The Complexity and Importance of Handwriting

Most of us never consider the skills required to write legibly, or how poor handwriting performance can effect learning. This blog post by OT Loren Shlaes is a great primer on this. Read more at Minds in Bloom.

Pretty much the entire point of an academic education is to enable a child to represent his ability to solve problems and to express his ideas easily and fluently in writing, yet the current educational trends seem to be drifting farther and farther away from actually teaching the child how to do so.  In order to be able to write articulately and effortlessly, you have to have internalized the rules and mechanics of writing so that they are completely automatic. Consider what this entails:
– how to correctly hold the pencil
– how to precisely form each individual letter
– how to spell words correctly
– understanding what constitutes a coherent, grammatical sentence
– understanding correct punctuation
– understanding how to organize your work on the page

Handwriting, across the lifespan, is a necessary daily skill and a direct reflection of who we are, and don’t let anyone tell you anything different. Children who cannot write easily and legibly struggle in school.

Teach Your Students the Right Way to Write