Why is Teaching Handwriting important?
Do you even remember when the last time you held a pen and wrote something on paper was? Speaking for myself, I spend days without writing something on paper, and that is mainly because my hands are always occupied with my mobile phone. We cannot deny the fact of how helpful technology has been for the students as learning has become much easier now than it was years ago. You do not need to spend hours in the library to look for the right book for your assignment; you can Google everything now.
Or you can also book your slot on the Dissertation Writing Service and take the help of experts. See how convenient studying now is, everything is just a click away. But does that mean you can ignore the traditional ways? No matter how much you work on Microsoft words and type away thousands of words in a day, you cannot overlook the satisfaction that you get when you write manually. As much as of a help technology is, it cannot absolutely take away the pleasure of reading books manually and writing on the paper.
Apart from the satisfaction and nostalgia, teaching handwriting to children results in better productivity as well. Research shows that there is a relationship between the fluency f writing letters and naming letters as well as it eventually leads to better reading development. There is also a substantial relationship between the brain’s neural circuitry and the hand, which helps students in learning better the important letter’ features.
Tips to teach handwriting
The instructions of writing do not require much of time; however, a brief lesson, along with the constant supervision is all that you need to adopt while you are teaching. Mainly four areas need focus while you are teaching handwriting to your students.
Holding a Pencil
This is one tricky part, as every individual holds a pencil differently. The best way to hold the pencil is while your thumb and index finger grasp the pencil on your middle finger’s opposite side. This style of holding results in neat and comfortable writing. On the other hand, incorrect holding techniques can result in the poor and ineffective formation of letters and fatigue.
If your student or your child struggle with holding the pencil currently, you can take help from the different pencil holding tools. Or you can also wrap one rubber band around your child’s ring finger but not too tightly as you do not want to disturb his/ her blood circulation.
Formation
This is the stage where a child has learned holding the pencil, and now he/ she is required to learn the formation of letters as well. Students find it easier to draw straight lines than drawing the curved ones; therefore, it is appropriate to teach the students to write uppercase letters first rather than teaching them lower case letters.
Students that struggle with the letter formation part are required to be provided with the important instructions. They must be taught to begin their letters from the top and then use the constant strokes as many times as possible. However, a few letters require an individual to lift their pencils up; therefore, they must also be taught about it.
Legibility
The formation is the most difficult stage of teaching handwriting, however after formation comes to an easier stage, which is legibility. It is the spacing between the words, the students that are right-handed they can simply put their index finger between the word to give proper spacing. However, the left-handed students cannot be benefitted from this technique; therefore, they are advised to use spacing tools such as narrow tongue depressors.
Pacing
Okay, this is one another challenging stage; if your child has learned the pencil holding and letter formation stage efficiently, then they are most likely to struggle with this phase. While you are teaching pacing, make sure the student does not press the pencil hardly as it results in fatigue writing, and the production of the letter is also reduced. Similarly, the pressing lightly is also an indication of weak muscles; therefore, there must be an adequate balance. Motivate your students to write with different kinds of materials; trying new materials is pretty exciting for the students. You are only required to help them find their balance and rightly adjust how strongly they press.
Conclusion
Technology has taken over our paper and pens, but we must not give in so easily. AS much as of a relief it is, one cannot ignore the importance of manual handwriting. Teaching it is a difficult process, and it requires an individual to be more vigilant in their actions, but it is worth the struggle, and your student will thank you forever.
Author’s bio
Caitlin Fisher is a professional pre-school teacher and is currently enrolled in her Ph.D. program. Dissertation Help is proud to have her on board as her knack for writing has benefited, and our students greatly.