The Importance of Practising Handwriting
Keep scrolling down for a very useful video and web link.
- Helps in all areas of the curriculum - Means that it becomes 'natural' and focus is then on the content of the piece - Later on, relieves children of the concentration/ pressure required to write neatly - Handwriting speed can increase the quantity of writing - At secondary school, taking notes down and producing handwritten essays is easier - Neat handwriting gives the right impression to those reading the book - Neat handwriting means that words cannot be misread or misinterpreted - With improved handwriting, children will find it more enjoyable and less burdensome - The art of handwriting is dying due to text and email communication. - Writing letters to family or friends: birthday/Christmas cards or letters of thanks, gratitude or apology should be hand written - High expectations of children and their resultant successes can lead to higher standards in all areas of the curriculum- children take pride in the work they produce - Handwriting is about writing for others: remembering that we have an audience who will eventually read our ideas - A confidence in one style of handwriting, will enable greater creativity in handwriting when we are older: this will eventually lead to independence - Handwriting is what happens when there is no computer, mobile phone, laptop, ipad or typewriter laying around. |
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Tips for Handwriting
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A really useful way to get your children building the muscles in their hands. So many times in my career I have encountered children who stop writing after a few minutes and complain that their hand is 'burning' or is aching. Given time to strengthen their hands by manipulating other materials, they will develop the ability to hold a pencil or pen for longer.
The lady on the left, has her own website so after watching the clip, take a look at her site here. |
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The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over The Lazy Dog
Used since 1888, 'the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog,' is what is known as a Pangram- a sentence or phrase that contains every letter of the English alphabet. Other languages have their own pangrams, however, they still must contain all of the letters of their alphabet. This particular pangram has been used through the years for computer programming, for testing communications equipment and more recently, for handwriting practice. The sentence utilises each letter of the alphabet and therefore, aids a teacher's assessment of a child's confidence at forming and joining letters fluently and legibly (clearly).