Be Careful How you Teach Your Child

Important Information for Parents – Please Read

Walk into any department store in Australia, and you’ll likely find an educational section filled with products claiming to help your child’s education. Discount stores also stock write-on boards featuring alphabets and various activity books.

But here’s what these stores don’t tell you:

• You may be teaching your child the wrong way to form letters and numbers.
• The educational materials you’re buying don’t match the letters or numbers taught in Australian schools.

Take a closer look at the products. Many, like the book pictured above, even come with a free pen to encourage your child to form their alphabet incorrectly, repeatedly. These products often have labels like “3+” to suggest you start teaching your child immediately.

The Consequences of Learning Incorrectly

If you use these materials, your child may enter school at a disadvantage compared to peers who haven’t even learned to write yet. Why? Because they’ll need to unlearn incorrect habits and relearn the proper methods taught in Australian schools.

Imagine how your child might feel:

• Confused – “Why would Mum teach me the wrong way?”
• Disheartened – They believed they were doing well, only to find out they were mistaken.
• Inadequate – Struggling to catch up can make a child feel less capable, which can harm their self-esteem.

Unfortunately, this scenario happens all too often. It’s not your fault—department stores and discount retailers don’t explain the differences in handwriting styles used in Australian schools.

The Problem with Imported Educational Materials

Many of the products sold in stores are imported and use a font called "Bat and Ball" (or "Stick and Ball"), which is not taught in any Australian school. Labels like “Trusted by teachers” can mislead you into thinking these materials are appropriate when they’re not.

Over the years, countless parents have told us, “But my child’s school writes like this!” Unfortunately, this confusion stems from a lack of clear information about Australian handwriting styles.

Choose Materials That Follow Australian Standards

Writeboards guarantees 100% accuracy with handwriting materials designed specifically for Australian schools. Our worksheets and flashcards use the best Australian fonts, ensuring your child learns the correct way from the start.

We also back this with our ironclad 100% money-back guarantee.

Take the First Step Today

If you want to know the correct handwriting style for your child’s State or Territory, visit our Worksheets for Australian Children page.

A Note from the Field

While researching this blog, I spoke to an employee who had worked in a department store’s educational section for five years. She was shocked to learn that the materials were inaccurate—she had even purchased them for her own child.

To learn more about handwriting in Australian schools, visit our blog: Teach Your Child the Right Australian Font.

Until next time, keep smiling and happy learning!

Five Different Handwriting Styles for Australian School Children

It may surprise you to learn that the handwriting style taught in Australian schools varies depending on the State or Territory in which your child resides.

Pictured below is an example of the five different handwriting styles that are used in Australian schools:

• You can clearly see that the shape and angle of the first five letters of the alphabet are different from each other, and it is just the same with the remaining twenty one letters.
• You will also notice all the different names the handwriting styles use.

Over Writeboards fifteen years in business, they have spoken to many teachers that are not even aware of these facts, so I ask myself, how are parents supposed to know what to do?

How do you know which Australian Handwriting Style is right for your child?

This would be much easier if there was an Australian standard that could not be abused. Unfortunately, that's not the case.

• There are many people that claim to have the right handwriting style for your child (this is increasing on a daily basis).
• These same people even use the right Australian names for what they are selling you e.g. NSW Foundation Font worksheets, VIC Modern Cursive Font worksheets etc.

What these people are not telling you is, that they are creating books and digital files using what Writeboards refer to as a "look-alike fonts".

 

The image below features four fonts known as NSW Foundation Font.

These can be purchased from educational supply stores and online. The disparities demonstrated here are consistent across all the States and Territories across Australia.

As you can see only one is right and completed using the strict guidelines that the NSW Department of Education have set out in their syllabus.

• If you look at the others, they kind of look-alike, however, they are NOT!
• If you look even closer and compare letter against letter, you will see huge differences in both the shape & angle of the letters.

This unfortunately, is only a small sample of the multitude of Australian handwriting look-alike fonts that are currently flooding the market being sold to parents and teachers.

An even more frightening fact is that you can download all the Aussie handwriting styles for free on the internet. Rather then describe how disgustingly wrong they all are...I will leave it to the imagination of the reader.

Make Sure Your Child is using the Right Australian Handwriting

Writeboards is the only worldwide business that backs their Australian worksheets and flashcards with a 100% money-back guarantee!

Once you have the right worksheets for your child, the next logical step is to get them to practice. Keep in mind that they need to learn twenty six letters and ten numbers.

You have two choices:

• You can print those pages over and over and over and over and over and over and over again until your child has mastered the whole thirty six letters and numbers.
• You can purchase a reusable Writeboard and only ever have to print any page once.

Learn Australian Handwriting the Fun and Easy Way

Ask any child and they will tell you that practicing handwriting is a boring task. Well that boring task just became lots more fun with the invention of the Writeboard.

The Aussie made and owned, reusable Writeboard has been in Sydney schools for over fourteen years now and they have not worn out. What lasts that long these days?

Here is a comment from a teacher that uses the Writeboard in her class:

"The kids LOVE using the Writeboards and have no problems with wanting to do a handwriting template over again. No more "I'm finished. What do I do now?"

There are way too many features of the eco-friendly Writeboard to mention here, however, if you would like to know more just click on the link. 

Writeboards Australian Handwriting Kits

To make it more affordable for Aussie parents, Writeboards created their Aussie handwriting kits that include everything your child will need to get ahead at school.

Our Aussie Handwriting Kits include:

• One Reusable Writeboard.
• Two whiteboard markers.
• One magnetic eraser.
• One storage tin (that doubles as the per lap table for your child's Writeboard).
• Hundreds of FREE worksheets and flashcards downloads.

Writeboards Australian Handwriting Worksheets and Flashcards

Discover the incredible worksheets and flashcards that come with Writeboards' unbeatable 100% money-back guarantee. Choose your child’s State or Territory to find the most accurate and tailored educational resources for their learning needs. Click here to get started!

One last word before I go...Just be careful buying your child educational material at Australian Shops as at least 98% are wrong, you can read more about this here...

How to Help Your Child Regain Confidence and Thrive

Help Your Child Learn by Renewing Their Confidence

These days, tutors are making a fortune, simply because many children have lost confidence in learning somewhere along the way.

Combine this with peer pressure and a loss of self-belief, and your child's self-esteem takes an even bigger hit. Your child has lost the burning desire to try new things, viewing it as a step toward failure—because, let's face it, no one likes to fail!

Do you understand how they feel?

Imagine this: every time you attempt something new—whether it's trying a new recipe, home renovations, or even planting a new plant—you knew at the end of it, you would be judged by an expert and compared to others. How would that make you feel?

I know I'd feel pressured and uncertain, which would lead to a fear of trying new things altogether.

Though it isn't always discussed, kids feel pressure to keep up with their peers in class. When they can't reach those milestones, parents are encouraged to seek outside help.

I've personally spoken with private tutors who charge up to $150 per hour to give children more confidence. It's an outrageously high price just to help boost a child’s self-esteem!

Teachers today are under more pressure than ever. When a child struggles, there’s often not enough time for one-on-one support, though it's not their fault.

How can you help your child excel?

• With the Writeboard—our reusable writing board—your child can trace an exact copy of what they are learning.
• They can repeat this process over and over until they feel confident enough to attempt it without guidance.
• When your child makes a mistake, they can easily erase and correct it, all without the fear of harsh criticism.

Your child can achieve a perfect score every time they use their Writeboard, making learning fun rather than frightening.

Watch Your Child’s Confidence Soar!

Parents will see a massive increase in their child’s confidence and self-esteem with our Writeboard. Your child will no longer be afraid of failure or judgment and can confidently learn any subject!

Let Our Writeboard Put a Smile on Your Child’s Face!

Our eco-friendly Writeboard has been trusted in schools for over fifteen years, unlike other disposable products that end up in landfills (dry-erase boards, laminates, stick-on films, etc.). These same Writeboards are still in use today.

Click here to see our Eco-Friendly Reusable Writeboard