Still A Necessary Skill, Handwriting Fosters School Success

Still a Necessary Skill, Handwriting Fosters School Success

Jan Z. Olsen, OTR, founder and creator, Handwriting Without Tears

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 recent addition of the handwritten essay section of the SAT and other state tests have revitalized the interest of many parents and educators in handwriting. And, a recent national education study conducted by Vanderbilt University demonstrates that higher grades may be achieved through good handwriting education and college programs for teachers are bringing back handwriting education after more than 25 years of not educating future educators about how to teach this skill.

However, the ways of teaching handwriting today differ drastically from how most adults remember it – the amount of time spent practicing handwriting, the lack of “frills”, and out-of-alphabetic-order instruction are other ways the new systems differ from older methods. One method even uses a puppet, songs with hand movements, the imaginations of kids, and “green” handheld chalkboards as part of the new way students can learn important this fundamental skill. Here are some other facts…

Good handwriting is a skill we learn in early elementary school, but the benefits of good handwriting extend our entire lives. In fact, studies show that mastering handwriting sets children up for other learning successes. Handwriting builds confidence, teaches children to have organized approach and enhances their ability to communicate.

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 in a majority of states that now require a handwritten essay section. While these exams aim to measure a child or teen’s ability to clearly express oneself, it is imperative that the student’s handwriting be legible and automatic in order to maximize thinking time and creative writing skills.

If scorers can’t read it, how can they give students a proper grade? notes Leslie Thornton, Principal, Mill Valley Schools on KGO-TV in San Francisco on the topic.

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.

Tips for Parents of Pre-K and Elementary Students from Handwriting Without Tears

  • Do it correctly yourself – Remember that children learn by imitating you, so make sure that YOU are holding your pencil and forming your letters correctly.
  • Sit up straight – Make sure your child can sit with her feet on the floor and their arm can move freely wherever they write, at home or school.
  • Read Show your children the importance of communicating through words.
  • Sing When you sing the alphabet song, show your children the letters as you sing. Sing songs that use their fingers, like theItsy Bitsy Spider, andThe Crayon Song on the Get Set For School Sing-Along CD .
  • Draw Children who draw often, write better. For young drawers, give them broken pieces of chalk or crayons to use. They will have no choice but to hold these small pieces correctly using a proper grip!
  • Move – Teach spatial words, likeunder, over, top, middle, and bottom by using visual cues. Put one hand under another, etc.
  • GoTop Left Get children in the habit of going from top-to-bottom and left- to-right.
  • Give them little bites Encourage children, even babies as young as 9 months, to pick up small objects, like tiny pieces of food, with their fingers. It will help to develop writing muscles and coordination skills.
  • Play Encourage preschoolers to use finger paints and sponges to strengthen writing muscles and reinforce coordination
  • Ask Discuss with your child’s teacher what resources are available to help develop their skills.

    • Jan Z. Olsen, OTR, is the founder and creator of Handwriting Without Tears, a unique handwriting curriculum that uses music, touch, and movement to to help children find success in handwriting prepare children for handwriting and to teach them how to form and place their letters correctly. Utilized by more than two million children in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, Handwriting Without Tears has been acclaimed for its ability to eliminate letter reversals, the most common problem children encounter in learning handwriting, and requires only 10 minutes per day of classroom time. For more information, please visit www.HWTears.com.