Handwriting Success
5.0Handwriting Success Review
Handwriting Success makes available workbooks that teach kids how to develop handwriting in the popular Dubay-Getty style. The books are replicas of the physically available ones, and kids use them in the same way by tracing and writing within the pages.
Multiple workbooks are mapped to the different stages of learning for kids between the ages of 5 and 12 are available as yearly subscriptions. The app is available on iOS and Android tablets and requires an active stylus to work correctly.
App Information
Stylus Support Suitable for ages - Primary School Apps (5-7 Years)
Primary School Apps (7-11 Years)
Subjects & Topics - English / Literacy
Great for -
Communication Skills
Organisational and Productivity Skills
Life Skills
Academic Relevance
Publisher - Getty-Dubay
Handwriting Success Features
- Popular Getty-Dubay® handwriting program in eight workbooks converted to your tablet and stylus
- Utilizes a redesigned drawing engine and pinch/zoom navigation
- Step-by-step approach from writing to joining the letters
How much does Handwriting Success cost?
Handwriting Success is free to download but contains no usable content.
Each of the workbooks comes as a separate annual subscription. While the workbooks are mapped to ages, it may not be as straightforward as buying one that correlates to your child's age if they are older. Each workbook builds upon the previous, so jumping into the middle of the series might not be appropriate if the style is distinctly different from one your child uses already.
Screenshots for Handwriting Success
Pros
- Unique, effective curriculum for teachers, children and adults
- Free samples allow you to try before you buy
Cons
- Resource links in books are not clickable URLs.
- Potential mismatch with school handwriting styles.
- Parental guidance not separated from children's content.
What is Handwriting Success app?
Handwriting Success translates the popular Dubay-Getty handwriting materials to tablet devices. The app itself acts as a container for books that address the different stages of learning to write, from printing single characters to full cursive script.
A separate book addresses each stage, with each one mapped to an age group. Using the app is very similar to using a book. You turn the pages, write on them in the correct places, and even place bookmarks.
An unavoidable aspect of a handwriting app is that you must have a suitable stylus. A cheap passive stylus won't work, and using touch alone for handwriting would be pointless. Use a combination of device and stylus that closely replicate regular handwriting—the app's website has some suggested device combinations for iOS and Android.
Suitable devices will have palm rejection and low response time(latency).
Palm rejection means that the app won't get confused when the writer's palm rests on the screen as they use the stylus. You also need a good response time as learners will find it difficult if the 'ink' lags behind the movement of their pen.
This review of the Handwriting Success app used an iPad and a first-generation Apple Pencil.
What we like about Handwriting Success?
Handwriting Success app has advantages over ordinary books without losing much. The feel of a stylus on a screen does not quite match a pen on paper, but the overall control which the user must employ is essentially the same.
The app's workbooks appear to be high-quality duplicates of the original physical ones. This approach keeps the charm of the originals, including informative asides handwritten in the app's style, but at the expense of some crispness when you zoom into the pages. Books, of course, have no zoom functionality at all.
Neither are books easily reusable. You can't ask a learner to moderate the pencil pressure as they practice to make the entries erasable. With this app, each mark is easily removed, or all of them through the clear page tool. No ghost marks are left behind to guide or confuse subsequent attempts when using this app.
In the books aimed at older children, there are asides handwritten in the app's style that relate facts about the history of writing. This feature adds an interesting dimension to the learning and may be welcomed by history teachers for some cross curriculum education.
Benefits for Students
Handwriting Success provides a convenient way to practise. Kids can take their tablets with them wherever they go and have learning, entertainment, and
handwriting apps to hand. Practice is essential for improving pen control, and the ability to revisit each page of a workbook repeatedly with no degradation will be beneficial.
Benefits for Teachers
Assuming a school allows for the use of this handwriting style, this app, along with all of its workbooks, will provide teachers with a coherent and ready-to-go handwriting syllabus. Students will need to have a tablet and stylus that only they use as the app cannot support multiple users if their work is to be preserved. If your school is lucky enough to be in this position, Handwriting Success will be a popular handwriting practice activity.
Multiple children in a class could share a single app by taking a screenshot of their writing before clearing it for the following user. Something not easily replicable with a single workbook.
Benefits for Parents
The superbly detailed guide will help parents understand why and how the style of handwriting shown in the app has been created. It covers every aspect of pen control and writing development imaginable, including advice for left-handed writers.
Download Handwriting Success
You can download Handwriting Success on your iOS or Android devices from the app stores. Download the Handwriting Success app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.
Downloadfor Android Downloadfor iOSFrequently Asked Questions
Is Handwriting Success safe to use?
Handwriting Success does not contain ads, although it is part of the Getty-Dubay handwriting programme. It does link to its parent website, which also sells physical products for handwriting tuition, but this is not heavy-handed or intrusive in any way.
The app's privacy policy primarily regards the website but states that the apps do not collect any data from users. As there is no functionality to access workbook edits on multiple devices, it appears that all user writing is stored on their device and not uploaded to the cloud.
What age is Handwriting Success appropriate for?
The workbooks for this app start at age five and go up to age twelve. Also available is a guide and workbook for adults who wish to improve their handwriting, but that is not the subject of this review.
Bottom Line
The workbooks included in Handwriting Success have stood the test of time with decades of use and refinement. The modern app that contains them does an admirable job of replicating the books' usage and providing a comparatively effective learning experience.
If the style of script taught by Handwriting Success is compatible with your child's school, or you are homeschooling them, then this app and its workbooks have everything you need. With guidance and plenty of practice on this app and in day-to day life using physical materials, your child will develop a clear, readable, and rapidly produced writing style.
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