I’m a first-grade teacher, and even though I’m a “handwriting-challenged” person myself, I very deliberately studied manuscript so that I would set a good example for my students.  Unless your son has been taught by a series of tyrants, which I doubt, neither his soul, nor the souls of other youngsters has been harmed by having to practice to reach some approximation of a print ideal.  A blank surface and some instrument that makes a mark or an impression are still the most available and appropriate technology.  Students are thrilled when they are first able to write their own message.  They are less thrilled when they discover that other people will find it easier to understand if it’s written neatly, but generally their desire to be understood makes them want to improve their writing.  The way a six-year-old makes lines, curves, and squiggles tells me a lot about the way their particular brain works.  I use this info when I’m teaching them other skills.  Generally, I don’t desire stylized handwriting–they do, because they’ve seen it in other places and think that they’re being “artistic.”  They rebel when they’re told they can’t do it “their way.”  Do it my way first, i.e., your genuine attempt at legibility, then do it your way to your heart’s content.

I’m a first-grade teacher, and even though I’m a “handwriting-challenged” person myself, I very deliberately studied manuscript so that I would set a good example for my students.  Unless your son has been taught by a series of tyrants, which I doubt, neither his soul, nor the souls of other youngsters has been harmed by having to practice to reach some approximation of a print ideal.  A blank surface and some instrument that makes a mark or an impression are still the most available and appropriate technology.  Students are thrilled when they are first able to write their own message.  They are less thrilled when they discover that other people will find it easier to understand if it’s written neatly, but generally their desire to be understood makes them want to improve their writing.  The way a six-year-old makes lines, curves, and squiggles tells me a lot about the way their particular brain works.  I use this info when I’m teaching them other skills.  Generally, I don’t desire stylized handwriting–they do, because they’ve seen it in other places and think that they’re being “artistic.”  They rebel when they’re told they can’t do it “their way.”  Do it my way first, i.e., your genuine attempt at legibility, then do it your way to your heart’s content.