers as well as handy visual charts, a quiz to identify areas of most difficulty, and checklists for children to track their own progress. Armed with the strategies and exercises in this book, kids will be well on their way to writing with greater ease, and the positive self-esteem that goes along with that. Suitable for children with writing difficulties aged approximately 7 to 12.

112 pages, Paperback

Published April 21, 2020

Reviews

[Etienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book that supposed to help children developing their writing skills. We pretty much cover the motor aspect of writing and not much of the brain/cognitive part of it. The book also have an ambiguity of targeted reader, sometimes it look clearly for children, sometime more for adults and sometimes a bit of both at the same time, which make it a bit unsuitable for both in the end. It has some good thinking behind it and can use has a reminder to «educator» to guide children and think of things to try if something seem wrong, but at the same time any competent educator should be able to think about those things on his/her own without the help of such a book. Even if it has some good elements in it I wouldn't recommend that book!

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

I'm not sure about how useful and interesting this book would be for children of its targeted age group. I thought the context and ideas behind the book were a great idea but i just dont think many children would actually sit and try the exercises within the book itself.
I liked the progress trackers after each section but again I'm not sure if children would wholey benefit from their use or even try them.

[Sarah Faichney · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a parent, I found this interesting and informative but there's no way my 11 year old would read it himself and I think that the intended target audience is younger still. Having said that, I will discuss it with him and try out the exercises. The book provides a valuable insight into the specialism of occupational therapy and uses plain language throughout, without appearing condescending. I liked the tone and content. My only other observation is that this would be a fantastic resource book in an ideal world - where children are fully supported within the classroom in order that their individual learning styles and support needs are met, and where they don't worry about how other kids will respond to their being "different". The other assumption is that caregivers are willing and able to provide/purchase the recommended materials. That is not the fault of the author but something I felt was important to note. Overall I liked the book, it was a quick read and has given me lots of ideas to explore further with my child at home in the first instance. I particularly liked the inclusion of a Glossary and Recommended Reading section at the end of the book. I am also interested to read some of Lauren Brukner's other titles.

[Myshara Herbert-McMyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book and learning about methodology to help children write. Many of the skills and tips given in this book would have been extremely helpful to many of the kids I grew up with, including myself and my sister. I plan to keep this book on hand as I plan to be both a mother and a teacher and I believe that the ability to write and hand-write properly is a very important one throughout life.
This book would be good for all kids, but especially for those that struggle with concentrating on or having interest in writing.

[Regina Chari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This workbook is empowering for children who are struggling with their writing. It provides many activities and tips that a child would learn from an occupational therapy appointment.

This would be great in a classroom, library or for any child struggling with pencil grip or writing. Some of the language may require adult help for younger kids.



The publisher made this book available for review on netgalley. This review is my honest opinion.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book has potential to be a great resource for kids who have difficulty with writing for a variety of reasons. But please note this is not a book that you can just throw at kids and expect them to figure it all out on their own. Teacher and parents should review it first and then go through it with the child. Also, follow any directions and support from your occupational therapist. There are a lot of words for a child to sort through on his own. But then that child should be empowered to make his own decisions about which tips and tricks work best for him.

I love the exercises presented in this book and remember using several of them when I was teaching, as well as a lot of the suggested tools. I like that it does empower the child to express how each activity makes her feel and which ones work best for her.

A couple of things bothered me a little bit. There are pre-printed writing lines where the child is supposed to copy a particular phrase or practice. Those lines are obviously hand-drawn, so they are wobbly and not the same size. I would rather those lines be standard and straight. But all of the charts and bookmarks, etc,. are all clearly printed and look neat and tidy, which makes them easy to read. That's another reason that I do not understand why the handwriting lines are all hand-drawn. And then the pencil emojis at the end of certain sections are a fun idea, but I find it very difficult to distinguish between the three facial expressions on the pencils. The mouths are so small that you can barely make them out and the eyes do not change too much.

The copy that I reviewed was a digital copy. I hope that the pages that have the bookmarks and things on them that are supposed to be cut out end up being pages that are blank on the other side. Otherwise, you're losing some important information! Or I hope that the book ends up in a format that allows for very easy photocopying.

So overall, I do see a lot of benefit to this book and a few tweaks would make it a little more appealing. Teachers and parents can learn a lot from it and its suggestions for activities, which could easily be implemented throughout the environment for all kids. And then the kids can figure out which techniques best help them in their own situations. They even help kids who are not showing those stronger signs of needing extra help when writing. I had many of these as a part of my general classroom offerings for all children and then encourage certain children toward certain techniques. Otherwise, they were able to figure out what best suited each of them.

Thank you to the publisher for fulfilling my review request via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Jamie Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good If Your Child Has Trouble Writing

This book is designed to help children with the physical and mental skills they need to write well and more comfortably. This book specifically focuses on five problems that early writers could have, like issues with their eyes or their hands, focus, feeling overwhelmed, and being physically comfortable while they write. The title suggests that this is meant to be a guide for children to use themselves, and the chapters inside suggest that the child can work through this book alone except at a few different points. I don't agree with that. At the stage where a child is beginning to write or is writing more often, they aren't necessarily good readers, and there is a lot of text at times without a lot of illustrations to break it up. I think if a child is having difficulties with writing because of the issues mentioned above, he or she would be better served if they went through this book with a loving parent or caregiver. There is a section at the back clearly labeled for the parents about helping your child set up a writing routine. It has small charts to track progress, bookmarks with the exercises, and extra pages the child can write on. By the way, as I often have trouble with my wrists, I actually gave some hand exercises a try. I do think they would help loosen up young hands and wrists. If your child is having issues with writing because of physical discomfort, feeling overwhelmed, or lack of focus, this book will most likely help you help him or her develop good writing habits.

I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a parent with two second-graders, trying to navigate distance learning during this crazy time in our lives. While I know this book is written for kids - I feel like it's written for ME! While our school kept up with reading and math assignments and writing assignments were done over apps, handwriting fell to the wayside. It is a struggle to get my kids to sit and write anything - stories, comics, sentences, lists. This book has helped us find ways for them to be comfortable, figure out what's making them tired/frustrated, and also gives them the power to help themselves.

This guide starts with a quiz for the kids to determine where they may have difficulties. Then it includes exercises, tips, strategies, and recommendations for each writing-learning style. There are progress charts! An appendix full of reminders and templates! Like I said, this is written for kids (but also for parents!).

I will recommend this book to all my friends with children who need help with their writing. This is a strange time we live in and our homes are not the same as schools. But this book will help us get through whatever distance learning is in our future.

*I was provided an e-book copy for review by NetGalley. All opinions are my own.*

[adaynasmile · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book that was FULL of different ideas in order to help tackle some of the most common reasons children can have for struggling with writing. I originally wanted to read it in order to help my 9 year old who still struggles with writing. I think this book had many great ideas and could be very useful for many parents and teachers. However, I found for me, that it had many of the same things listed in it that have been tried over years of OT and within his classrooms. I think that if a person does not have a history of fine motor delays but is still struggling with writing, this book might be just what they need to help get some ideas to help the child get on track. It just wasn't the book for our situation or my son.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy of this book. Occupational Therapist Lauren Brukner gives students tips and tricks for getting their writing voices heard. The book is laid out well and is separated according to the types of struggles a child may encounter. The first half is aimed at and speaks to a child. The second half is aimed at helping an adult guide their child through the exercises and processes. I appreciate how Brukner talks to children in an understandable tone without talking down to them. I can see this book being very useful for students who struggle with writing for long periods of time.

[Twinkletoes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from netgalley and my opinions are my own. I liked the progress trackers after each section but it does target certain age ranges. The illustrations so to speak are cute. There's plenty of exercises and it uses plain language that's easy to understand. I will keep a copy to try with my own children as I think it will be a great resource book in our homeschool classroom.

[Aria Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent guide to help kids who are self motivated and need direction and help. There are plenty of exercises, examples and tips that can help young children get on the right path to help them have a more successful academic future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Stacey (Bookalorian) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for kids. Clear and concise and I would definitely get this for my preschooler!! If I could have I would have printed out a sheet, got my girl to do it and sent pics! It's brilliant!

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book!!! Its format, language and info is clear and easily accessible to parents, educators and children!!

[Ravenclaw Library Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book with tips and tricks to help children learn. My nephew found this book very beneficial.

Many thanks to Netgalley.