Strategies To Improve Handwriting in School-Aged Children
By: Joanne Agsalud, M.S., OTR/L
Does your child demonstrate difficulty with producing legible work? Do they struggle with writing on the baseline, reverse letters, or can’t seem to write in between the lines. There are many different components that contribute to a child’s writing fluency, from their fine motor dexterity, visual memory, and visual discrimination skills. Most children achieve handwriting fluency by the end of second grade. Then, by fourth grade, they would have developed their own handwriting style and have established habits (whether good or bad) that will be harder to change. That is why it is crucial that good handwriting habits are practiced from the time kids exhibit handwriting readiness. In this article, we will give you ideas or strategies on how to work on handwriting legibility, depending on which component needs to be addressed (e.g. letter formation, alignment, spacing, sizing). Keep in mind that motivation plays a big part for kids to be able to improve their handwriting. They will need to be willing to practice frequently in order to break bad handwriting habits, especially when they are in 4th grade or higher.
Letter Sizing
Experiment with paper with different lines to determine which one supports their handwriting. Children usually practice their letters first using lines that are one inch apart, then progress to lines as narrow as 3⁄8-inch.
The use of graph paper or text boxes for each letter is great for allowing kids to form all uppercase letters with the same size, as well as appropriate spacing between letters
Letter Spacing
Using a popsicle stick or simply having the child use their index finger after every word can help kids have the proper amount of spacing between their words.
Placing a small sticker after each word for younger kids can give them a visual cue to always put a space between words, which can then be faded once they are consistently spacing between words.
Alignment
Using color-coded lines provides visual cues to the child on where to place the letters.
For example, the top line can be highlighted with blue for the “sky”, green for the middle dashed line for the “grass”, and the bottom line with brown for the “soil”. This means that their uppercase letters should start at the sky and end down on the grass. The green line can be used as the starting point for short lowercase letters (e.g. a, c, e, m, and s).
Making the lines bolder with a marker or highlighter can help kids be more aware of the given space they need to use when writing.
A writing window can be helpful for kids who have poor visual attention. Using a “window” or a mask that only shows one line at a time can reduce visual stimuli that can be distracting.
Formation
Providing dots as a starting point of the lines of the letters can improve letter formation (usually forming it from top-down), as well as breaking the habit of forming the letters in disjointed parts.
Using activities that do not require a pencil might be the best way to teach kids how to form their letters properly. One example is using a writing tray, by covering the surface of a tray or a baking pan with fillers (e.g. salt, sand, uncooked rice), where they can use their finger or a drawing tool (e.g. paintbrush, q-tip, popsicle stick) to create a multisensory experience. It should be noted that visual and verbal cues are still needed to promote proper letter formation.
If you feel that your child needs additional help with the skills necessary for handwriting legibility and classroom performance, consult your doctor to be referred to occupational therapy. An occupational therapist can aid in improving the written communication of a child.