Children learn by imitating.
You’ve probably already noticed that. 😉
However, the fact that children copy what they see is one of the underlying reasons why copywork is beneficial for learning. When children do copywork, they learn (through imitation) how to write well. It provides them with a role model for writing.
There are other benefits of using copywork as well. We’re going to take a look at some of those today and find out how they can help you homeschool your child.
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Benefits of Copywork
Copywork encourages your child to be precise. One of the goals of copywork is that the child should copy the text exactly as it is written. He must pay careful attention to the details of the passage as he puts it down on paper. This can help him learn how to be accurate in other areas of the curriculum.
Copywork can be used to expose your child’s mind to good things. It’s the perfect venue for sharing things like scripture, inspirational quotes, religious teachings, prayers, sacred songs, and virtuous passages found in fictional books like Raggedy Ann.
You can share various literary genres with your child with copywork. Use it to either introduce a new genre or reinforce one you are currently studying. Some possibilities you might like to use include fables, biographies, nonsense verse, rhymes, riddles, historical fiction, limericks, haiku, and folklore.
It can be a tool for reinforcing concepts learned in other subjects. You can sometimes select passages of interest from books you are currently studying in other subjects like science or history. Your child might copy the first line of the Gettysburg Address, or a passage from a book you are reading about dinosaurs.
It increases your child’s vocabulary. Choosing passages with challenging words helps to improve your child’s vocabulary skills. It allows him to see these new words used in context.
Copywork improves spelling skills. Your child can learn to spell better through imitation. Copywork provides a platform for imitating good spelling.
Grammar skills are reinforced by copying quality literature. Your child can see how adjectives are used, how to punctuate correctly, what letters are capitalized, and other skills involved in putting together a good sentence.
It provides models for composition. When your child begins to do his own compositions, copywork provides an example of good writing for him to learn from. It also gives him inspiration for his own writing projects.
It prepares children for taking notes later in life. That’s because copywork is a precursor to note-taking.
Copywork is handwriting practice with purpose. It is an opportunity to practice penmanship while also learning about great literature, good quality grammar, important concepts in other subjects, virtuous deeds and more.
I hope this post on the benefits of copywork helps you homeschool your child. Just remember one thing. When it comes to homeschool methods, always go with what works for your child.
By the way, if you use copywork in your homeschool, you might like these free printable binder covers.
Many blessings,
