Handwriting skills are an important developmental task and activity for kids. Through handwriting, they are able to express themselves and communicate with the world around them. Improving their penmanship, legibility, pencil grasp, and working on problem areas are all important things that need to be addressed, whether you are a homeschool parent, teacher, therapist, or just supplementing your child's classroom activities.
The ability to read handwriting is gained through learning to write in one's own handwriting. Being able to decipher both cursive and print is an important part of language literacy. Handwriting can help us slow down and fully engage with our thoughts. Have you ever heard anyone say, 'I type as fast as I think'?
- So, teachers have an increasingly important role as contributors to student happiness. It can be said that a truly happy student is likely to excel in his academic pursuit. A., (1990), Motivation: what teachers need to know, Teachers College Record, Volume 91, Number 3, Spring 1990.
- Lined writing paper will help your child improve their handwriting by learning proper letter sizing and keep their words straight. Teach them to proportion their letters as they go.
- The Teach Starter handwriting resources I mention in this blog are available in most fonts. Make your classroom buzz! Subscribe to Teach Starter and access thousands of curriculum-aligned resources and digital learning tools. Pencil grip tips. Pencil grip is always a topic of debate.
I wanted to share some ways on how to improve handwriting skills with kids and have rounded up all the posts I have written on this topic here on GHOK.
Handwriting Help Teach To Be Happy Birthday Card
How to Improve Handwriting Skills with Kids
The first step in learning about handwriting skills is to understand the importance of fine motor development and how pencil grasp develops. Here are some posts I have written on that topic:
- Typical Fine Motor Developmental Milestones for Ages 0-6 – Also comes with a free printable of each age level.
- You can also find more information on fine motor skill development.
Handwriting Help Teach To Be Happy Birthday
Pencil Grasp Development
There are two types of pencil grasps that are considered efficient for handwriting; the tripod and the quadruped grasp. You can learn more about those two types of grasp below.
- Proper Pencil Grasp for Writing – Comes with a step by step developmental sequence and explanation as well as pictures of each type of grasp.
- 5 Tips for Pencil Grasp Development with Preschoolers – This is a guest post I wrote over on Learning 2 Walk about pencil grasp as well.
- Pencil Grasp Development Handout – Free Download
- What is Pincer Grasp? – Pincer grasp is an important part of handwriting skills and pencil grasp.
- The Foundational Skills Needed for Handwriting Mechanics – a look at underlying skills needed for pencil grasp.
- 5 Fine Motor Activities to Improve Pencil Grasp – Guest post on Learning 2 Walk
Pre-Writing Skills for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Nick allen (power trip button bar)the initials game on. Pre-writing skills are the pre-cursor to handwriting. They consist of an age-appropriate sequence of lines and shapes that toddlers and preschoolers learn in order to, later on, form letters and numbers.
Handwriting Help Teach To Be Happy Birthday Card
How to Improve Handwriting Skills with Kids
The first step in learning about handwriting skills is to understand the importance of fine motor development and how pencil grasp develops. Here are some posts I have written on that topic:
- Typical Fine Motor Developmental Milestones for Ages 0-6 – Also comes with a free printable of each age level.
- You can also find more information on fine motor skill development.
Handwriting Help Teach To Be Happy Birthday
Pencil Grasp Development
There are two types of pencil grasps that are considered efficient for handwriting; the tripod and the quadruped grasp. You can learn more about those two types of grasp below.
- Proper Pencil Grasp for Writing – Comes with a step by step developmental sequence and explanation as well as pictures of each type of grasp.
- 5 Tips for Pencil Grasp Development with Preschoolers – This is a guest post I wrote over on Learning 2 Walk about pencil grasp as well.
- Pencil Grasp Development Handout – Free Download
- What is Pincer Grasp? – Pincer grasp is an important part of handwriting skills and pencil grasp.
- The Foundational Skills Needed for Handwriting Mechanics – a look at underlying skills needed for pencil grasp.
- 5 Fine Motor Activities to Improve Pencil Grasp – Guest post on Learning 2 Walk
Pre-Writing Skills for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Nick allen (power trip button bar)the initials game on. Pre-writing skills are the pre-cursor to handwriting. They consist of an age-appropriate sequence of lines and shapes that toddlers and preschoolers learn in order to, later on, form letters and numbers.
- 6 Pre-writing Activities for Preschoolers – This was a 6-week series I did on my blog with activities to encourage pre-writing lines and shapes.
- 12 Fun Ways to Practice Handwriting with Preschoolers – Hands-on ideas for practice handwriting and pre-writing skills
Basic Shapes for Beginners – A Hands-on Approach to Pre-writing Strokes for Kids is an ebook I wrote to get you started with pre-writing skills at home for ages 2-5.
Teaching Handwriting Skills at Home
If your child is in Occupational Therapy it is important to practice the skills they are working on at home. This post discusses some ways to do that.
For homeschoolers, I have a special series on my site with how to teach handwriting to your preschooler through elementary age student.
Teaching Cursive Handwriting
Cursive can be a great alternative for children who are struggling with print. Plus it's important to at least teach your child how to sign their name in cursive. Here are some cursive resources for you.
- Cursive Pre-Writing Lines & Strokes – Free Printable
Handwriting Difficulty Tips & Tricks
You've most likely come to this page because your child is struggling with handwriting in some way. Here are some tips for some common handwriting problems.
More Handwriting Resources
For more tips and ideas, you can sign up to receive my 5 days of handwriting and pre-writing skills e-mail series. It's completely free and you'll receive all 5 days worth of e-mails in your inbox.
Just enter your e-mail address below and click the green 'click here' button. You'll need to head over to your inbox and confirm you want to receive the e-mail series. Then look for a welcome e-mail in your inbox (double check your spam folder or promotions tab for Gmail users if you don't see anything in your inbox).
I also have a Pinterest board dedicated to Handwriting Skills and Activities that you can follow for more ideas.
Follow Heather | Growing Hands-On Kids's board Handwriting Skills and Activities on Pinterest.And be sure to pin this post or bookmark it and check back for more posts that are added as I write them.1. The brain engages differently when we write something by hand as opposed to typing it on a keyboard or by touching a screen. Studies show that writing improves memory; students retain learning better when working with new ideas through handwriting instead of typing.
2. Engaging the body in writing by hand helps make writing a more holistic activity. There is something uniquely physical and multidimensional about putting pen to paper to form words and sentences.
3. Learning the alphabet by interacting with each letter in many different physical ways helps students imprint and retain the letters and the letter sounds for easier recall when learning to read. Learning letters on a screen engages at most two physical channels: the eyes and the fingertips. It is not possible to tell one letter from another by the shape of the keys. Learning letters through writing them involves numerous tactile experiences, engaging the fine-motor muscles of the fingers and hand, and larger muscles of the arm and body, as well as the eyes.
4. Many writers attest to the value of a handwritten first draft and the subsequent process of reading through and interacting with their writing by annotating, correcting, editing, and reshaping it as a whole. Typing on a screen tempts us instead to edit as we go, fragmenting and dissecting, and potentially interfering with the organic flow of ideas.
5. Even in this digital age, many accomplished people consider it critical to their success to keep a small notebook and pen handy so that they can jot down ideas in the moment and refer back to them later.
6. Many historical documents were written by hand and are now indecipherable to any who are unable to read cursive. The ability to read handwriting is gained through learning to write in one's own handwriting. Being able to decipher both cursive and print is an important part of language literacy.
7. Handwriting can help us slow down and fully engage with our thoughts. Have you ever heard anyone say, 'I type as fast as I think'? This is certainly an asset when transcribing the spoken word, but thoughts need to breathe (as do writers), and writing by hand conveniently holds such a space for thoughts to fully form before being set down in sentences.
8. With a pen in hand, there are instantly accessible creative and artistic opportunities that are not possible to weave into the experience of typing on a keyboard.
9. Handwriting is unique to each individual writer, unlike typeface. One's handwriting style, and especially one's signature, is a public and permanent statement. Learning to write well can help make that statement strong, beautiful, and – perhaps most importantly – legible.
10. Handwritten notes to friends and loved ones are intimate and personal in a way that email and typewritten text cannot fully convey. Nothing but handwriting can fully represent the mood and personality of the writer. A handwritten love note is a creative gift to cherish!
11. Proficient writing has a soothing flow and rhythm. While technology and culture is goading us to work faster and more intensely, tasks such as writing can help us find healthy balance in our work, our learning, and our play.
12. Being able to write effortlessly enables the mind to focus more fully on a topic. Struggling with handwriting takes valuable brain energy away from any writing task, but when that skill is mastered, it makes all the difference. Skilled, fluid handwriting is an asset to learning!
Sources and resources
What's Lost as Handwriting Fades, by Maria Konnikova (New York Times, June 2, 2014).
The Importance of Teaching Handwriting,by Louise Spear-Swerling.
Why is Handwriting Still Important in the Digital Age? (Pen Heaven).
Behind Every Successful Person is a Notebook Full of Ideas (Pen Heaven).
How Handwriting Trains the Brain: Forming Letters Is Key to Learning, Memory, Ideasby Gwendolyn Bounds. (Wall Street Journal, Oct. 5, 2010).
The Importance of Handwriting Instruction: Handwriting instruction is crucial for a child's education, by J. Richard Gentry Ph.D. (Psychology Today, January 09, 2014.)
Master penman Jake Weidmann
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