Writing Supports Chart
Writing by hand is hard work for some people. These are ways to get your ideas down with less strain. Pick the ones that help you.
Need more than one? Tap + for extra copies (up to 10).
How to do it
- Read the signs that writing feels hard.
- Read the eight supports.
- Pick one or two to try this week.
Teaching tip
Share this chart with your child's teacher, with the supports that help checked or circled.
About this chart
Signs that writing feels hard and eight supports to try, like saying it first, using a word bank, writing in shortcuts, grid paper, typing, speech-to-text, wider lines and hand breaks.
What kids practice
These are supports for kids who find handwriting slow, tiring or hard to read, even when their ideas are strong. By 4th grade, kids are asked to write more and take notes, and the effort of forming letters can crowd out the thinking. These sheets offer ways to get ideas down with less strain: saying ideas first, word banks so spelling doesn't slow the pencil, shortcuts for notes, grid paper that keeps math digits lined up, paper with a shaded writing space, and keyboard practice as another way to write. These sheets can help many children, with or without dysgraphia. They are not a test and not a diagnosis. If writing worries you, talk with your child's teacher or doctor.
Watch for
- Judging the ideas by how messy the handwriting looks.
- Asking for long copying jobs that tire the hand before the real writing starts.
- Crowding math digits so columns drift and answers come out wrong.
- Skipping breaks during long writing.
- Treating typing as cheating. It's another way to write.
It's free to print, as many copies as you need. See the full handwriting helpers (dysgraphia-friendly) guide for 4th grade.
More sheets in this set
2. Say It, Then Write ItThree questions, each with a box for a grown-up to write key words and shaded lines to write the answer. New sheet changes the questions.
3. Grid Paper MathTwo-digit by two-digit multiplication and three-digit by one-digit division on large grid boxes. Fewer has 2 problems, Standard has 4 and More has 6. The answer key shows all the work.
4. Note-Taking ShortcutsTwelve note-taking shortcuts like w/, b/c and ~, then sentences to turn into short notes. Fewer has 3, Standard has 4 and More has 5. The answer key shows one example for each.
5. Topic Word Bank WritingA word bank of twelve tricky topic words, a writing prompt and shaded lines. New sheet changes the topic.
6. Highlighted Writing PaperWriting paper with a shaded writing space and a bold baseline. Fewer has the largest lines, Standard is medium and More has the smallest.
7. Spacing and Size CheckCut-out spacers, three sentences to copy on shaded lines and a four-part check for each one.
8. Keyboard Practice LogA keyboard chart with each key colored by the finger that presses it, plus a log for practice minutes and words a minute.