“Computer technology is going to replace handwriting”, we hear it all the time. Yet our children in school have to write and when they do they are often frustrated and resistive. If handwriting is becoming obsolete why do we care? We need to stop and ask, “why the frustration”? “what is stopping him/her from being […]
Did you know that research indicates that handwriting interventions without at least 20 minutes of handwriting practice are ineffective? Students need to actually practice the skill of handwriting and not for short periods of time. And, let’s face it – it can become boring and a challenge to engage students to practice handwriting especially if it is […]
Most pediatric Occupational Therapists and teachers know the benefits of multisensory learning to help with cognition. Reading and Writing recently published an article specifically on the evidence-based benefits of finger writing with children. Methodology of the Study on the Evidence-Based Benefits of Finger Writing The researchers wanted to determine the effectiveness of a finger-writing intervention on […]
DIY Summer Bucket List Handwriting Freebie It is hard to believe that summer is finally here! Encourage children to enjoy all that summer has to offer and create a DIY summer bucket list. A bucket list should include all the activities, games, crafts, etc. that the child would like to complete this summer. There are […]
Curriculum-Based Handwriting Programs – What Does the Research Say? The American Journal Of Occupational Therapy recently published a systemic review of curriculum-based handwriting programs for students in preschool through second grade. Challenges with handwriting in school can have a negative impact on academic performance, Occupational therapy practitioners frequently help students improve handwriting legibility, speed, and […]
Multisensory Alphabet Freebie Teaching children to learn all the letters of the alphabet is not an easy task. Research indicates that children need visual, auditory, oral and kinesthetic input to achieve letter recognition. This multisensory alphabet freebie provides all of that input on one NO PREP activity sheet (download at the bottom of the post). Just […]
Handwriting, Working Memory, and ADHD Handwriting is an important skill for written expression in school and at work. Many times children with ADHD may display difficulties with legibility and speed of handwriting during school activities. Recent research examined handwriting, working memory, and ADHD in 16 fourth and fifth-grade children compared to age-matched control children. Each […]
Happy National Handwriting Day from a Handwriting Enthusiast Today, January 23rd is National Handwriting Day. It seems like a great occasion for a celebration (and cake), but quite frankly, handwriting has gotten a pretty bad rap! Its previous status as a central pillar of literacy has been tarnished, and it is now considered irrelevant, and […]
Keyboarding Versus Handwriting Speed and Learning Disabilities Computers & Education published research investigating keyboarding versus handwriting speed and learning disabilities. Many individuals handwrite faster than they can keyboard. In order to close this gap, the researchers offered a touch-typing program which was completed by 17 neurotypical higher education students and 25 students with specific learning disabilities (i.e […]
Orthographic Processing and Handwriting Handwriting evaluations usually include legibility, speed, spacing and pencil grip but do you consider orthographic processing? Orthographic processing is the ability to understand and recognize writing components such as spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. Students with weak orthographic processing rely very heavily on sounding out common words that should be in memory, which can result […]