Handwriting: Learning to Write Right

Help your child shape letters correctly, then move onto cursive with handy tips from a leading hand-writing expert.

In today’s fast-paced computer age, handwriting seems like a forgotten art … but think again. Handwriting is coming into sharp focus — and for good reason. While overall student confidence and early academic success are often directly related to handwriting, the new hand-written essay section of the SAT and other state tests have revitalized the interest of many parents and educators in handwriting.

Good handwriting is a skill we learn in early elementary school, but the benefits of good handwriting extend our entire lives. The truth is that mastering handwriting sets children up for other learning successes. Handwriting builds confidence, teaches children to have an organized approach to work and enhances their ability to communicate. Think about how exciting it is when a child writes his name for the first time. Think about how nice it is to be able to write easily and well.

Several studies show that children with good handwriting feel more confident and proud of their work, and other studies demonstrate that legible papers receive higher grades than do illegible ones. Students who don’t master neat letter formation are at a disadvantage, which can impact a child’s grade on spelling tests, math quizzes and essays. A student’s poor handwriting can be particularly detrimental during the new SAT and the standardized tests that now require a hand-written essay section. While these exams aim to measure a student’s ability to clearly express himself, it is imperative that his handwriting be legible and automatic in order to maximize thinking time and creative writing skills. Besides, if scorers can’t read it, how can they give students a proper grade?

While there are new reasons to learn to handwrite, there are also improved methods of teaching this important skill. Gone are the days of tediously practicing each letter starting with A and going through Z. Using the Handwriting Without Tears method, preschoolers learn about letters and good handwriting habits through song, kindergarteners learn on a slate, and first through fourth graders master handwriting spending only 10 minutes a day using other fun techniques. Additionally, the program seeks to boost kids’ confidence by teaching the easiest letters first, eliminating unnecessary strokes and stressing the most common letters.

The focus of today’s handwriting lessons is on developing good habits that make students legible, fluent writers and make handwriting an automatic skill that students don’t have to think about. Handwriting has been an integral part of communication for as long as there has been recorded history. And there is no evidence that anything could ever completely take its place.

Jan Z. Olsen is a mother, occupational therapist and hand-writing expert whose ideas became the basis for the first therapist’s guide, Handwriting Without Tears. Learn more about this educational program for grades preschool - 5 at www.hwtears.com.