Are you concerned about your child’s handwriting? If so, you are not alone. Many parents bring their child to Better Tuition because they are concerned about this essential skill.

Our children see us use it less and less, but don’t be swayed by this lack of prevalence. Handwriting is every bit as important as it ever was. School exams demand handwriting that is neat, legible and reasonably speedy. Furthermore, two major studies have concluded that handwriting imprints words on our memory far more effectively than typing. So if you want to remember what you’ve written, do it by hand and not on a laptop or tablet. You can read these studies here and here.

Believe it or not, your toddler’s scribbles are their first steps towards developing handwriting. By the time they finish Reception (age 4-5), children should* be able to write lower case letters, though these will be large and probably quite messy. Handwriting should develop throughout primary school and, by the end of Year 6, your child’s writing should* be joined, fluent and legible.

Are you sitting comfortably?

A proper sitting position will really help your child to produce their best handwriting. Ensure their feet are resting firmly on the floor.  Next, check that they are squarely facing the table. They should be sitting with their forearms resting on the table and sitting right back on the chair so that their hips touch the back of the chair. The chair should be pulled in closely to the table.

A Gripping Tale

Most children will perfect their pencil grip by Year 1 or 2. Most of us use the ‘dynamic tripod grip’ (see above). The correct pencil grip will help your child form neat letters and write at speed. You can encourage a good pencil grip by having your child rip and scrunch tissue paper; create with play dough; help hanging out the washing (pinching clothes pegs develops the pincer grip); do colouring-in and dot-to-dot puzzles.

Left-Handed Handwriting

Left-handed writing is often rather messy. This is unsurprising, since lefties have to push the pen across the page, rather than pulling it, as right-handed writers do. Left-handed writers should get into the habit of tilting the paper to the right (at about a 45 degree angle) and pulling their elbow in towards their waist. You can read more about left-handedness here on our blog.

Does Your Child Have a Developmental Disorder?

Early handwriting is usually large and quite messy – after all, your child is only just beginning to learn how about pencil control. If handwriting is still very large by the end of Year 2, however, this may indicate a lack of motor control.

Visual-perceptual problems are common in handwriting. This may include confusing letters (e.g. mixing up ‘g’ and ‘y’) or reversing them (‘b’ and ‘d’ are the most commonly-confused pair).

Some children may write so fast they misspell or miss out words.

Any of the above problems may be associated with developmental disorders such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, Autistic Spectrum Disorder or Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder. That doesn’t mean that your child has a developmental disorder – just that it may be worth investigation. Speak to your child’s teacher first of all as s/he knows them best. You may also wish to contact the National Handwriting Association.

If you have concerns about your child’s handwriting, why not get in touch with Better Tuition? Call Paul Syrett or Christine McLaughlin on 0161 748 3912 and find out how we can help. You can book a FREE assessment and we can advise you on your next steps.

*DISCLAIMER: children develop at different rates. There is no need to worry if your child doesn’t meet government guidelines bang on schedule.