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You are here: Home / Activities / Why Your Child Should Try Copywork for Writing Practice

Why Your Child Should Try Copywork for Writing Practice

By Betty
November 29, 2019

29 Nov
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Why copywork helps children learn to write Chinese and English

Before I learned there was a formal term for this, copywork has been my 6-year-old daughter’s main way of learning to write Chinese and English.

She has been copying Chinese song lyrics and passages from books voluntarily, and she actually enjoys it! In addition to her dictation journal, copywork has been a big part of self-motivated process of practicing writing.

I’m going to explain what is copywork and why I think your child should try it for writing practice in any language!

This post may have some affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, I earn a small commission which supports my blog and free printables at no additional cost to you. Please see the disclosure policy for details.

Copying lyrics from Stream of Praise Music Board Book for Kids with Lyra Ferby short tri-grip pencil; Prang groove triangular colored pencils
Copying lyrics from Stream of Praise Music Board Book for Kids with Lyra Ferby short tri-grip pencil; Prang groove triangular colored pencils

What is copywork?

A lot of parents have told me that they have never heard of copywork, but it’s actually been practice for centuries. While I’ve never seen copywork discussed in the context of bilingual learning, the concept came naturally to our family!

According to Story of the World, people would copy works (eg, the Holy Bible) by hand before the printing press, printers, and computers were invented.

5 Benefits of copywork for learning how to write Chinese, English, or any language

Writing is much more complicated than putting pencil to paper.

For example, Chinese characters have stroke order rules, which can be overwhelming for students who are learning how to express themselves. In addition, English spelling is full of irregularities.

  1. Copying words from other writers takes the pressure of generating new ideas. (Obviously, please don’t plagiarize though!)
  2. Instead, the writer can focus on the mechanical aspect of each Chinese stroke and radical component. Penmanship can be the focus rather than spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
  3. Rather than copying the same English letter or Chinese alphabet in workbooks ad nauseum, the writer can choose the content. If the content is meaningful, this can help with memorizing Chinese characters and English spelling.
  4. Copying favorite works is also an effective way to encourage your child to read!
  5. A child-led writing strategy can significantly boost motivation, skills, and stamina!
Writing practice with lap tray, Ticonderoga pencil, Staedtler eraser, and DIY homework topic discs

What works to copy

For the past couple of years, copywork has been my daughter’s low-stress way of practicing writing!

Although my daughter’s current 1st grade homework involves weekly copying of assigned English sentences, she’s free to copy anything else she wants.

Copy work - 1st grade English handwriting homework
1st grade English copywork; Lyra Ferby short tri-grip pencil; Prang groove triangular colored pencils

Especially for Chinese, a minority language for our family, I strongly believe in finding joy in learning.

Because we live in an English-dominant community, my daughter technically has no need to learn Chinese. Therefore, our children deserve to have a Chinese learning experience that is internally motivating.

Song lyrics from favorite music

Chinese music is a fun way to learn the language, and my daughter enjoys copying while singing her favorite songs!

My daughter most frequently chooses 讚美之泉 Stream of Praise Chinese Christian Music for her copywork.

Favorite books

In addition to music, children can copy favorite stories!

She also enjoys copying bible verses for extra English writing practice, including dozens of bible verses for our advent calendar!

Chinese writing practice: Child-Led Copying Song Lyrics
Copying lyrics from 讚美之泉 Stream of Praise Chinese Christian Music

How to get started with copywork for child-led writing practice

In the beginning, take it slow and start with an easy Chinese character with few strokes or a short English word.

Know that every child’s learning pace and fine motor skills varies. They may be writing only a few words or a sentence for many months or even a year before they are ready to increase to multiple sentences and paragraphs.

Our experience with copywork for writing practice

Although my daughter has been writing English and Korean since before age 3, and Chinese on and off starting around age 4, the learning process has been patient and gradual, especially for Chinese. I mention her age NOT because kids should be writing at this point, but because even someone like her who was ready to write early needed longer time to be ready for the complexity that is Chinese writing.

Sometimes, my daughter wants to write pages of new words.  Other times, she’ll go for days or weeks without writing anything new, because she’s learning other things in life (eg, mastering the monkey bars, playing new piano songs).

You’ve probably noticed the same with your kids – that their development and interest might come in waves.  We experience that all the time, too! 🙂

However, after seeing her learning patterns over the past few years, I trust that she will learn the necessary skills when I can be flexible and acknowledge her interests.

Copying lyrics from the Chinese song 世上只有妈妈好

Copywork on worksheets, mini-books, and greeting cards

Since my daughter loves to make greeting cards and little booklets for our family, she is usually not using writing grids.

As she matures, I would like to encourage her to practice using Chinese writing worksheets to reinforce Chinese stroke order and alignment.

Currently, she is logging most of her copywork in a personal journal.

Copywork: copying song lyrics in Chinese for Chinese writing practice
Messier handwriting from copywork at age 5 years

Where to find printable Chinese lyrics in simplified and traditional Chinese

Since writing this post and sharing it on social media, many parents have told me that their kids welcomed the idea of copying song lyrics like my daughter!

Click on the button below to see free printable lyrics for Chinese children’s songs!

Chinese song lyrics for kids

Have questions?

I’d love to hear your thoughts about teaching reading and writing at home and how it’s been going for your family.

Feel free to leave a comment with any concerns or thoughts about your family’s learning journey, and I’ll try my best to find a solution for you.

In the meantime, I hope the following articles can be helpful!

Teach kids how to read Chinese

  • When and How to Introduce Chinese Characters to Kids?
  • Create a Print-Rich Environment with Labels that Promote Literacy
  • How I Taught My Child 1000+ Chinese Characters as a Non-Fluent Speaker
  • When Should My Child Learn Hanyu Pinyin?
  • Montessori Salt Writing Tray – Fun Sensory Learning for Kids!
  • Magic Water Writing Cloth and 地书 for Chinese Calligraphy Practice
  • Handmade Cards for Reading and Writing Practice (English, Chinese, and Korean)
  • How to Teach Chinese with Montessori Sandpaper Characters

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Happy reading and writing, friends!

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About Betty

I'm a Chinese-American mom who is having fun teaching my children Mandarin Chinese while re-learning the language myself. I love coming up with creative, hands-on, and educational activities, and I hope these ideas help your children have fun learning Chinese!

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Dr. Betty Choi CHALK Academy - 2

Hi! I’m Betty, a Chinese-American mom, believer, pediatrician, and writer.  I’m having fun learning Chinese with my children, and I love sharing multilingual resources and teaching tips!  I hope these ideas can help your family or school! Read More…

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