Tag: handwriting

A Second Grade Curriculum for Children with Down Syndrome

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Today I’m sharing with you what my son with Down Syndrome did for second grade.

My kindergarten and first grade curriculum posts align with standard grade-level expectations. But second grade is different. As children with Down Syndrome get older, the academic gap between them and their typically developing peers widens.

So, this “Second Grade Curriculum” I’m sharing with you is not based on the chronological age of typically developing children. Rather, it is a combination of the materials that worked best for my son with T21 at 8 years old and what I think could be appropriate for the other 8 and 9 year old children who came to our Down Syndrome Co-op last year.

Of course, each child learns at his/her own pace, and even within Down Syndrome there is great variability. But I hope this list will help you develop a curriculum that will best suit your child and will reduce the amount of adapting you’ll have to do. I hope you’ll find some things here that will help your child/student succeed in “Second Grade.”

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My Favorite Handwriting Tools for Kids with Down Syndrome

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Today I want to talk about my favorite handwriting tools for kids with Down Syndrome. These include markers, crayons, pencils, pens, and pencil grips. What my son with Down Syndrome uses for writing makes a difference not only with the legibility of his writing but also with how long he’s willing to work. So I’m sharing with you the tools that have been most beneficial for his handwriting.

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Winter Words for Tracing

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Here’s a set of winter words for tracing. Tracing words of high interest is way more fun than writing repeated letters for my son. So I make sheets like this to motivate him. We intersperse copying letters with tracing high-interest words. And that keeps him going.

Take a look at these winter words for tracing, offered here for free.

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FREE Worksheets for Tracing and Spelling CVC Words

Published on by Mary Cooney2 Comments

Is your child learning to read and/or spell short vowel words? Here are some tracing and spelling pages to reinforce short vowel words. It’s a perfect complement to Short Vowel Stories, also free on this blog.

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Let’s Trace Letters, Lowercase – More Handwriting Worksheets for Children with (or without) Down Syndrome

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Here’s yet another set of handwriting worksheets for children with Down Syndrome and other special needs. These are clean, uncluttered handwriting sheets with cute pictures to color and starting dots. I designed them for children who need extra large letters to trace.

My son needs variety to keep him motivated, which is why I keep making handwriting worksheets. One day, we’ll get to the point where he doesn’t need extra large letters, and then I’ll be able to buy worksheets from Teachers Pay Teachers instead of making them myself. But until then, you can expect to find more worksheets showing up on this blog.

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A Kindergarten Curriculum for Children with Down Syndrome

Published on by Mary Cooney3 Comments

Let’s talk curriculum, shall we? It’s one of my favorite topics! Many children with Down Syndrome need curriculum tailored to their learning profile. So, I’ve spent a lot of time searching, adapting, and creating curriculum for my son who has T21.

Today I’m sharing with you my favorite resources to help children with Down Syndrome master kindergarten-level skills and concepts.

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Let’s Learn Letters! Lowercase 2

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Here are even MORE handwriting sheets designed for children with T21 and other special needs. These kids need lots of repetition and variety, which is why I have been making so many for Junior. These B&W worksheets make it easy for you to print and go.

Take a look:

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Let’s Trace Numbers ! and Block Numbers LWT Style

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Here are two sets of FREE worksheets designed to help your child learn to write numbers.

As with my other worksheets for children with special needs, these are clean and uncluttered, and they have starting dots so your child knows where to start forming each number.

Take a look:

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More Handwriting Worksheets for Children with (or without) Down Syndrome

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Teaching my son with Down Syndrome to write letters and numbers has been a long, slow process. But little by little we’re getting there! Many schools and homeschoolers use the wonderful handwriting program by Learning Without Tears (formerly Handwriting Without Tears.) But I have needed to adapt some of their materials in order for Junior to be successful.

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