Things I Love Thursday: CubWorks {Guest Post!}

I have this wonderful friend, Tricia, who just happens to have developed this AWESOME method for teaching kids how to correctly write their letters and numbers.  Both of my girls have used this program and I absolutely LOVE it! 

The company's name is CubWorks.  The method she developed uses these cute pictures and stories to help children remember how to properly form the letters.  My girls benefited greatly from using the CubWorks products, and so I thought that with school starting back up, now would be there perfect time to tell you about this great product and give you a chance to try it too! 

(Psssst....there's a GIVEAWAY!)


So, since Tricia knows *a little bit* more about her product, I thought I would let her tell you about it herself.  Without further adieu, my friend, Tricia!

Sloppy. Messy. Illegible. As a pediatric occupational therapist, I have heard these comments (and more) describing children’s handwriting over the past 17 years. Many students struggle with the basic tasks of controlling the pencil to form letters and numbers in a neat manner, and positioning the letters and numbers appropriately on lined paper. 

If you are a parent who has a child who has had difficulty with handwriting, or know someone who has had difficulty, then you know the frustration that can come from dealing with this issue. That’s one of reason’s I developed CubWorks. It is an easy to use, real life tool that both parents and kids love.

How is CubWorks different from the traditional method of learning how to write their letters and numbers?  

This is how it works: Each letter and number has pictures and a story to guide the child’s hand through the formation. Some of these images are clouds, apples and trees. Children are better able to remember how to form each letter and number because they can relate to & understand these familiar objects.

 

This is an example of the story and picture method use for letter “c".

1. Start at the dot.
2. Go up to the cloud.
3. Pick an apple.
4. Put the apple in the basket.

You might say, my child already knows how to write and “c” but they start at the bottom. What’s wrong with that? The way letters are formed is important and it’s best correct formation become automatic or second nature. When correct formations become automatic, children are better able to focus on the sentence development i.e, spelling, grammar, ideas etc.

So,

Correct letter formation = Helps with penmanship and can lead to better sentence development.

Incorrect letter formation=Can lead to poor penmanship and sentence development.

Improving fine motor skills is another area of focus in CubWorks. These skills are important because they help develop good pencil control, which is something else that leads to good penmanship.

Now you’re thinking, I’m in. How do I make this work for my child? That’s the great thing about CubWorks. We have a lot of options. If you have a younger child who is starting to write or needs help with forming letters, CubClub is an excellent choice.

http://www.cubworks.com/cubclub.html

Customized name worksheets, like the one below, have been a big hit with CubClub subscribers. It’s an easy way for children to learn how to write their name. They form correct formation habits for each letter using the pictures and stories.

CubClub also provides numerous printables to improve fine motor skills.  These skills are important because they help develop good pencil control, which is something else that leads to good penmanship.

Here’s an example of a worksheet printed from CubClub. You can do this activity at home with your child. He or she will learn the correct formation pattern and build the fine motor skills at the same time!  

Dotted Block Worksheet

Activity:

Secure 1.5” thick foam core to easel or vertical work surface such as a wall. Worksheet taped to foam core. Student uses pincers finger to push toothpick into each circle of letter. Place cheerios or colored beads onto each toothpick to show letter/number.

Develops:

Arm, wrist & finger strength, skilled side of hand, in-hand manipulation, open web space, eye-hand coordination, & letter/number formations.

And here is Ricki's daughter, Faith, working on fine motor skills and letter “F” with a Dotted Block Worksheet from CubClub. She participated in a Kindergarten readiness group I did this summer. Faith did a great job!

We also have a student workbook that is geared for children who are in Kindergarten or older student’s who need additional help.

Here are two links for more information on the method and purchase of a workbook.

http://www.cubworks.com/method.html

http://www.cubworks.com/cart/index.php

I hope that you get to visit the site and look around.  CubWorks is my passion because I know from experience that it can make all the difference between a child having a positive and fun experience learning to write and form letters and numbers, and a very frustrating one!  I  hope that you try it out and see the difference it can make for your child!

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Isn't this product AWESOME?!  I never knew how important good letter formation was until my girls started using this.  It has been an excellent foundation for them as they learn all of their writing skills! 

I’d love for all of you to try this out. And for one of you, today is you lucky day!  We are doing a GIVEAWAY for a one year subscription to CubClub, (where you can get all the worksheets etc.), AND One workbook, a $40 value!

Here's How you can win: (And you can enter more than once!!!!)

-Follow the Family Fun Mom Blog, and leave a comment letting me know you did!

-Follow Family Fun Mom on Facebook and leave a comment here!

-Follow Family Fun Mom on Twitter and leave a comment here!

-Visit the Cub Works site, look around, and leave a comment here telling us how you would use this product.

-Post about this Giveaway on your FB and Twitter pages and comment here!

The winner will be announced next Thursday on the blog!  Good Luck! 

As always, I am linking up with The Diaper Diaries for Things I Love Thursday!  Be sure to click over and check out what else is getting some blog love today!