Why handwriting matters

Many students are expected to write (as in, compose sentences and paragraphs) fluently when they are not ready to do so.

They have the words and ideas to be successful, but their own fingers are holding them back. They can’t yet write (as in, physically form the letters) fluently yet! They have not had enough instruction and practice.

For some students, their pencil grip itself is problematic. The mechanics of any repetitive task are optimized first to prevent physical injury and then for efficiency, and poor physical technique offers neither of these benefits. With a bad grip, the act of writing is labored and tense when it should be effortless.

Incorrect strokes exacerbate the problem. A struggling student might take three strokes to write a letter instead of the standard two, or end a stroke in the wrong place. Cumulatively, these errors cost much precious time and energy.

If no attention is paid to this problem, it will not necessarily get better on its own. Day after day, these painful and sloppy pencil strokes will actually be reinforced by constant repetition. They will not improve — they will only grow more ingrained.

Trying desperately to keep up with the volume and pace of handwritten work that’s expected, the student will cut corners wherever possible. There will be no time to form the letters correctly, let alone to keep them neat and in consistent relative positions. Instead of automatic, relaxed writing, the student is stressed and uncomfortable, making it difficult to then write in that higher sense of composing sentences and transcribing ideas.

Just as algebra difficulty has its roots in arithmetic difficulty, difficulty in writing (composition) can be tied to difficulty with handwriting.

If we want to solve the problem, it will be necessary to separate handwriting instruction from other writing tasks. The student, regardless of age, should concentrate on copying strokes, then letters, then words, then whole phrases, sentences, and paragraphs.

It takes time and repetition, but it will make a difference. If the grip is correct and the letter formation is solid, fluency will grow with consistent practice. From fluency comes speed and automaticity, and self-expression through writing will finally be possible.