Social Skills

Why Is Handwriting Important?

Enrichment Therapies

March 4, 2013

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student taking notes at a desk

Does your child avoid writing? Do they reverse letters or numbers? Do they hold the pencil incorrectly? Is it difficult to see his spacing between letters and words?

If you said ‘yes’ to any of these questions, we can help get your child on the track to success with handwriting!

Many children who struggle with handwriting often also have reading disabilities, writing disabilities, nonverbal learning disabilities, ADHD, and low overall school performance.  Poor handwriting can also cause low self-esteem in students. Children who view writing as undesirable work usually lack the skills for higher-level aspects of writing – such as attention to content, elaboration of details, and organization of ideas. “Handwriting in the earliest grades is linked to basic reading and spelling achievement; for example, when children learn how to form the letter m, they can also be learning its sound. Attention to the linkages among handwriting, reading, and spelling skills can reinforce early achievement across these areas.” Students should write in the form which is most similar to what they read in books and on computers. When students have poor handwriting, the word’s shape and size may look completely different. This results in a disconnect between reading and spelling the same word. With good handwriting techniques, a student should be able to generalize word recognition from printed text (seen in books and on the computer) to handwritten print.

Benefits of good handwriting:

  • ease of learning letters and shapes
  • improved idea composition and expression
  • development of fine-motor skills
  • increased activity in the brain
  • higher SAT essay scores
  • ability to retain information faster

Apps for handwriting:

  • abc Pocket Phonics ($2.99)
  • Handwriting Without Tears Wet-Dry-Try ($4.99)
  • ABC Circus-Letters Handwriting & Interactive Game for Kids (Free)
  • iWriteWords (Handwriting Game) ($2.99)

Enrichment Learning Center can help your child succeed in school through handwriting remediation. Whether your child avoids writing altogether, or he/she struggles with a specific area such as letter or number reversals, we know how to help!

Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center has locations in the Iowa City, IA area and Des Moines, IA area. We provide individual speech-language therapy and tutoring as well as offering small group academic programs.  At Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center our passion is to help kids achieve effective communication skills and gain academic success.  Contact us for more information on how we can help your child succeed.

info@enrichmenttherapies.com

740 Community Drive, Unit A

North Liberty, IA 52317

319-626-2553

 infodm@enrichmenttherapies.com

5530 West Pkwy, Suite 300

Johnston, IA 50131

515-419-4270

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