Copying from the board is a basic skill all students should have. But sometimes, this simple act of getting started and copying information from the board is a challenge for some kids.
There are many reasons why kids could have trouble with this “simple” skill.
Sometimes it’s an attention issue. Sometimes it’s handwriting fluency issues.
Other times it’s just visual overload – there are too many things on the board.
Sometimes it’s a legibility issue. They cant read what they wrote so it leads to not knowing where they left off on the paper. Get notified when Legible Handwriting for Kids opens up HERE
In this blog post, I’m sharing 2 tips that you can use to help your kids to initiate copying from the board.
These are the same tips I share with parents and teachers that I work with as an occupational therapist on exactly how to really help the kids get started in a way that’s helpful to all of us.
Prefer to watch this information? Click the play button on my video below.
Copying Tip #1 – Color Coding
Not everybody has the luxury of having this big, beautiful, clean, uncluttered classroom. The truth is nowadays the classroom is a busy place and we have to display a lot of things on the board, such as standards, etc.
This tip really helps get the kids to focus where they need to and get started with the copying task.
Instead of saying, just copy your spelling words, a lot of times highlighting the whole box where the spelling words are in a pink and a yellow and giving them a cue, “Copy your spelling words that are in the yellow box. Look for the yellow box and get started. Your words are in the yellow box.”
This is a good way to get the kids to start looking for the color cue instead of spelling words. Sometimes the kids just can’t find it because there are so many things on the board.
Copying Tip #2 – Copy Count
The second tip I have is instead of saying, “Hey, did you finish copying it?”
With some of our students and children that we know take a while to get to it, giving them this little cue, say, “Hey, I need you to copy the first five spelling words.”
Sometimes five is too many. I need you to copy the first three spelling words, and then give me a thumbs up or tap me on the shoulder. Let me know that you got to those three.
Now all of a sudden it takes the task from copying from the board to, “Oh, I’m going to have a communication check-in with my mom. I’m having a little check-in with my teacher.”
Versus just I’m copying from the board.
Related Post: 3 Note Taking Tips for Students
Handwriting Resources
Try these two tips to improve your kid’s copying from the board – color-coding the area that you want them to copy and making it a little bit more specific for them.
If there’s anything you want to hear me talk about or share tips with you, go ahead and leave it in the comments. And let me know how these tips worked out for you!
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