Scare Away Reversals and Build a Foundation for Writing Success

Did you know that reversals are one of the most common handwriting problems children encounter when learning how to write? With 10 to 30 percent of K–5 children struggling with handwriting, reversals are quite common when students are learning to write. So even though the spookiest time of year is here, it’s time to scare away reversals in your classroom with these techniques.
 

To address reversals, teach letters one at a time. Group similarly formed letters together to promote success and scaffold learning so that students explicitly learn to master every letter of the alphabet.
 

Don’t forget to add hands-on activities to the mix to strengthen students’ letter knowledge and prevent reversals. When students know where to start a letter and how to correctly form it, reversals are less likely to happen.
 

Want to learn more about preventing reversals? Check out our on-demand Moving Forward Not Backwards with Reversals webinar! 

By Kathryn Fox Kathryn received her Bachelor of Arts in Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication from James Madison University. She is an experienced editor, copywriter, and technical writer and has worked for the government and in the IT, music, and telecommunications industries. She is currently a writer and editor for Learning Without Tears and loves providing content that empowers young writers and teachers. Kathryn lives in Arlington, Virginia with her best friends.