Handwriting Without Tears

At Saint James', we believe handwriting remains a critical skill in the classroom. In order for children to be successful readers, writers, and ultimately, communicators—they need a strong foundation. Saint James' Episcopal School uses the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum because of its developmentally appropriate, multisensory strategies for early writing. The program follows research of how children learn best and includes materials that address all styles of learning.

The Handwriting Without Tears teaching sequence takes advantage of child development and brain research to promote effective learning and good habits. Teaching letters in a developmental order helps children master skills and boosts confidence. We teach capitals first, and then lowercase letters. The workbooks teach children to check their letter, word, and sentence skills after new lessons. Students check their letters for correct start, steps, and placement. Words are checked for correct size, placement, and closeness. Sentences are checked for correct capitalization and word spacing.

The Handwriting Without Tears program continues from preschool into the SJES elementary program which includes the teaching of cursive in grade 3.