The Mighty Pen
There is a lot of debate around the importance of handwriting in the ever evolving landscape of digital technology and the possibility to type or dictate your work as an adult. Whether you are a strong believer in maintaining this skill or not, the fact is, it is still a central skill required for children to learn in school. However, handwriting isn’t simply picking up a pencil and remembering how to write a letter or spell a word. It involves an array of entwined complex skills, which support the development of our budding Shakespearean writers and artists.
To be able to handwrite effectively, we need to develop fine motor skills including strength and coordination of the small muscles in our hands. This enables us to hold the pencil in a functional way, and allows for precise movements. We also need reasonable hand-eye coordination to synchronize the information received through the eyes with the movement of the hands. This skill is crucial for accurate and controlled handwriting but wouldn’t be easily achieved if we also had weak shoulder and core stability. Poor posture and stability within our joints can make it challenging to control our fine motor movements. So you will often hear OT’s advising hand strengthening and core stability exercises.
Visual perception also plays an important role in supporting handwriting skills. It involves the ability to interpret and make sense of visual information received through the eyes. It allows individuals to recognize and differentiate between shapes, letters, numbers and words. Good visual perception also helps in forming letters and spacing them appropriately on the page.
Development of fine motor skills, core stability, posture and visual perception sounds like a lot but have you also heard of the pre-writing shapes? These are a pre-requisite to letter formation for the English alphabet. Pre-writing shapes are learnt in developmental order and research suggests that a typically developing child will be able to draw a triangle by the age of five years and three months. So if your child is having trouble with basic letter formation, check whether they can draw shapes including a circle, square and triangle. It will be helpful for them to practice these before placing too much demand on their handwriting.
If that weren’t enough, we also have sensory demands and requirement for attention, focus, motor planning, bilateral coordination, executive function and self-regulation….what a lot, just to write ‘the cat sat on the mat’.
Luckily there are lots of simple ways to develop handwriting skills. Children typically develop these skills gradually through various activities and exercises, and with practice, their handwriting improves over time. If someone is experiencing difficulties with handwriting, specific exercises and interventions can be used to address the underlying skill deficits. For example, one way is to ensure your child is sitting in a seat appropriate to their size. Can you imagine how difficult it would be to maintain your attention, use your thinking brain and control a pencil when you are sitting in a chair made for a giant? By providing a suitable height table and chair where your child’s feet are supported and their ankles, knees and hips are at approximately 90 degrees is one simple step in the right direction. This will help with fine motor control, posture and attention.
If you notice your child is having difficulty with writing then check out the membership at Joyful Journey. Over the first month of our membership we will be exploring the many ways you can help to support your child’s pre-writing and handwriting skill development. We will focus on getting ready to learn with correct sitting posture, hand strengthening ideas, pencil grasps and grips, the pre-writing shapes and strategies to learn letter formation, as well as how to improve the neatness and legibility of your child’s writing. Activities and strategies will be suitable for both home and in school, with enjoyable ideas to support your child’s motivation and engagement.
Join our free waitlist today and be the first to gain access to our resources.
Joyful Journey is an affordable and accessible occupational therapy service to help children find joy and confidence in their development.
