Is Handwriting Important in the Digital Age?
Is Handwriting Important in the Digital Age?
Handwriting is more important than one might think. There are many skills that are involved in handwriting such as hand-eye coordination, muscle memory, posture and pencil grip. Studies show that handwriting skills are directly linked to basic reading and spelling achievement in primary school. It’s a HUGE part of the way our kids learn (taking notes, homework, copying from the board) and are tested in schools.
The Team at Labels4School have created FREE handwriting practice sheets for you to download for free! Click here to take you to Kids Activities to download them. You can even reprint them and practice over and over. Perfect for kids in primary school.
The benefits of good handwriting skills are:
- Improve ability to express themselves in written form
- Increases activity in the brain
- Improved reading and spelling skills
- Development of fine motor skills
- Able to remember information faster
- Higher test scores
- Easily learn letters and shapes
Correct Pencil Grip
The correct grip is thumb and index finger pinching the pencil, resting the pencil on your middle finger known as the tripod grip. This is the better grip as it allows the most movement of the fingers and the least muscle work, which results in better control over the writing tool. Practice makes perfect when developing fine motor skills! Children develop this grasp anywhere between 4 ½ -7 years old- it takes time so don’t force anything.
Tips for Parents
Here are some ideas for handwriting activities.
- Scribble time – lots and lots of scribble time
- Try thick crayons and paintbrushes and pencils to start with
- Scribbling/writing vertically (on an easel)
- Colour in the lines – trace the outline with glitter glue
- Tracing over shapes/letters in the sand
- Develop their core muscles (Good posture is important in handwriting)
- Develop hand-eye coordination (Solve mazes with your finger)
- Draw shapes, do dot-to-dots, draw stick figure men
- Finger painting
0 comments
Parenting News
December Survival Guide: 5 ...
December is here! The month where the mental load triples, the budget shrinks, the kids get louder and the house fuller. Moms are expected to “rest” while working harder than they have all year – plan the gifts, stock the cupboards, curate magical memories, host family, keep everyone fed and somehow still find time to move the mischievous Elf.
Your mom-guilt grows with every minute the kids are on screens and your anxiety loops like Boney M in the supermarket.
But what if this December didn’t swallow you whole?
What if you stepped into the holidays with a lighter mental load, a realistic plan and the kind of peace you haven’t experienced since 2015? December doesn’t have to break you, in fact, with a few smart tweaks, you can even enjoy it.
Independent Schools of Sout...
Stay on top of the school year with our helpful breakdown of South African independent school calendars. Because term dates can vary between schools, we’ve created an easy guide- plus a free printable calendar - to help you stay organised all year long.
4 Term & 3 Term versions available
Fun for Kids
Halloween Busy Book for Kids
Are you ready to keep your little monsters entertained this Halloween season? Look no further than a Halloween Busy Book...
Spring Time Activity Book
Spring is in the air and what better way to keep little hands busy than with a fun, free activity...