Handwriting Woes

"What does that say?"  "Stay in the lines."  "You need to start your letter at the top."  "No, no honey, this is how you hold a pencil"....Do any of these phrases sound familiar?  Handwriting is a struggle for many children with learning disabilities and ADD.  And unfortunately, due to the curriculum demands that have taken place over the past decade, handwriting is no longer a formal part of the curriculum in many states...including ours.  Barbara Willer, the deputy executive director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children has said, "The printing and cursive are taking more of a back seat."  In my opinion, this is such a disservice to children going through our school systems today.


There is a link between handwriting in early grades to basic reading and spelling achievement.  The process of learning handwriting helps with letter recognition, word awareness and sentence skills.  When I would teach my kindergarten students letter identification, I would teach them how to form and write the letter, as well as the sound of the letter.  By giving attention to the links between handwriting, reading, and spelling a teacher can help reinforce achievement in these areas.  This also allows students to translate a visual or mental image of a letter into a written form.  I would also teach the proper grip of the pencil at this time.  As little as 15 minutes a day of handwriting instruction has been shown to be beneficial, and as noted, it does not (and should not)need to be a stand alone subject.


Handwriting instruction is such an important part of our children's education.  Especially children with special needs that may have difficulty with fine motor skills, visual processing, or attention.  For any child, without proper instruction, they are just drawing the letters, but it is not automatic.  With instruction and practice, they are able to form good and consistent habits.  This is important because it allows them to focus on the content of what they are writing, not how are forming the letters as they write.  If they have not learned these good habits and it is not automatic,  they may lose their thoughts before ever getting them on paper.


Cursive handwriting instruction has also taken a back seat due to the pressures being put on teachers to get students ready for the many standardized test they are facing.  There are many reasons that learning cursive is also a valuable skill for students.  There are many situations as students get older when they are required to write with speed.  Cursive is a much fast form of handwriting than print.  When students begin to take notes, it is to their benefit if they can write with speed and accuracy.  When writing a composition, the faster they can get their thought on paper, the better or they will forget them.  Many students think their thoughts a little faster than their handwriting comes.

Now that there is an essay portion on the SAT's, handwriting may become more of a focus.  I know I will begin to work on it more with Madison, who, with her visual processing disorder has had a difficult time with handwriting.  It has been noted that students who have written in cursive on the SAT essay portion averaged slightly higher scores than those that used print.  The College Board has said that the results can not be attributed to handwriting and were not significant.  But it makes you think.

Handwriting is not a part of the curriculum in the school system my children attend.  Madison had a difficult time holding a pencil, staying in the lines and forming the letters. I began to work with her using the Zaner-Bloser method that I taught my students, but then my mom, who taught special education suggested Handwriting Without Tears (HWT).  HWT teaches a simple, clean, vertical style of handwriting in a developmentally appropriate order.  It makes handwriting easier and faster for children.  The paper has 2 lines instead of three, making it less visually challenging for children to form their letters.  After the manuscript lessons have been completed, there is also a cursive curriculum.  This program was developed by a mom and pediatric occupational therapist, Jan Olson, when her son was having difficulty with handwriting.

Anything that lessens frustration in my house is a good thing.  HWT was one of those things.  The paper alone made a huge difference.  Our children face enough challenges, if there is one thing we can do to make it easier for them, I am all for it.  With all of the benefits of learning handwriting, and I don't mean drawing the letters, but automatic correct formation of letters (print and cursive), isn't it sad that it is taking such a back seat in today's classroom?

For tips for parents and activities you can do with your children on handwriting given by Jan Olson visit the website, curiousparents.com.