2A: Introduction to Handwriting
Handwriting is a complex task requiring a combination of strength, coordination, skill and ability. Children can have a huge range of difficulties which can impact upon their ability to develop handwriting. Some of these are linked to fine and gross motor skills, others are not but do still cause barriers to successful and effortless handwriting production.
Click the arrow to expand each one or click here to expand all of the examples below:
Activities to support handwriting in this module include:
Dig Deeper
Take a look at the presentation "Introduction to Handwriting Skills" for more detail about handwriting skills. Other activities in this resource to help handwriting include those in the Interventions section on: core stability, bilateral skills, body awareness and motor planning.
Key Points
- Handwriting is a very complex skill that relies upon a large number of sub-skills and abilities
- If these fundamental skills and abilities are not yet secure, acquiring effective handwriting will be frustrating and exhausting, if not impossible
Thinking Points
- Consider how frustrating it is for learners who have a great imagination and lots of ideas for writing but are not able to put the ideas down on to paper
- Ask yourself if it would be appropriate to allow the learner to use an alternative method to record their work if handwriting itself is not the purpose of the activity