Connecting Caregivers: The Importance of Handwriting on Written Expression

Backstory

Summer seems like a long time ago when Stacey and I recorded our first episode for the podcast’s fifth season. At that time, I said that my first few posts of the school year would be about connecting and partnering with caregivers. I’ve written about the importance of motor skills, as well as the importance of oral language in earlier posts this fall. Today is the third of the three-post series with a focus on handwriting.

Why Handwriting Matters

Sometimes it’s easy to forget the cognitive load that handwriting requires because experienced writers have automated these skills so thoroughly. However, before the pencil even touches the paper, a writer needs to know the shape and formation of a letter– its orthographic representation. And then, writers must coordinate starting and ending points, as well as how to maintain consistent pressure, orientation, and spacing. That’s a lot of cognitive energy when you’re early on in your letter-knowing life!

Furthermore, writing instruction improves letter recognition, and supporting phonemic awareness and phonics skills. Meta-studies have shown that students who received handwriting instruction demonstrate greater fluency and legibility than those without (Santangelo & Graham, 2016) and when they master letter formation, there is more cognitive energy for other components of literacy– in both reading and writing. Fluent, legible handwriting is important for older students, as well, since writing by hand increases learning rates and retention (Van Der Weel & Van der Meer, 2024).

Connecting Caregivers

Oral expression and motor skills lend themselves a little better toward playful support from caregivers. You don’t want letter practice to turn into a battleground at home. However, there are some ways that caregivers can support young writers who are building handwriting automaticity. As in the other two posts, I have created a couple of resources that you can share almost as-they-are, tweak, or overhaul– they’re yours for the sharing.

1. Here is a letter that you can send as a stand-alone or as part of an overall family communication. It contains specific, accessible, and playful ways to incorporate joyful handwriting practice into children’s home lives. 
2. You are also welcome to share this pdf of categories for considering components of handwriting.

Additional Information

We have written about handwriting many times here at Two Writing Teachers. You may find some of the following posts, articles, and podcasts interesting and informative:

• More Chants for Handwriting and Conventions– Shawnda Fukano
• Effective Strategies for Teaching Handwriting in Grades 3-8– Jess Mazzone

Final Thoughts

Instructional minutes are at a premium, so connecting, communicating, and partnering with  caregivers has the potential to build literacy. Most families want to support learning, but don’t always know how to do it. Hopefully, some of these resources will resonate and empower them with information and strategies they can use. 

Works Cited:

Graham, S., et al. (2023). A meta-analysis of writing treatments for students in grades 6–12. Journal of Educational Psychology, 115(7), 1004–1027. 

Van der Weel, FRR and Van der Meer, ALH (2024) Handwriting but not typewriting leads to widespread brain connectivity: a high-density EEG study with implications for the classroom. Front. Psychol. 14:1219945. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1219945