The Importance of Handwriting and How to Teach It

There is a myth that teachers of literacy have no role in handwriting instruction. The reality is, handwriting is a critical component of skilled writing, something all elementary teachers teach! Writing itself is the product of transcription (handwriting and/or typing) and composition (the act of creating a piece), and so, handwriting is a critical skill to be mastered. Just as phonemic awareness is a prerequisite for reading words, handwriting is a prerequisite for spelling words. We can think of handwriting as a foundational writing skill, because it is! Any quality phonics program should include a handwriting component.

Unfortunately, handwriting instruction has become a thing of the past. I believe this is a result of the gradual fade from pen and paper to keyboard and screen.  Although technology has made forms of communication more accessible for many, ridding schools of formal handwriting instruction is a grave mistake.  Today I would like to tell you why.

In today’s blog post, I will share some existing research around handwriting instruction and give you practical tips for teaching handwriting in your classroom.  It is my hope that after reading today’s blog you are empowered to advocate for and teach handwriting at your school.

How does handwriting impact writing?

Let’s talk about the research first. There is a very clear correlation between handwriting fluency and writing skills: 

• Low handwriting fluency correlates to poor writing performance in both primary and middle grades (Graham et. al 1997; Limpo & Alves, 2013; Limpo, Alves & Connely, 2017). 

• "Rapid, legible, and comfortable handwriting facilitates writing production" (Mather et al 2009).

• Automatized handwriting improves quantity and quality of writing (Berninger, 2012, Graham, 2009)

How does handwriting impact reading ability?

Did you know there is a correlation between handwriting and reading ability?  

• "Writing is essential for developing the networks involved in letter processing" (James, Joa, & Berninger 2016)

• Learning to form letters by hand improves perception of letters and contributes to better reading and spelling (Berninger, 2012)

• Manuscript taught in isolation improved reading, as found in one controlled study of low-achieving first graders. (Wolf & Berninger, 2018)

• "Handwriting instruction embedded into a multi-sensory, OG based curriculum helped students show more growth in reading and spelling than did their peers with no such handwriting component embedded into their instruction" (Berninger, Wolf, and Abbott, 2016).

These studies encourage us to incorporate explicit handwriting instruction during our alphabet knowledge lessons which we will talk about below. 

Considerations for Teaching Handwriting

"The majority of handwriting interventions that research has shown to be effective include a component for students to acquire alphabet knowledge and develop accuracy and fluency in writing letters" (Alves et al., 2016; Berninger et al., 1997; Graham et al., 2000; Jones & Christensen 1999; Limpo & Alves, 2018). 

Two takeaways stand out from the quote above.  The first is that integrating handwriting instruction with alphabet knowledge instruction is a good idea.  The second is that we need to focus on accuracy AND fluency.  Like anything with foundational literacy skills, accuracy is not where we stop.  We need our students to be automatic.  Focus on accuracy in pre-K and K. Focus on fluency in grade 1.

When we teach alphabet knowledge we teach: 

• Letter names

• Letter sounds

• Letter shapes

• Letter formation

Handwriting falls under letter formation, and rightfully so because it ties everything together for students.  When you introduce the letter name and sound, you also teach students how to form the letters using simple, direct formation cues.  Here is an example from my scripted alphabet knowledge lessons. This portion follows the introduction of the uppercase and lowercase letter name, sound, articulation cues, and keyword picture: 

“Now watch me trace lowercase A with my index finger (trace lowercase A with your finger and say):

For lowercase A, start at the middle, small curve back, around, connect, line back down to the bottom.

Now let’s try it together three times. (Repeat the verbal prompt as students trace lowercase A with their index finger on their paper).

What is the name of this letter? (A) What is this letter’s sound? (/a/) 

After modeling the formation of the lowercase and uppercase letter, students trace the target letter, then form the target letter independently as the teacher provides feedback.  

The keys to efficient handwriting instruction are corrective feedback, consistent letter formation cues, and practice.

Corrective feedback has a great influence on how well students form their letters and how much they improve.  If students form the letter incorrectly, ask them to form the letter again correctly by modeling it again and having them repeat. Encourage students to evaluate their own work: ask students to pick the best formed letter so they know what to aim for the next time around. 

Consistent letter formation cues across grade levels alleviates confusion and reinforces proper letter formation for all students.

Asking students to practice target letters daily in a handwriting notebook while giving feedback sets kids up for handwriting fluency.

Handwriting notebooks with minimal tracing help students work toward handwriting fluency. Typically, when students trace letters independently, they end up “drawing the letters” rather than using proper letter formation (top to bottom and left to right directionality). Instead, guide students through tracing 1-2 of the target letter and then have them practice forming the letter without tracing while you guide them with letter formation cues. You can access my handwriting cues in my alphabet knowledge lessons, which explicitly integrate handwriting instruction. 

The Three Ps

When you are teaching handwriting, keep “the three Ps” in mind, coined by the late William Van Cleave. They are:

• Paper position

• Pencil grip

• Posture

Let’s talk a little bit about each of these:  

Paper Position 

There are varied opinions on paper position, but a general consensus suggests that students should slant their papers slightly toward the dominant hand.  For example, right-handed students should tilt papers slightly to the left as shown below:

Tips:

• Clear the space for elbow room

• Fold the bottom corner of the paper so that it is parallel to the bottom of the desk

• Use colored tape and create a V shape so students always know where to put their papers (see white tape in the image above).

Pencil Grip

Pencil grip is important to emphasize from the start because it is the hardest habit to remediate.  Students should use a triangular grip where the pointer and thumb grasp the pencil bringing it to rest on the middle finger which acts as a bridge.  Teach kids “the swing”.  Have students place the pencil on the desk with the point towards them, eraser away from them.  Then, ask them to clasp the pencil with thumb and pointer, and swing the pencil up.

Tips: 

• Use golf pencils in the beginning– this encourages students to keep their grip low toward the point of the pencil rather than higher toward the eraser.

• Hexagonal pencils are easier to grip than smooth round pencils.

• Tissues and bouncy balls can be held in the hand to encourage the hand to relax while keeping the proper grip.

• Rubber bands or hair elastics wrapped around the pencil and support grip. 

Posture

Here are some general tips for posture: 

• When the arm dangles down as the student sits, the writing surface should be about two inches above the elbow.

• Feet should touch the floor. Use books or cushions to "raise the floor" if need be.

• Both elbows should be on the table at all times.

Handwriting Warmups

Warmups allow students to practice strokes similar to the letters they’ll be forming.  They also help facilitate a left to right/top down direction. Below are some strokes you can practice with your students.

You can also grab my free handwriting warmup sheet here.

What about cursive?

Manuscript and cursive should be taught separately.  Manuscript can be taught in K-1 and cursive can be taught in 2-3.  If you wait until grade 3 to start teaching cursive, it will be a heavy lift for students because third grade is also the time where they are expected to compose more complex writing pieces.  Learning a new script while simultaneously learning how to write more complex texts will be too overwhelming for students.

There is no research to suggest that print or cursive is better than the other. There is some research suggesting that cursive supports students with language-based learning disabilities.

Accuracy before fluency

Accuracy should happen before we expect our students to be fluent, especially in the early grades.  When you begin teaching letter formation in pre-K, start big. Write the letters in the air with the index finger of the writing hand.  Model first, then do it together, then ask kids to do it own their own.  I do, we do, you do.  Integrate this with alphabet knowledge by asking students to say the letter sound while forming the letter. 

Ditch the Excessive Tracing

I know I know…what?!  Hear me out.  When kids have tracing lines they tend to not use correct formation unless you are sitting with them guiding them step by step.  Instead, use paper with a midline and provide handwriting formation cues.  Without tracing lines they will create better muscle memory as they remember how to form each letter without lines showing them where to go.  

Conclusion

Don’t leave handwriting instruction out of the elementary classroom. If kids have to figure out how to write a letter, how will their brains have space to write a paragraph? There are many benefits to learning proper letter formation.  Handwriting is not just a bonus skill, it is actually a foundational writing skill and should not be skipped.  Any quality phonics program should contain a handwriting piece. The presence of technology seems to have trumped our focus on handwriting in the education world, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need to teach handwriting, especially when the benefits cited by research are so clear.  How do you teach handwriting in your classroom? I’d love to hear your thoughts!