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26 pieces: 8 big lines, 6 big curves, 6 little lines, 6 little curves. From Easy Handwriting.

Customer Reviews

 
Holly S. from Oklahoma wrote the following on 07/10/2006:
Contained in a 7"x11" (1-inch-deep) sturdy cardboard box, this set includes eight 10" long sticks, six 5" short sticks, six large arcs and six small arcs - they are all 1" wide. The plywood pieces are smooth but not varnished, about 3/16" thick. They fit perfectly on the 8.5"x11" HWT Capital Letter Cards. You will want the 8.5"x11" HWT Blue Mat, too. Our daughter uses a Page-Up to hold the card while she constructs the letter on her mat. Younger children could first construct the letter directly on the cards. After we talk about the pieces, construct the letter, we trace them with our fingers in the correct formation movements. ...It is nice to have plenty of pieces!

 
Jennifer P. from Chicago wrote the following on 01/03/2009:
These pieces are a great investment for those children who are ready to form letters, but struggle with writing the letters. My son used these for Kindergarten; he is a kinesthetic learner, and really enjoyed making the letter we were focusing on that day. He even started making words from the pieces -- something he would not have done with paper and pencil as it was too difficult. He is now (age 7, first grade) writing just fine. I am so glad we had another option for practicing letters that was fun for him.

 
Holly S. from Oklahoma wrote the following on 07/10/2006:
Two of these cards - O and Q - are 11" square, to accommodate the actual size of these letters constructed with two large arcs (Wooden Pieces). They have a crease-fold along one side, to store with the other cards (11"x8.5"). I recommend the laminated cards, because these get a lot of handling. We use a Page-Up to hold each card as our daughter constructs it on her HWT Blue Mat. The backside of the H card looks like a very simple phonics worksheet. It is the exact same on every card, except for the featured letter and object pictures. The student is to look at the first thing in each row, and point to the matching thing from that row. (HWT Letter Card) H / F G H... (picture&word) Horse / Horse Hat Heart... (letter on HWT slate) H / G H I... (traditional print) H / h h H. I appreciate the small numbers at the beginning of each "stroke," on these cards. We finger-trace the card's letter to familiarize with the correct formation order.

 
Holly S. from Oklahoma wrote the following on 07/10/2006:
While this piece is not absolutely necessary, it adds another element of fun and satisfaction (perfect letters) to HWT. It comes in a nice clear zipper case with blue trim/handles. It measures about 6"x8", with the actual screen being 4"x6". The small size is actually nice, because it helps form letters within the correct boundaries. You could graduate to using the magnetic stamps on a larger Magnadoodle. The smiley face in the top left corner is a nice consistency with the other HWT materials. It comes with the 6" rod and large arc (pictured), as well as a 3" rod and small arc. After stamping the letter with the magnet-backed wood pieces, students use the (cord-attached) chubby yellow stencil to freehand the letter; the magnet on its end makes a track as wide as the stamps - half-inch wide. This is cleaner than the slate/chalk - much easier to erase! During our HWT sessions, our daughter uses the larger HWT Wood Pieces Set to create the letter on the HWT Blue Mat first. Then she creates it with this magnetic screen, determining which stamps to use on the smaller scale. Then she uses the slate/chalk, and finally pencil on the special HWT paper with boxes. Using the different mediums/sizes prevents boredom with much practice!

 
Victoria J. from Nebraska wrote the following on 02/08/2007:
I love this program! It is easy to use, straight forward and uncomplicated. The teacher's manual is a MUST! It doesn't take long to read and fully explains the program - including the use of a small chalk board, wooden letters, clay and a cute little song. HWT was developed by a physical therapist and is great for children struggling with handwriting. Teacher prep is minimal. The author recommends 5-10 minutes of quality practice a day - as opposed to pages produced by a tired little hand. It's also a great value. If you have a child who's about to give up or a kinestic learner - this is well worth trying. Their cursive program is also great.

 
Stacy W. from Arizona wrote the following on 01/21/2008:
I've used the Pre-K, K, and 1st grade materials published by Handwriting Without Tears both with my son and daughter. I love this system! It works with all kinds of learners-- visual, kinesthetic, auditory. The vocabulary used is consistent and child-friendly: "big lines, little lines, starting corner, bump the line," etc. I also like that the workbook pages provide a reasonable amount of practice, but aren't overwhelming. For pre-K and K students, a slate is essential. I also recommend using the wood pieces for this age group, though they are not necessary. The accompanying CDs add an element of fun, but aren't vital to the program. The teacher's manual is very useful. However, once I'd taught the K level and learned the vocabulary and techniques, I found I didn't need the manual to teach the Grade 1 book. I will, however, buy the manual when I start teaching cursive. Hand Writing Without Tears is an economical, child-centered, well-conceived, and FUN way to get your children started with handwriting. Highly recommended!

 
Jen N. from IL wrote the following on 02/02/2010:
My four year old is working through this workbook. I do not have the teachers manual, because the teaching schedule can be downloaded for free on the HWT website. We are using the cd, wood letters, blue mat, chalkboard, and crayons. You could get away with less, but my son is a reluctant writer. He doesn't normally even like to color, but he will when we listen to the cd. I would recommend this program.