
It’s Spring. And with Spring comes more confident readers, better writers…and MESSY handwriting! I attribute it to kids wanting to get their ideas on the paper so quickly that they forget proper letter formation. On the other hand, perhaps it’s sheer laziness.

I don’t know.
Regardless, I have the best solution to fix this “Spring Writing.”
A special pencil.
That’s it.
That is my magical solution.
As a class, we brainstormed what would be a fun reward for having “the best” penmanship of the day. After much discussion {and plenty of silly ideas!} we settled on a special pencil. My class even cleverly named it, The Super Star Writer of the Day.
For days, I searched high and low for a fun pencil.
One day, I walked into Walmart and the handwriting gods were shining down on the Dollar Spot {or 98 cent spot in Walmart} I scored GIANT pencils for just 98 cents each!

The kids went bananas when I brought this perfect pencil into the class that next Monday.

Here are the specifics of how it works. At the end of each day, I choose a student who has used their best printing all day. I announce the winner at the very end of the day and the pencil is passed from today’s user to tomorrow’s user.

I keep a list on my desk of who has had the pencil so that I can spread the love around. Sometimes students just have terrible printing, so even improved handwriting wins on some days 🙂
Sometimes the big pencil gets a little heavy. So, we have a backup pencil with a fancy eraser to use when hand cramps set in 🙂
Find something that works for you and your classroom.
I promise this will make a HUGE difference.
The student in my class who had the messiest handwriting now has the most gorgeous printing in the class…because he was motivated by the pencil!
I hope it works for you!
Slainte!
7 Responses
Fabulous idea! I love the positive reinforcement.
Bribery! I love it!
Andrea
Always Kindergarten
Thanks for sharing! I know my kiddos would give me a "best day ever" for this one. I'll have to be on the hunt for something to motivate.
Amanda
A Very Curious Class
Wonderful idea! I'm going to start using this ASAP!
Genius!!! I love it ❤️❤️
Molly, I love this idea! I'm starting tomorrow! 🙂
Friendly Froggies
Love this idea! Students love games/challenges especially with a fun prize at the end. It's also a great way to validate/acknowledge students' progress while modeling teacher expectations. We were also trying to find different ways for students to practice handwriting and found a dotted-font “LD Trainer Vertical Lined Dots" that students can trace. It only costs $3 and you can create your own worksheets with complex words, new grammar, and sentence construction. We love your tip and look forward to more suggestions! 🙂