Parenting is a full-time job that’s crammed with responsibilities. Childhood development alone is daunting and school progress is another heavy-duty task to consider. Handwriting combines these responsibilities – it instills confidence and gives children a leg-up towards future success. Do you need a low-stress approach to help your child master the pencil? 

If your children are 6 years or older, then keep reading. But if you’d like a headstart for younger kids, you could visit OT Mom Learning Activities for recommendations.

  

Before diving further, keep in mind these two factors that ensure handwriting remains a critical skill for young learners, despite the increased availability of digital resources in classrooms. 

• Technology isn’t accessible to all learners. 

Socio-economic status varies massively among South African communities.  Digital resources and tech savvy teachers aren’t available in every school, which means national education still relies on written work.

• Handwriting is a critical developmental milestone.

Successful writing is good practice for many underlying skills, both physical and cognitive. When learning to use a pencil, a child inches toward valuable developmental goals that promote future successes in adulthood. Right now, technology can’t replace the advantages gained from mastering a writing instrument.

 

What challenges stem from poor handwriting?

1. Messy, illegible writing might be marked poorly by teachers.

2. Difficulties with writing are distracting and an extra challenge during assessments.

3. Children may struggle to keep up as grade levels become more intensive. 

4. Children are at risk of low future success from poor educational outcomes.

5. Struggling to write creates low self-esteem and makes children less motivated for future opportunities.

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How can parents encourage their child’s writing potential? The secret is to use consistent, ‘tactile play’. 

How does tactile play benefit children?

Touch and physical interaction are a child’s most basic form of navigating their surroundings. The vast benefits of tactile play span emotional, social, motor and even cognitive development. 

Excessive scrolling and tapping on screens isn’t the best fuel for penmanship. Children need to train two major skill groups – fine motor skills and pre-writing skills. 

1. Fine motor skills for writing include strength and dexterity of your child’s hands.

2. Pre-writing skills include your child’s control over a writing instrument and ability to draw shapes and lines. 

These skills may be the bread and butter of handwriting, but cognitive development is the plate. Language proficiency and visual-spatial perception are vital for successful writing.

Tactile play with a teacher

Extramural activities are a simple alternative to prolonged screen time. Plus, your child gets to learn a fun skill and make friends. Sports and cultural extramurals often promote emotional regulation, self-discipline and teamwork.

Music lessons can massively benefit your child’s hand strength and dexterity. Learning to play an instrument also promotes various cognitive skills, such as concentration, visual-spatial perception and language. 

Art lessons offer similar benefits for fine motor and cognitive development. Though, it gives them a head start with pre-writing abilities. Colouring pencils and paintbrushes are decent practice for pencil control. Children might even have an easier time bridging the gap between shapes and letters.

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Of course, you can also trade scrolling time for tactile play in the living room.

 

At-Home Fixes for Fine Motor Skills:

• Create a hand workout – stress ball exercises will develop strong hands and grip. Don’t have a stress ball? Ask your child to crumple paper into a tight ball before throwing it away. Remember to hold the ball in the air so the hand does all the hard work.

• Experiment with modeling clay – rolling and pinching clay are great exercises for the ‘tripod’ fingers used when holding a pencil. But you can also support cognitive skills with clay by making figures and ornaments. Keep several colours handy so that your child can make detailed objects. Their creations can be simple or complex, depending on their ability

• Create paper crafts  – folding and cutting paper with scissors will improve dexterity. For a cognitive bonus, encourage your child to cut out complex shapes that force them to really concentrate. This is also flexible to your child’s skill. Handmade cards and origami trinkets are excellent gifts and a bonus for social development. Red Ted Art and Slice have some recommendations to get you started.

 

At-Home Fixes For Pre-Writing Skills:

• Make time for deliberate doodling – this will develop precise use of the pencil. Though, we recommend also providing crayons, markers and painting brushes to keep these sessions entertaining. Zentangle art is a fantastic way to fine-tune your child’s ability to draw structured lines and shapes.

• Introduce cognitive boosts – these are activities that hone the mental skills needed for writing. Reading and writing are the perfect couple; encourage your child to read story books that exercise their language skill. Picture puzzles, Legos and matching games make great visual exercises.

 

Tips For Handwriting Workout Sessions:

• Add a Pencil Grip – if your child still experiences muscle fatigue, a pencil grip can make sure they hold the pencil correctly and comfortably.

• Use Worksheets – one or two worksheets a day will offer consistent, bite-sized exercise. The Western Cape Education Department’s ePortal offers free handwriting cards, a cursive handwriting booklet and many other resources. You could also browse Twinkl for learning material made by teachers.

• Keep Things Interesting – use a variety of surfaces and writing instruments to combat boredom. You could also laminate worksheets to make them reusable. Then your child can fill in the blanks or trace letters with a colourful dry-wipe marker. Remember, take breaks to avoid muscle cramps and poor focus.

While there’s no instant cure-all for your child’s handwriting hurdles, we hope you both have all the tools for an impressive transformation ahead. With a little push and a lot of patience, your child will master the pen in no time. 

Read more from us👉Homeschooling in South Africa: A Cheat Sheet for Parents

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Some helpful links:

1. OT Mom Learning Activities. https://www.ot-mom-learning-activities.com/ 

2. 15 Amazing Clay Projects for Kids. Artful Parent. https://artfulparent.com/15-amazing-crayola-air-dry-clay-art-projects-for-kids/ 

3. 30 Cute and Easy Clay Crafts for Kids. Artsy Craftsy Mom. https://artsycraftsymom.com/clay-crafts-for-kids/ 

4. Easy Paper Crafts for Kids and Adults. Red Ted Art. https://www.redtedart.com/paper-crafts/ 

5. 20 Easy Things To Make Out of Paper for Your Next Family Art Session. Slice. https://www.sliceproducts.com/pages/things-to-make-out-of-paper 

6. Zoodle! Zentangle© Method for kids. Minutes of Zen. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_921Vw2DRns&list=PLvLIvOFxRJxtS9xPq5E4EUVIyYorzwq3H 

7. Gr. 1 – 3 ENGLISH: My Handwriting Cards. Ashleigh Taljaard. WCED ePortal. https://wcedeportal.co.za/eresource/239531 

8. Cursive Writing booklet. Janette Jooste. WCED ePortal. https://wcedeportal.co.za/eresource/190226 

9. Twinkl. https://www.twinkl.co.za/