Handwriting Skill Development - Why and How?

What is the international language of communication today?

English, for sure! Practically speaking, English has become the official language of many countries, including India. All of our documentation, communication, and day-to-day work is in English, not only in corporate sector, but also in government and social sectors! Our country is known for its unity in diversity. And no surprise, English is acting as a uniting agent for millions of Indians speaking hundreds of native languages and dialects. In an effort to empower our children with globally recognised communication tool, schools are adopting English as medium of education. This truly makes English the Knowledge Language of world!

Is ‘handwriting’ important in today’s ‘computerised’ world?

Absolutely yes! Computers are meant to save repetitive activities of human beings, and to increase speed of operations with great accuracy. Internet is meant to spread knowledge and to speed up communication process. But, can they replace the language itself? Nope! So, language remains and so does its script. And that’s why children’s learning starts with alphabets. As basic tools to communicate, children have to master spoken and written language skills.

Some common scenarios in schools:

- Due to slow writing speed, child falls behind while taking notes in class.
- My child is a fast-learner, but cannot write down everything that it knows. 
- Class tests are time-bound and child cannot finish answer-sheets in time.
- Teacher cannot make of what child has written. It’s not legible.

As a result, child keeps losing confidence and interest in concerned subjects.

Why does this happen?

This happens because your child is not interested in writing. Yes, it has nothing to do with knowledge, skill, or writing tools. It just depends upon child’s interest in this communication tool. Any child can write, can write fast, can write legible, can write beautiful! Creating interest does the magic.

Is there any age limit to improve handwriting?

It’s never too early or too late to start any good thing. If your child is just starting with alphabets, it can start learning how to write well. If child is struggling with academics due to slow or illegible writing, it can devote some time to hone its handwriting skill. Even you, grown-ups, can keep the keyboard/mouse/remote control aside for a while, and try holding a pen again. It’s amazing to see you ‘create’ letters on a blank paper!

Do we need to ‘teach’ handwriting to children?

Not literally. Children (in fact, all of us) are self-learners. But, like any other subject in the universe, handwriting, too, needs a media. To connect the children with the knowledge and skills. Call it teaching, call it guiding, call it supervising, call it motivating, or call it inspiring… some external support is needed! We just be the media. We remove their fear of writing, we guide them how to hold a pencil, we guide them how to sit properly while writing. Then, we encourage them to ‘write’. We tell them when they are doing well. And we also tell them when they are doing it best!

Handwriting is the most common form of art.
…An art that every child can master.
……Let’s bring forward the artists hiding within.
………Let’s make their world more legible, more beautiful!