Last week I mentioned that this school work we started something new – copywork. I’d been  seeing posts on this for a year or two now, but I just couldn’t face adding something else to our homeschool schedule.

Several things combined to convince me I should give it a try.

First, a couple of my children really have trouble focusing. As I talked about this with my husband he was convinced that having the children start their school day by doing copywork would also help them focus. He sent me a post he had read about copywork helping writers to hone their craft, and it also mentioned that it can strengthen memory and focus. Great writers including Robert Louis Stevenson and Benjamin Franklin used copywork to improve their skills. Copywork used to be a standard part of a child’s school day.

Then my mom sent me a post about how important knowing how to write cursive is. “Dr. Berninger goes so far as to suggest that cursive writing may train self-control ability in a way that other modes of writing do not…” That statement really caught my attention. The whole article is really interesting, and I would encourage you to read it.

Now, I’ll admit teaching penmanship is a weak link for me. It bores me, and I just haven’t done it like I should. My own penmanship is fairly good, but some of my children could use help. I determined that this year I needed to make penmanship more of a priority. Copywork would help. It would now fulfil two functions – focus and penmanship. I want my children to be able to write neatly AND to be able to read writing not just printing.

Then I discovered that my Grades 4 and 5 girls could barely write although they’d learned the basics. I knew I needed to change that.

So, to make it all more interesting I bought everyone their own composition book and told them they could make their own choice of what to copy – a favourite novel, a portion from the Bible, a poem or song. The only requirements were that we all do it together, no one talks (we’re still working on this one), no printing, and we’re going for quality of work not quantity.

I have to say that I’m a convert. I love the time of day when we all sit around the table doing our copywork, because, yes, I do it too. I’m copying out Pride and Prejudice. I figure if I do a chapter and a half a week I’ll finish it this school year.

For twenty minutes we all sit quietly (more or less) and write. The children are allowed to do any schoolwork they choose before breakfast if they want, but the one thing they have to wait for everyone to do together is copywork. The first couple of days my daughters struggled asking me again and again to show them how different letters were formed. However, by the end of the first week their penmanship had improved 100%, and they were writing with greater ease than they ever had before.

This has truly been a great experience for us. I would encourage any homeschooling mom to add this to her day and enjoy the benefits. Our days seem to go smoother. I feel more focused and calm after starting my day this way. I would say that so far we are having the best school year we’ve ever enjoyed.

And just because he’s too cute here’s what the baby’s up to while we quietly (more or less) write… Hanging out with three favourites – his books, sippy cup and ball.

A couple of other things…You can just see my Kindle in a couple of the pictures. I use it for copying from. I love not having to fight to keep a book open. Also, I know that not all of my children are exhibiting great penmanship posture, but we are just coming off of everyone being sick. Some of us are still in the recovery phase.

Do you use copywork in your homeschool?