Make it readable in 66 days
with Sheilagh Blyth MSc OT
The ONLY course your 11 to 14 year old will ever need to improve their handwriting.
Courses run three times a year. The next course starts on 15th September 2022.
It’s a LIVE group course only run three times a year
Builds confidence
Gets amazing results
Help with Handwriting has been featured in:
Does your child hate handwriting? It makes them feel empty, pathetic, useless and ashamed. They go from unsatisfied to horrified.
Let's take them from the real risk they might not do well in school to helping them secure a brighter future, one where their teachers can easily mark their work.
This course is for those students who:
- Need time to learn and like to be shown how to make improvements
- Need a little and often approach to succeed
- Are motivated and encouraged to try again, with things they have previously found tricky to do
- Need to know that they are not the only ones who struggle to write
- Need a place they can ‘dip in and out of’, learning at their chosen pace
- Aged between 11 to 14 years
Watch
Avoid overwhelm and watch how-to videos. A new one is released every day. Accesible 24/7
Do
Bite sized worksheets that take no more than 15 minutes to do. Each one can easily be done around your school work
Join In
Weekly group zoom calls giving you the opportunity to ask any question - even with your video turned off!
Earn points
Be motivated and rewarded by earning points
Improve
Feel confident and relieved that your work is readable and can be marked by your teachers
Our course dates for 2022/23 are:
- Summer – Starting 28th April to 7th July 2022.
- Autumn – Starting 15th September to 25th November 2022.
- Spring – Starting 19th January to 31st March 2023.
What is included. . .
I know how rubbish it feels to not be able to do something when everyone else can.
The problem is teachers presume students know how to change their writing. BUT if no one takes the time to discover what they find tricky, or explain how to change it, then how can your child make the changes needed?
Change takes time. Research by European Journal of Social Psychology revealed it takes 66 days to change a habit.
That is why I created the ‘Make it Readable in 66 days’ course.
Why choose me?
- Trained OT (Occupational Therapist)
- Handwriting expert
- Expert in teenage approaches to learning (collaborative and respectful)
- Published Author of two books on handwriting
- Hundreds of children have been helped to get legible handwriting, even in their teens, when teachers may say it’s too late
How the writing changes. . .
Read what others say
Before he never realised that all the letters had to be the same height apart from the tall letters. After writing his work I could see him look at it proudly and smile. I love seeing his face when he is proud of something. (Julie, Mum of Charlie, age 12)
This happened after completing day 13’s activity.
And by the end of the 66 days, this was said by both Mum and him.
He is really happy with how much his handwriting has improved as he said “now I can read what I have written and so can the teacher!”
The bite-size sessions are perfect for my teenage son, who has always found it difficult to focus for more than 5-10 minutes at a time. He has actually engaged with this approach, which is amazing! So many practical and achievable tips. Thank you Sheilagh. (Jess, Mum of Oliver, age 13)
His father couldn’t believe it when I showed him!
I think that a key step forward is he is now thinking about it as a solvable problem, not an insurmountable one, not an insurmountable one, and that the course gives him the space to think about his writing – and see that he’s not alone
(Jessie, Mum of Natty, age 12, said after Day 19)
The difference in my writing is phenomenal’. (Said by Natty in our 4th zoom lesson together)
After the 66 day challenge my son has said he feels more confident in school about his writing. His dad and I are delighted over the change in his attitude, his improved confidence and that he, and we, are now able to read his work’. (Sofia, Mum of Jacob)
“Today, my son told me that two of his teachers (English & History) have commented on his improved handwriting”, (Diane, Mum) Email sent to Sheilagh on Day 29 of the 66 day course.
How it works . . . for you as parents
Sign Up or Buy
Join our waiting list and be kept informed of the start date without having to set yourself any reminders. (Or buy straight away if the course is open for enrolment)
Download and print the easily accesisible pdf worksheets
Encourage (from the side lines)
Help your child set aside 15 minutes a day to watch the how-to videos, follow the step by step techniques and attend the weekly zoom calls
Be Amazed
Admire how your child approaches writing activities with an inner confidence never seen before
At Help with Handwriting we know how hard it can be to motivate a (pre) teen to practice something they already feel they are a failure at. Yet we believe, like you, that they just need to be shown how to do it.
Handwriting is a life skill and studies by Harvard University have shown that if we handwrite our answers we can retain that information in our memory banks for longer. Going for the typing option is not always the best answer. Even the exam boards themselves admit that some questions are easier handwritten than typed.
So what is the answer?
Well, it is definitely not practising the same letter over and over again. It is not trying to learn a new style of handwriting. It is about using the skills they already have and showing them how they can ‘tweak’ it to improve the readability.
Admittedly, there are no overnight magical quick fixes. It does take time and practice but when you are shown how to improve change happens. Confidence grows. Subject options and career prospects become reachable.
Here’s how it works.
Research says it takes 66 days to change a habit so there are 66 days of videos and worksheets.
- Every week is themed for example Week 2 is Gaming week, Week 4 is Weird but True week.
- Every day a handwriting skill is taught in a different way.
- We cover letter formation, size, spacing, joins, and writing fast.
- There are extras in there as well. Such as regular occupational therapy-specific advice.
- We cover so much including how to lay out your work, a refresher on grammar rules, how to take notes, how to manage yourself when feeling anxious, and what exercises to do if your hand hurts when writing.
If you have ever heard a teacher say it’s too late to change handwriting – We say RUBBISH!
Come and join us, gain points whilst you work, discover the hidden Easter eggs in the course, meet students who also thought they were the only ones in the world that couldn’t get their handwriting readable enough for the teachers to mark it.
Choose your preferred option
This course is only runs three times a year – January, April and September.
LIVE: Make it Readable in 66 days
- Exclusive group
- 66 daily videos
- Downloadable worksheets (196 pages of support)
- Weekly Zoom group calls (Thurs eve)
- Up to 4 personalised video reviews of their work
- Secret gift given when your child completed 85% of the course
- All course content is housed on a training platform designed to motivate teens with hidden Easter eggs and points awarded.
- Access to course for 3 months
Make it Readable in 66 days + FAST TRACK
- Everything covered in the LIVE group
- Unlimited personalised video reviews of their work
- 2 x Individual lessons with Sheilagh (45 minutes each, lesson bookings are on Wednesdays)
- 'The 66-day essential wow pack' with a choice of 2 handwriting pens that never fail to impress, 2 x special A4 writing pads designed specifically to improve letter sizing and an ergonomically designed ruler.
Frequently Asked Questions
There will be no set time to watch the videos or do the worksheets. The zoom calls are on Thursdays 8.00 to 8.30pm. All the group lessons are recorded and placed in the ‘replay’ section of the dashboard.
No. I’ve set the ages as a guide. He may find some of the activities a little young or easy to complete but the teaching will be very useful. However he may also prefer my exam ready handwriting course (to be released in March 2022)
We are sorry you but we have decided to run this course 3 times a year and to make them closed groups. This is because we are not only helping to improve handwriting but also boost self esteem. When someone new joins it can be unsettling to a group.
The timings of the groups are: January, April and September.
No, this is optional. Many do attend but prefer to have their video turned off and type in the chat. We always do an ice-breaker activity before starting the lesson so that students have a chance to meet each other. Then as soon as
The content is drip fed, meaning you will be unable to access it before the time. However you can access it as many times as you wish in the 3 month timescale. Many worry they are getting behind but it is a self paced course. Some people catch up by doing 2 or 3 lessons in 1 day.
Course dates for 2022/23 are:
- Summer – Starting 28th April to 7th July 2022.
- Autumn – Starting 15th September to 25th November 2022.
- Spring – Starting 19th January to 31st March 2023.