Why Handwriting Matters

Co-written with Ruthie Swibel

Handwriting is a language skill that engages and integrates the visual, motor, and oral language systems and is directly related to language and literacy development.

What the research shows:

Handwriting instruction has shown to positively affect reading and spelling skills (Beringer and Wolf 2012, 2016, 2018).  Beringer says “learning to form letters by hand improves perception of letters and contributes to better reading and spelling” and that “writing is essential for developing the networks involved in letter processing” (James, Jao, & Beringer, 2016).

Transcription skills (spelling abilities and handwriting fluency) and their relationships to writing productivity have been researched in several studies. Even as early as Kindergarten, transcription skills uniquely predict students’ writing productivity over and above language, reading, and IQ abilities (Puranik & Al Otaiba, 2012). In 2016, Beringer, Wolf, and Abbott studied low-achieving first grade students, some of whom were given handwriting instruction embedded into a multi-sensory Orton-Gillingham based instructional curriculum, while others received the same instruction without explicit handwriting instruction. The handwriting groups showed more growth in both reading and spelling than those who received remediation in Orton-Gillingham based instruction without an explicit focus on handwriting.

Small changes equal Big Impact:

Working on handwriting doesn’t require a ton of instructional time. In 2000, Graham, Harris, and Fink found that students who received 15 minutes of daily, explicit instruction in handwriting for 27 sessions, compared with students who received only instruction in phonological awareness, performed significantly better in handwriting and writing productivity on immediate posttests as well as in a 6- month follow-up, with similar effects for students with and without learning disabilities. Effect sizes for writing letters outcomes ranged from d=.94 to d=1.46 at post test with writing fluency effect sizes ranging from d=.76 to d=1.21.

This foundational skill impacts reading, writing, and spelling, and develops for a longer period of time than many people once believed. Graham et al (2009) found that students’ handwriting speed continues to increase until at least 9th grade. He didn’t look at students past 9th grade, but there is no reason to believe that 10th graders aren’t still able to gain handwriting fluency.

In three separate studies, researchers found that college students who took notes by hand outperformed their peers who took notes on a computer. The students were assessed 3 hours after note-taking and 3 days after. The students who took notes by hand consistently outscored the students who took notes on a computer. The thought behind this is that the engagement of handwriting involves more processing of and mental engagement with the material. Handwriting engages more cognitive skills than keyboarding.

Print vs Cursive:

The benefits of cursive vs. print for “typically developing readers” has not been researched adequately. However, there is an empirical basis that shows a benefit of cursive over print for struggling readers. Benefits of cursive include continuous flow of hand movements activate motor memory; this is useful for struggling spellers, reduces letter reversals, simplifies connecting the letters to form words, improves word spacing, and is faster overall.

It is advised that students not be taught both manuscript and print simultaneously. However, students do not need to reach a certain baseline level in print before receiving instruction in cursive. Students need 2 years of instruction to automatize the handwriting process (Beringer, Wolf, & Abbott, 2016). If you introduce 3 months of cursive and see that your students revert to print, remember it takes 2 years of instruction!

Tips for handwriting practice:

Depending on the goals of instruction, have students write the letters and say the letter name or the sound as they write them. Research does not show that having the student verbalizing the strokes is beneficial. However, research does support identifying students’ best letters. Ask her/him to identify her/his own best letter as they work. Additionally, handwriting instruction can never be silent independent work! According to T.C.C.C. Model for both manuscript and cursive, handwriting is a motor-language skill; not a visual one.

Four steps to improve handwriting:

First, have the student trace the provided letter, naming it as they trace.

Then, underneath a provided model, have them copy the letter, naming it as they copy.

Next, cover all written examples, and have them write from memory, naming the letter as they copy.

Finally, with eyes closed, have them write the letter, once again naming it as they write it.