Helping Hands

 When I'm working with a really young child who is just starting to learn to write, I write the letters out in dashes for the child to trace as they say the letter. After they have done this after two or three sessions, I have them write the letter freehand. Often, on their first couple of tries, it's a mess. They usually want help writing the letters, so I tell them to hold their pencil like they're going to write with it, then I hold their hand in mine and gently guide them while I describe the movements I'm making. It is sort of like the child is writing letters halfway between following the dashes and writing completely on their own. It gives them a boost of confidence when they see what they've written. "Look what I wrote!"