Help! My child has terrible handwriting! What workbook do you recommend?
“Help! My child has terrible handwriting! What handwriting book do you recommend?”
Many parents and teachers are surprised when I tell them that I don’t recommend a workbook or extra practice as a way to develop handwriting skills. Put away the pencil and paper for now, and try to build some of these routines into your child’s day.
The muscles in human bodies develop from the center out. Babies begin muscle development in their necks and then their cores (this is why tummy time is so important). As children grow, their muscle development moves outward (upper body strength, lower body strength), and the last to develop is fine motor. Handwriting is later in this development journey, so the focus for parents and teachers should be on what leads to strong handwriting rather than the handwriting itself.
There are simple and budget-friendly ways to enhance the environment to support handwriting development.
Core Strengthening
Wiggle stool for sitting
Sitting on the front edge of a chair rather than being propped up by the back of the chair
Riding a bike, swimming, balancing activities, planks, superman pose, sit-ups, etc.
Upper Body Strengthening
Monkey bars, doorway gym, rope swinging, chin ups (anything that uses the upper body without letting the lower body compensate)
Lifting items, carrying laundry or books, building forts with heavy pillows and blankets, stirring or mixing foods with resistance (pasta, batter, dough, salad, etc.)
Tape all paper assignments to the wall or hang them on a clipboard, so the child is working vertically without having a place to rest his/her/their arms.
Tape paper assignments or mazes under a table or chair and have the child write while on his/her/their back. (This simultaneously creates a fun “cave” space for working!)
Fine Motor Strengthening
Theraputty with beads (have the child pick the beads out)
Play-Doh, kneading dough, modeling clay, etc.
Use tongs to pick things up, a baster (squeezing), a spray bottle for watering plants, or tweezers for moving or sorting smaller items such as beads or buttons (most kitchens are already stocked with great fine motor tools!)
Hand-strengthening tools: finger strengthener, grip strengtheners, etc.
Improving Pencil Grip
Cut pencils down to one inch
Limit the use of markers and dry erase boards (the more friction, the better)
Small pieces of chalk, crayon, or oil pastels for coloring
Hand-eye Coordination, Control, and Tracking
Spot the Difference
Color by Number
Dot-to-dots
Tracing
Pick a few items to try and see what’s easy and what’s more challenging for your child. This will help you to see the areas that specifically need attention before the actual forming of letters. Spending time unpacking the underlying need will benefit the child in more ways than just better handwriting!
If you want more resources, check out the following:
A Moving Child is a Learning Child