Copywork is one of the mainstays of a Charlotte Mason homeschool. We use copywork as a daily activity that supports language arts learning.

But if you’re new to the philosophy, you might wonder what it is and how it works its magic. In this post, we hope to give you the basic things you need to know about how to use copywork for all its benefits. 

What is Copywork 

First, what is copywork? For young children, copywork may refer to the child copying each letter in perfect formation. Then, as they grow older, copywork involves copying letters that form words. The next step is for the child to start transcribing, where he copies a word and not by individual letter. 

Benefits of Copywork 

But why in the world should you let your child do copywork everyday? Here are some important benefits you need to understand: 

1. Copywork can help train children in perfect execution. 

Our goal in Charlotte Mason copywork is the child giving their best effort. We don’t allow dawdling or sloppy work, and the child knows that he is only given, say, 10 minutes, for copywork, so he can give his full attention to the work.

So instead of what we may have been used to in our schooldays, where we were asked to copy a line (“I will not speak in class,” anyone?) over and over until the blackboard is full, we focus instead on getting them to write, as well as they can, a few lines or equivalent to a few minutes’ work. 

2. Copywork can help improve handwriting. 

Because of our emphasis on perfect execution, copywork can also help improve your child’s handwriting. Knowing that there’s a set time for the work helps your child focus, and having only a small passage to copy prevents sloppy work that comes when children get tired from writing too much. 

3. Copywork helps improve spelling. 

The more that a child sees how a word is spelled, it contributes to his memory of how the word “looks,” which, to a CM homeschool, is a major factor in correct spelling. In fact, the process of transcribing involves the child “taking a picture” of a word in his mind’s eye before he proceeds to write the word down on paper. 

4. Copywork also helps a child assimilate grammar and punctuation rules. 

As the child copies excellently-written lines from his school books, he also unconsciously sees how great sentences are formed. This forms a strong foundation for learning grammar and punctuation rules, because he already knows how words should come together. 

How to Do Charlotte Mason Copywork

Here are some steps to help you get started with Charlotte Mason copywork: 

1. ONLY copy excellently-written passages. 

We cannot overemphasize this point! Our goal in copywork is not for our children to copy just any old thing. Instead, find excellently-written lines and passages from living books; this can include the Bible, poetry, hymns, literature, history, or science books in your weekly schedule. 

2. Choose passages from different books each day.

One way of making sure you choose passages from different living books is to make a rotation schedule. For example, you might want to assign a specific kind of source to each day of the week, as follows: 

Monday: Hymn (We have a FREE Hymn Study Copybook for you!)

Tuesday: Literature

Wednesday: Bible or History

Thursday: Poetry or Recitation Selection

Friday: Science or Biography 

3. Set a timer. 

For younger kids, set a timer for 10 to 15 minutes. Having a set time assures your child that there is a set end-time to the activity, so he can devote his full attention for the given time. It also encourages perfect execution. 

4. Sit by your child and erase errors as they come. 

In the CM philosophy, we believe that spelling comes about the more that a child sees a word spelled a certain way. This is why we are quick to erase mispellings before the child has a chance to lodge it in his memory. 

5. Encourage the keeping of a Commonplace Book. 

As your child grows older, you may want to have him do copywork in a Commonplace Book, or a book of quotes. This is where he can write down passages that he really likes from the books he’s read, and gives him more autonomy over what things he wants to copy. 

Include Copywork in the Daily Schedule

The power in copywork comes when it’s done regularly and consistently. We encourage you to include it in your daily schedule, possibly as a “break” in between stories, to give your child’s mind a chance to rest before going back to another reading or listening lesson. 

If you need help in getting started with copywork, you may want to consider taking a look at our Charlotte Mason International Copybook.