Killashee Hotel, Naas, Co Kildare, Ireland
Friday, 6th March 2026
Join us for this hands-on workshop, created especially for parents, teachers, and healthcare professionals working with children.
Throughout the day, you’ll discover engaging, research-based strategies from the award-winning Handwriting Without Tears programme that make handwriting easier, more natural, and more enjoyable for children of all ages and abilities. With a balance of theory, demonstration, and practical activities, this workshop ensures you leave feeling confident and inspired.
Get top tips and simple strategies, to immediately implement in your classroom for teaching handwriting.
Thousands of teachers, occupational therapists, educational specialists, and parents rely on our Handwriting Without Tears Workshops for the strategies and tools they need to help students succeed.
Now it’s your turn!
This in-person workshop will provide you with the knowledge, skills, and practical resources needed to effectively teach handwriting. Drawing on a comprehensive, research-based curriculum, you will learn engaging multisensory techniques that support handwriting as a natural and automatic skill for children of all ages and abilities.
Through guided, hands-on activities, participants will explore the full continuum of handwriting instruction from early writing readiness and foundation skills in the preschool years to print writing and beyond.
By attending this Handwriting Without Tears Workshop you will learn to:
- Plan your instruction based on the stages of writing readiness
- Model essential foundation skills prior to pencil and paper
- Use Hands-On Letter Play to build beginning habits for letter & number formations
- Learn the developmental progression from colouring, tracing, to writing letters, words, and sentences
- Implement, teach and remediate handwriting
- Navigate the PreK and Handwriting Interactive Teaching Tool™
- Promote independent writing skills beyond workbook instruction
Presented By
Tania Ferrandino, OTR/L
Tania Ferrandino received her Diploma in Occupational therapy from St. Loye’s school of Occupational Therapy in Exeter, England.
Tania has worked extensively with children of all ages and abilities for more than 20 years.
Her passion is sharing with educators and others who work with young children how they can most effectively prepare children for written production skills, including handwriting. She currently serves as a Senior Program Manager for Learning Without Tears, where she is considered a subject matter expert and has worked on creating content for teacher guides, student workbooks and hands-on products.
Tania has also created content for multiple professional learning formats.
Workshop Objectives
Readiness & Writing Objectives:
Learn new ways to enhance children’s well-being and school readiness
- Learning Outcomes:
- Identify a developmental sequence for teaching readiness & writing skills that can be used to plan and differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all students.
- Discover multisensory strategies and our step-by-step approach to effectively teach grip, fine motor and coloring skills using music and tools for little hands.
- Select purposeful hands-on, multisensory manipulatives, music and digital learning to teach position concepts, alphabet knowledge, letter formation, and name writing to promote Kindergarten readiness.
- Locate progress monitoring supports within print and digital educator resources.
Printing Objectives:
Provide the knowledge, skills and materials needed to effectively teach print
- Learning Outcomes:
- Identify the 4 steps of explicit handwriting instruction that can be applied when teaching or remediating letters, words, and sentences.
- Select effective hands-on, multisensory activities to teach handwriting skills including grip, position concepts, alphabet knowledge, letter formation, and sentence skills.
- Choose 2 strategies that can be used to help children generalize handwriting skills across all subjects.
- Locate progress monitoring and differentiated instructional supports within print and digital educator resources.
Workshop Ticket Prices
Early Bird Bonus
Book before 31st October 2025 and receive a €25 Sensational Kids Store voucher to spend at the workshop.
Regular Rate
€349
Late Booking Rate
From 6th February 2026 – €375
⚠️ Places for this workshop are limited. Secure your spot early to avoid disappointment.
Vouchers will be handed out at registration on the day and can be redeemed at the Sensational Kids Shop during the event.
What’s Included in Your Ticket
- Full-day, hands-on workshop with expert instruction from Tania (USA)
- €220 Resource Pack with Handwriting Without Tears materials to use during the workshop and take home
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Catering throughout the day:
- Tea, coffee & scones on arrival
- Mid-morning tea & coffee
- Main course lunch with tea & coffee
- Mid-afternoon tea & coffee
- Attendance Certificate
- 60-day access to Interactive Teaching Tools for Pre-K and Handwriting.
- Free Car Parking
- Entry to prize draw to win additional Handwriting Without Tears materials during the workshop
- Early Bird Bonus: €25 Sensational Kids Store voucher (given at registration on the day)
- Networking opportunities with other parents, teachers, and healthcare professionals
Included with your workshop is a resource pack worth €220, giving you everything you need to put Handwriting Without Tears strategies into practice.
Your Pack Contains
- 1 x Wood Pieces Set for Capital Letters
- 2 x Mat for Wood Pieces
- 2 x Slate Chalkboard
- 1 x Blackboard with Double Lines
- 1 x The Letters to Words Blackboard Set
- 1 x Little Chalk Bits
- 1 x Little Sponge Cubes
- 1 x Get Set for School Sing Along music album CD
- 1 x Rock, Rap, Tap & Learn music album CD
Workshop Schedule – Friday, 6th March 2026
8:30 – 9:00 AM – Arrival & Registration
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- ☕ Tea, coffee & freshly baked scones
- 🤝 Networking & settling in
9:00 – Start
11:00 – 11:15 AM | Mid-Morning Refreshments
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- ☕ Tea & coffee break
1:00 – 2:00 PM | Lunch
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- 🍽 Hot main course with tea/coffee
- 🤝 Networking opportunity
3:15 – 3:30 PM | Afternoon Refreshments
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- ☕ Tea & coffee break
5:00 PM – End of Workshop
Who Should Attend?
This workshop is suitable for education professionals, allied health professionals and parents.
The Handwriting Without Tears Workshop will be of interest to:
- Occupational Therapists
- School Principals
- Teachers
- Resource Teachers
- Special Needs Assistants
- Parents
- Educational Psychologists
- Anybody interested in learning how to teach handwriting to children of all abilities
📍 Venue
Killashee Hotel
Killashee, Naas, Co. Kildare, W91 DC98
Phone: 045 879277
- Conveniently located just 50 minutes by car from Dublin Airport
- Easy access via the M7 and M9 motorways
- Free on-site parking for all attendees
For more information, please email us at store@sensationalkids.ie.
What Others Say about our Handwriting Without Tears Workshops in Ireland
“Excellent content, excellent teacher, everything broken down and easy to understand. Have learned so much today” L. Gleeson
“Very happy with the workshop, and I’m looking forward to implementing it with my son” M. Siewierska
“Excellent Course. Lots of very good information” A. Hughes
“It was very worthwhile. A lot of information delivered in a very explanatory manner – also very practical” H.O’Connor
“Very enjoyable and lots of learning” S.Hallahan
“Very informative and enjoyable, and plenty of resources, Thank you” B. Belton
“Presenter was excellent!” W O’Donoghue
“Doing this course helps me to see it’s possible for anyone to learn to write easily” M. Caulfield
“Workshop, really, really worthwhile. Tania has super presentation/teaching skills and has experience” A. Donagher
“I thought the speaker explained things well, kept everyone engaged and taught you how to teach. It was very practical as a teacher” Anon
“Excellent speaker and workshop. I know so much going home after this wonderful workshop with Tania” O. Kilcane
“Very practical workshop, Looking forward to putting it into practice. Great resource packs. Wonderful facilitator” E Ni Chatasaigh