A Reason for HW vs. Happy Handwriting?

[jetzmama]

After checking out some pages of Cheerful Cursive and the reasonings behind using this program, I'm sold. I also checked out Happy Handwriting for manuscript and was very impressed. Does anyone know if there is a particular reason that would make RFHW a better choice than HH? They both look good, but my little one thinks he is supposed to 'connect the dots' with the RFHW approach... and sometimes gets confused as to which way the dots are going (despite having just practiced the letter in 'airwriting' ).

[inHistiming]

Well, I can't say anything about Happy Handwriting because I've never used it. We do, however, use ARFH and all of my kids really enjoy it. They have always seemed to understand and look forward to day five of each lesson when they get to write their verse and decorate the border. Actually, my youngest ds just finished his beginning book and was very excited to be getting into his new book, where he gets to decorate on day 5. So, that's my 2 cents. Hopefully you'll get some replies from folks who have used the other, or both, and can compare them for you.

[moedertje]

Hello,

Here is a post where Carrie explains why she picked RFHW over HH
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4990

Hope this helps since I had wondered the same in the past.
The scriptures to copy that are talked about are in book A of ARFH, not in book K. Book K teaches letter formation.

[blessedwith2]

Hi jetzmama! Welcome to HOD! The above link gives some good reasons for why Carrie chose ARFH. It's an excellent way to plant the word in the hearts of our dc while working on handwriting! When using worksheets with dotted/dashed letters, though, some children may have difficulty seeing continuous strokes instead of many "dot-to-dot" strokes to make their letters.

The easiest way to remedy this AND take advantage of ARFH's wonderful approach is for you to trace over the dashed letters with either a gray crayon or a highlighter. Demonstrate to your little one exactly how to write the letter. Then have your child trace over your tracing before attempting to write it without a model. Be sure to use the same demonstration of how to write the letters each time, as well as consistent verbal instructions. (Air writing is another great technique, too.) Demonstration by you and consistent instructions are really the two main keys to effective, efficient handwriting instruction, no matter which program you ultimately decide to go with. Also, remember to teach your child how to grip the pencil properly. It's much easier to do this before teaching how to write letters, thus forming good habits from the beginning, than it is to break bad habits later on.

Hope this helps! Enjoy your year with HOD!