Workbook Design

Sometimes Less Is More

At Handwriting Without Tears®, we believe in celebrating children and want them to be proud of their work, so our workbooks are designed to help them succeed. We use a simple and straightforward workbook design that is easy-to-use and consistent from grade to grade. The pages do not have visual distractions: the graphic designs are black and white. The instructional text is consistent and easy to understand, written to reinforce the concepts being taught.

Large Step-by-Step Illustrated Directions

It is much easier for children to understand how to form letters if you show them how step-by-step. Other programs show only a completed letter with a bunch of tiny arrows pointing the way around the letter. It is very difficult for children to learn to write that way. The HWT workbooks contain large step-by-step images to show students how to make each part of every letter. Short, simple words describe each step.

Child-Friendly Consistent Language

HWT’s child-friendly language evolved in response to other programs’ complicated letter formation terminology. When teaching letter formation, HWT doesn’t assume that children fully understand left/right orientation, clockwise/counter-clockwise, or forward/backward. HWT makes it easy by using fewer words and only words that children know or understand.

Double Lines and Other Lines

With so many lines and so many styles, children need paper that will prepare them for it all. HWT double lines teach children quickly how to place letters. Small letters fit in the middle space. Tall letters go in the top space. Descending letters go in the bottom space.

Students can apply the HWT philosophy to other styles of paper they get in school. We also give them practice with different styles of lines in our workbooks.

As shown below, many children have trouble understanding multiple lines. Giving children a blue line, a dotted line, a red line, and another blue line and then asking them to start at “2 o’clock between the dotted line and the red line” is too confusing.

Generous Spacing

When children are learning to print, they need extra room to write. They can’t cram their words to fit into spaces that are too small. HWT workbooks give them the space they need to write and develop good spacing habits.

Other programs give poor spacing models and not enough room to write. Children are expected to make letters with the precision of a keyboard or they are forced to runtheirwords together.

Left-Hand Friendly Design

The HWT workbooks are left-hand friendly. Every page places the models so that left-handed children can easily see the model they are copying. Lefties never have to lift their hands or place them in an awkward position to see a model. We give models on the right so that when a left-handed child’s arm covers the left aligned models, they can still see a model to copy.

Simple Black-and-White Pages

Our workbooks have black-and-white pages that are clean and clear. We deliberately avoid the visual confusion of distracting background images, overdone colored graphics, multicolored lines, and crowded pages. These fancy effects can create visual perception difficulties for children and distract them. The simple workbook pages keep children happy and occupied. Children who finish ahead of others can color the pictures.

Left-to-Right Directionality

This is an exciting, unique feature of the HWT workbooks. Look at our illustrations. They promote left-to-right directionality. The fish, helicopter, ice cream truck, and other drawings are going left to right across the page to encourage correct visual tracking and writing direction.