Handwriting by George – Review

My son loves to study history, especially early American history, but he does NOT like to practice handwriting.  The physical act of handwriting is challenging for my son because he has dysgraphia.

Many students fine-tune their handwriting skills at a young age, but due to my son’s writing challenges he continues to practice handwriting daily.  As he grew older it was important for us to find copywork that was interesting and meaningful.

The solution for us was Handwriting by George: Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company & Conversation by Greenleaf Press.

Inspired by George Washington

When George Washington was a teen he copied “maxims for polite behavior” into his school books.  In total Washington had 110 Rules of Decency and Civility.  It is believed Washington recognized these as appropriate behavior for a gentleman and they influenced his own behavior throughout his life.

Here are a few examples of Washington’s rules:

• “Put not another bit into your mouth till the former be swallowed.  Let not your morsel be too big for the jowls.”
• “Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation: for ‘tis better to be alone that in bad company.”
• “Put not off your clothes in the presence of others, nor go out of your chambers half dressed.”

What is Included:

The Handwriting by George series includes 4 volumes (each containing approximately 27 rules).

Our Findings:

• Copywork for a variety of ages – This program can easily be used by children in elementary and middle school.
• Drawing encourages creativity – Drawing a picture helps your children think about what the rule means and the situations in which it would apply.  My son typically does not like to draw, but he actually had a lot of fun with this part of the program, drawing George Washington in some funny situations as he attempted to bring these rules to life.
• Discussion starters – We talked about the words themselves – the differences in language and grammar usage during Washington’s time vs. today.  We also discussed the etiquette lessons contained in each rule — why the rule would have been important in Washington’s time and application to today’s world.

Where can you find this?

Handwriting by George books are available from Greenleaf Press.

Volumes 1, 2, 3 & 4 are offered individually for $9.95 each

Handwriting by George – ALL 4 Volumes is available as a set for $34.95

 

If your child struggles with writing you might want to read my post about How I Teach Writing to My Child With Dysgraphia for even more ideas.

As a veteran educator, Susan is always looking for new ways to bring learning to life for her family.  Her family’s favorite subjects to study together are history, geography, and literature.  Susan shares her family’s educational adventures at Education Possible and literature related resources at World for Learning.