Why Handwriting is Still Important for Children

As children learn at an early age to swipe, tap, and type, there is debate about whether or not it’s important for handwriting to be an essential part of curriculum. After all, with more education focusing on technology and a stronger reliance on digital training, is it really necessary for students to write quickly and legibly, even in cursive?

At Children’s Campus in Greenville, we believe that handwriting is important, not just because of tradition, but because there are so many benefits that go far beyond the act itself. Today, we want to look at why handwriting is still important for children, and how you can support both the skill and love of writing!

Why Is It Important for Preschoolers to Learn Handwriting?

Handwriting is about more than just holding a pen or pencil and putting words to paper. If that were the case, typing would be fine. However, writing by hand supports and strengthens multiple vital skills related to physical and mental development.

Fine Motor Skills

Handwriting benefits fine motor skills by strengthening muscles needed to grip a pen or pencil while practicing the intricate motions needed to form letters. These hand motions boost hand-eye coordination by telling the brain where to place the hand, which, like any skill, the more you use it, the stronger it gets!

Improves Memory

Different parts of the brain are engaged when writing rather than typing. When a person writes down information, that person is more connected to the ideas and is able to retain that information better than by typing.

Improves Expression

Children who are able to write quickly and legibly are better equipped to express themselves through the written word. Because typing is more conducive to editing and adjusting as we go, it interferes with ideas and thoughts naturally flowing. This makes it easier to write drafts to get clear ideas down, then edit and correct during the typing process.

What Happens When Handwriting Is Not a Priority?

As handwriting, specifically cursive writing, is not made a priority in schools, students suffer as they get older. For students who are not proficient and confident in writing, the following occurs:

Unable to Read Historical Documents

By learning to write in cursive, students pick up the ability to read it, too, improving language literacy. With many hand-written historical documents in cursive, that lack of knowledge prevents young people from being able to easily read them.

Inability to Take Notes and Tests

When students aren’t comfortable with writing, they may be reluctant to take notes in class, or later, at work. While it is possible to use a laptop or tablet to take notes, most people can’t keep up through typing, nor do they have the ability to create their own “shorthand” which many people do when they take notes by hand.

This lack of confidence in writing also affects students’ abilities to take tests, as they will suffer an inattention to content and be unable to form their ideas properly on paper.

Preparing Your Toddler or Preschooler for Writing

At our 5-star day care and preschool in Greenville, we know that there’s more to learning to write than just immediately diving into letters. In fact, there are some fun, easy ways to prepare even toddlers to get ready to write, including:

Getting used to letters – Reading stories, playing letter games, and anything that reinforces what letters look like will make it easier for children to write them when they get older.
Scribbling – Learning how to hold a crayon, marker, or other writing tool will develop the muscle memory needed to write.
Hand-eye coordination activities – Anything that connects the hand with the eye will improve their ability to write when the time comes. Playing catch or cornhole, playing tee ball in the back yard, or printing out mazes or dot-to-dot activity sheets will all strengthen that coordination.
Exercising hand and shoulder muscles – It’s important to develop the muscles used in writing. While push-ups and lifting weights may be a bit much, building with age-appropriate Lego, playing with play dough, climbing, and even tummy time for toddlers while they color or look at a story book can all develop the hand and shoulder muscles used in writing.

Give Your Child the Best Start with Our 5-Star Preschool

At Children’s Campus of Greenville, we understand the importance of giving children every advantage to succeed. This means we encourage education and learning through creativity, play, and exploration! To learn more about our five-star day care center and preschool, call us at 252-756-8200 or fill out our contact form to schedule a tour!

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My husband and I signed our daughter up for daycare at Children's Campus in a desperate need. We had the opportunity to tour the center which we instantly fell in love with everything about it. Since our daughter has been attending Children's Campus she has done nothing but flourish in development. All of her teachers that she had been with since being here have been the sweetest and most caring, and that does not stop with the teachers as all of the staff at this center share constant love for the children. This is all evident by always being greeted with cheerful smiles, as well as witnessing everyone else being treated the same.

Laura L., Greenville

By spending time in my children's classrooms, I have witnessed the teachers' dedication and passion for working with children. Each day provides a stimulating experience in an atmosphere that fosters learning, as well as development of social, emotional, and gross and fine motor skills, all of which helps boost self-esteem. Each day when I drop them off I am confident Children's Campus provides a loving, nurturing , and attentive environment where my kids can play, learn, grow, and thrive!

Maria F., Mother of two, Greenville