My child's teacher says his/her handwriting in terrible. Is this really a problem in elementary school?

Question

How do fine motor skills and handwriting impact student learning?

Answer 1

Young children need to learn fine motor skills for many tasks in life. They move from fist-holding of pencils and crayons to proper grasp as they gain hand eye skills. When young students have difficulty holding a pencil, they are more reluctant to write. Since reading and writing go hand in hand, students respond to teacher questions by writing more complex sentences. Students that do not learn proper letter formation, may write legibly, but use more strokes and thus more energy writing. Writing simple sentences becomes an exhausting and overwhelming task. By teaching proper handwriting technique, students write more easily and efficiently. They may enjoy it more. With very young students, crafts that involve cutting, folding and gluing paper are a part of fine motor practice. As students build hand strength, their pencil and crayon skills also increase. Legos, play dough, paper punching and other materials build these fine motor skills in a fun, creative, and productive manner. Since play is the work of young children, playful teaching is most successful in improving handwriting for school success.

Answer 2

Hi there, I totally agree with the teacher.

Handwriting builds fine motor skills. Gripping the pencil strengthens the muscles in the hand and fingers while forming the letters improves control over the small muscles and creates a stronger bond between the brain and the hands. Good handwriting contributes to reading fluency because it activates visual perception of letters. Handwriting is a predictor of success in other subjects, because good handwriting has a positive impact on grades.

Engage in multi-sensory exercises. Ask your child to write in the air, in sand, or on an iPad white board, using his finger. This enables a tactile learner to “feel the letter” and anchors the memory of its shape. These exercises are good warm-ups before starting a longer handwriting session.

Here are five simple tips or activities for building fine-motor skills:

1. Squeeze a stress or squish ball
2. Build things with small Lego pieces
3. Practice buttoning and opening/closing snaps on clothing
4. Pick up small objects with tweezers and tongs
5. Do jigsaw puzzles

Hope you find these helpful.

Answer 3

I agree with the teacher above, I would also suggest watching a youtube video on how to ensure your child is properly positioning the paper, body, and pencil. In addition, there are some devices that you can put on the pencil that help the child to grasp the pencil in a more efficient manner. PRACTICE IS HOW A CHILD'S HANDWRITING GETS BETTER- BUT NOT FORCED PRACTICE! Find creative ways such as : writing a list, writing a letter, sending a card, keeping a cutesy diary, combining art and writing (called craftivities) that you can find at "teacher-pay-teacher.com".