What is it?

Although we commonly think of handwriting as simply what we see written on the page, handwriting actually reflects two equally important aspects:

PRODUCT

What the written outcome looks like (e.g. Are the letters neat, legible, written on the line and correctly formed?).

PERFORMANCE

How the handwriting is performed (e.g. how is the pencil held? How fast is the task performed? Is there any pain during performance?). Pencil performance is reflected in the speed of performance (and therefore the quantity achieved) and the presence/absence of pain and/or poor endurance.

As written communication is the means by which children are assessed at school, we tend to focus on the outcome or product. But as children move up school grades, handwriting demands upon them increase. When handwriting performance is compromised, it can lead to the product being compromised. Both aspects of handwriting are therefore crucial and mutually dependent, particularly when the child is under time or quantity demands.

Both these crucial aspects of handwriting are themselves dependent upon several underlying abilities including:

LEGIBILITY

Legibility is influenced by letter/number awareness and formation; writing ON the line; leaving appropriate spaces between letters and words, and letters being the correct size. At a very basic level, it is also dependent upon the ability to form the ‘pre-writing shapes’ that combine to form letters and numbers (e.g. o + l = a).

MECHANICS

Good 'mechanics' (movement) of pencil performance is influenced by pencil grip; finger strength and control, and body positioning (e.g. posture at the table).


Why is it important?

Writing is the means by which children’s academic performance is assessed. In fact, in the upper grades, handwriting performance can significantly determine the quantity of writing in exams, as well as the legibility. Good handwriting performance allows easy and fluid handwriting that minimizes fatigue. It is best mastered early in the schooling career to prevent bad habits forming.

The underlying skills that determine handwriting are also those that determine other dexterous hand skills for a variety of everyday skills (e.g. doing up buttons; cleaning teeth; tying shoelaces - including keyboard use).

Despite the advent of computers and the common belief by many that typing is more important than writing as a life skill, as the pre-requisite skills for good keyboard use are the same as handwriting, there is rarely good reason to totally exclude handwriting to focus purely on typing. Furthermore, despite the advent of computers we still need the ability to handwrite in small amounts for filing in forms, signing cheques and the like, as well as performing the tasks that reinforce appropriate finger control for the daily tasks mentioned above.

Building blocks necessary to develop handwriting include:

• Hand dominance (using one hand more frequently for handwriting)
• Pencil control (influenced by finger strength)
• Pencil mechanics (how the pencil is held and moved, including appropriate pressure applied to the paper with the pencil)
• 'Pre-writing' shape formation (including: l, --, o, +, /, ?, \, X, and ?)
• Letter awareness, correct formation and orientation
• Number awareness, correct formation and orientation

You tell there are handwriting problems if the child:

• Looks awkward in the way they hold the pencil and produce the writing
• Writing is messy, illegible, letters are not written on the line and the correct size
• Letter and/or number formation is awkward, laborious or incorrect
• Is slow to complete written tasks or tires rapidly when writing
• Is able to explain their ideas verbally, but struggles to write them down
• Avoids writing, or writes the most concise answers possible despite verbally answering articulately at length
• Has difficulty formulating, organising ideas and structuring them appropriately on paper
• Applies inappropriate pressure to the paper when writing (either too heavy and frequently breaks the pencil, or too light and ‘spidery’ so it is hard to read)

When handwriting is less than ideal, you might also see difficulties with:

• Learning, such as mastering letter and number formation appropriately
• Planning and organisation of physical performance (such as how to hold the pencil, or cognitively to plan the story content and flow)
• Speed of handwriting 
• Developing cursive or link script writing that can only be easily achieved when fluid movement of the pencil has been mastered

What can be done to improve handwriting skills?

• Improve the mechanics of pencil movement (how the pencil is held and moved) including the pressure applied to the paper
• Enhance the fluidity of pencil movement. This is often achieved by ensuring that only the thumb, index and middle fingers hold and move the pencil. This allows ideal pencil movement with minimal muscular effort that in turn minimizes fatigue and enhances handwriting speed
• Master the pre-requisite skills (known as ‘pre-writing’ shapes) that combine to form letter and numbers
• Master the multiple individual skills required for handwriting in isolate before combining them all in the context of writing, such as holding the pencil, forming the letters, writing on the line, not pressing to hard 
• Enhance an upright posture at the table and good strength (as the solid base) from which to support appropriate hand control

Activities that can improve handwriting include:

• Practice pencil fluency patterns (patterns designed to enhance fluid pencil movement akin to writing)
• Learning letter (and number) formation in groups of common formation or starting point
• Using a pencil grip, specific shape/size pencil and/or slant board to write with to improve how the pencil is held and moved 
• Use of adapted handwriting paper to support appropriate letter size, writing on the line and spacing between letters and words
• Using pegs and/or clips in play to increase finger strength.