What is CopyWork?

 What exactly is copywork?

"Secure that the child begins by making perfect letters and is never allowed to make faulty ones, and the rest he will do for himself; as for 'a good hand,' do not hurry him; his 'handwriting' will come by-and-by... 

Set good copies before him, and see that he imitates his model dutifully: the writing lesson being not so many lines, or 'a copy'––that is, a page of writing––but a single line which is as exactly as possible a copy of the characters set. The child may have to write several lines before he succeeds in producing this.

A certain sense of possession and delight may be added to this exercise if children are allowed to choose for transcription their favourite verse in one poem and another." Charlotte Mason

 I have been using copywork with my children for the last few years.  I started using it for handwriting practice.  It was easier for my littles to do copywork instead of coming up with their own sentences to write.  When we get really creative we change all the nouns or verbs in the piece of copywork that we have chosen to work on.  There are so many wonderful benefits that come from implementing copywork into your school schedule such as:

• Introduces children to classic literature and poems
• Encourages attention to detail
• Teaches proper use of punctuation
• Attention to detail
• Handwriting practice
• Helps with poetry and lyric memorization
• Improved spelling and vocabulary

How do you Implement Copywork? 

Often times my littles say they can't do copywork or they want to choose their own or they only want to do one line.  It doesn't really matter how many lines they do, as long as they do it perfectly.  I like to choose copywork that is based on what we are learning or what I think  is important to memorize or just good classic literature.  If I can't find copywork that I want to use, or if my kids complain the lines are to small, I create my own.
 I do really like the copywork found at  Classical Copywork because it is just that - classics like Aesop Fables.  Classical Copywork is created with primary lines that are wide enough that my kids feel like they have plenty of room to write.  They don't feel like they have to squish the letters to get them to fit on the provided lines.  Classical Copywork has a wide range to choose from including: McGuffey reader passages, patriotic, bible, Aesop and poetry.  I recently downloaded the Poetry for Kids and I am really loving it.  My kids are learning new poems and getting an idea of how poetry is written. I make copywork apart of our weekly routine.  I don't have my kids do it every day, more like every other day. 
Copywork has been around for many years now, Charlotte Mason wrote and taught copywork. Here is a quote from her:

 

 "A Child should Execute Perfectly. No work should be given to a child that he cannot execute perfectly, and then perfection should be required from him as a matter of course…Set him six strokes to copy; let him, not bring a slateful, but six perfect strokes, at regular distances and at regular slopes. If he produces a faulty pair, get him to point out the fault, and persevere until he has produced his task; if he does not do it to-day, let him go on to-morrow and the next day, and when the six perfect strokes appear, let it be an occasion of triumph. So with the little tasks of painting, drawing, or construction he sets himself--let everything he does be well done… Closely connected with this habit of 'perfect work' is that of finishing whatever is taken in hand. The child should rarely be allowed to set his hand to a new undertaking until the last is finished.”

 

Perfect handwriting can be taught to children using the Charlotte Mason guidelines which are: 

 1. Expect perfection.

2. Choose a word or phrase or passage from a book or poem your child enjoys.

3. Do not give into whining.

4. Keep the lesson VERY short to avoid tediousness-5 to 10 minutes is plenty for young children.

5. Start with a stroke, not a letter.

6. Do not require a page full of strokes or even a line, just a few PERFECT strokes.

7. Do not go on to a new letter until it is perfect.

8. A job well done makes the doer happy.

9. The lesson immediately following should not be written work. Choose something different for a change of pace.  (Found on the Charlotte Mason Website Charlotte Mason)

You can find  Copywork passages on my website by clicking this link.

Also be sure and check out Classical Copywork were you can find so many wonderful copywork choices.  Be sure and sign up for the free copywork sent right to your email.  

Do you use copywork? What are your favorite resources? Leave a comment below. 

**The links in this blog post are affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on these links, I will receive a small commission from Classical Copywork.  I only share links and resources that I feel are beneficial to my readers.  Classical Copywork is one of those resources that I love and use.  Thank You for your support.