How to improve my child's handwriting?

Introduction

It would be unfair to assume that in the present age of cutting edge technology and the online world, handwriting has taken a back seat. In any case, this isn’t a very valid assumption—handwriting remains one of the most significant skills required in one’s lifetime. Parents are often riddled with problems regarding the inability of their child to perfect cursive writing. One of the prime reasons behind trying to improve your handwriting is identity. Your handwriting is the identity that separates you as unique from other members of the demographic.

As children start growing up, parents are constantly worried about their kids’ handwriting practice. This is largely due to the importance of handwriting as a skill in our lives. Be it academics or professional arenas, sound, and legible handwriting extends several benefits that include higher evaluations and better self-confidence in the present and near future.

There’s more to handwriting than just putting a pencil to scribble words on a paper. Writing involves the coordination between your brain, thoughts, eyes, and hands. Your brain mentions to you what to compose and frames the shape of the text, your hand moves from left to right, forming the letters in their forms, and your eyes center around the world and the development of the text. It is one of the most fundamental yet significant of the motor and visual perception skills that need to be developed in a child. 

If you are a parent, don’t stress!! There are several ways to home your kids‘ handwriting skills by fine-tuning it with several other tasks.

Why Should Children's Improving Handwriting Be A Concern To Parents?

A vast majority of parents anticipate the reason behind their kid’s messy handwriting. Figuring out how to join letters and putting them in the correct spot to form words and sentences is difficult. It requires a good deal of practice for children to do it flawlessly. Yet, as handwriting becomes more established, chaotic handwriting skills need to be dealt with on time as it may stem from underdeveloped motor skills.

If your child is fortunate enough, they may get adequate handwriting guidance each day. While schools do offer handwriting worksheets to encourage kids’ handwriting practice as a daily task, it isn’t a consistent ritual. With the increase in the course curriculum, schools may opt-out of giving handwriting worksheets to students. However, your child’s handwriting woes can be solved by trying to make the exercise extra fun.

Parents and schools set exclusive standards for kids when it comes to mastering cursive writing or handwriting of any form. Handwriting requires a lot of practice to make it effortless while being legible and good at the same time. It should become so well programmed as a motor skill that kids at a certain age require no assistance or additional time to figure out composition. Handwriting problems can be a roadblock when it comes to learning, particularly in kids.

Messy handwriting can be identified by:

• Difficulty to form letters appropriately
• Problems holding a pencil properly
• Inability to control the movements of pencil or crayon
• Floating letters, words, and sentences
• Uneven spacing between words
• A difference of strokes when writing

Constant handwriting practice during childhood makes us experts in writing, thus contributing to our handwriting speed. Slow handwriting speed can lead to a lag in studies as the pace of schoolwork gains speed. As orthodox as it sounds, but several students across the globe miss their lunchtimes to finish their work left when they couldn’t match up to the speed of teaching on the blackboard. Parents can use the below evaluation rule taking the capacities, personality, and interests of their youngsters into account. It will help parents to step to make kids’ handwriting practice a regular in their households:

• Age 7: Introduction to cursive composing ideas through handwriting worksheets. A 7-year-old can write with significant help from an adult. 
• Age 8: Can finish with minimal inputs after being instructed help after bearings are given.
• Ages 9+: Can accomplish handwriting assignments and work effectively without help from anyone.  

5 Tips Parents Need To Improve Child’s Handwriting

Cursive writing is regularly introduced when your child starts writing. Several children are grappled with the loops and curves of cursive writing. Parents may get intimidated and struggle with helping their child develop flowing cursive handwriting at first.

Why is my child’s handwriting messy?

Why is my child struggling to finish his homework on time?

How do I help my child build on his handwriting?

How do you help children with writing difficulties?

Approaching learning as a fun-filled activity is the best way to encourage your kids’ handwriting practice. If being a parent, you are perplexed with questions like these; you need to adopt certain strategies to improve your kids’ handwriting.

Read on the five expert tips to improve your child’s handwriting and help them write neatly:

1. Conduct Letter Formation Practices

Encourage your child to do letter formation drills in both cursive and print forms. Make sure their letter formation isn’t sloppy. Pay attention to letter size and letter placement on the paper. Make them write on a ruled paper to align the words and letters properly when doing cursive writing or otherwise. Help them concentrate on writing appropriate letters that will promote legibility and clarity in handwriting. 

2. Help Your Child With Pencil Grips

One of the best ways to help your child improve his handwriting. Your child’s handwriting troubles may be attributed to poor control of the pencil or crayon. Help your child to learn how to hold a pencil or any writing equipment in the best way. Have your child use a chopstick to help them with a pencil grip.

For this purpose, you may also teach them using a pencil grip available in the markets to overcome this writing challenge.

3.  Engage in Exercises to Make it Fun

Kids’ handwriting practice can be a fun-filled affair when integrated with exercises to build muscle memory and motor skills. Encourage your child to write letters on sand, air, water to help memorize letter formations. There are several exercises to promote motor skills in your child:

• Give them a stress ball to squeeze
• Lego construction
• Teach them to open and unbutton their clothes
• Engage in a jigsaw puzzle game with your child
• Coloring activities
• Dot to dot puzzles

4. Incorporate Handwriting Worksheets In Daily Schedule

Handwriting worksheets are an essential tool when trying to solve your child’s handwriting problems. These are available in different forms that combine fun, learning, and handwriting practice in one. Handwriting worksheets will help establish your child’s neuromotor pathways making it an effortless process. Besides helping children master the art of cursive writing and letter formations, handwriting worksheets can immensely benefit your child.

5. Be Your Child's Instructor

Parents need to act as instructors when aspiring to channel their kids' handwriting practice. Being proactive will help your child improve faster.

You can show them word formations when doing homework to help them understand it better. Aside from this, your verbal instructions will help them register letter and word formations faster. Instruct them to speak up as they write. While your assistance will help them work efficiently, it will also guide them towards the correct formations of letters, words; and focus better when writing.

Ultimately, parents need to set out a separate handwriting session with their child to make it more fun and motivating. Pestering your child into writing will not be helpful. Try incorporating engaging activities when trying to work on your child's handwriting skills.