Lots of kids suffer from Writing woes due to poor handwriting skills. A child begins writing very young, at first he starts with just scribbles and uses crayons and then he learns to write very basic initial letters with pencils and then later on he switches to pens. Kids are taught cursive with all those swooping and swirling letters but all kids are not able to grasp them well. The reasons could be many like lack of practice, wrong pencil and hand alignment, short- term concentration etc. Parents and teachers by identifying problem at very initial stage can cure it then and there. It will prevent the problem from growing further. It is important to have good foundation and basics for handwriting skills.
Cursive writing is considered as key solution for problems related to handwriting. It is basically writing with graceful loops and perfectly joined letters that eventually brings improvement in the child’s writing. But, it requires lot of practice, what lots of kids fail to do. Today, Cursive is kind of a lost art and less people expertise it.
Many children don’t have proper hand and pen alignment that is they don’t grasp pen/pencil well. Many children hold pen in hooked grasp method, where the wrist is bending forward. This positions child's fingers above his writing and allows him to see what he is writing. This is a very bad position for writing since it does not allow finger control for good formation of letter. Another, wrong way of holding pencil is using ulnar grasp, where child holds the pencil between his thumb with all four fingers along the shaft. This grasp is adverse and obstructs writing.
For improving handwriting, teachers can give certain fun writing activities at home. For example, writing letters with cream and jello, focusing on forming letters correctly and consistently.
If a child tries all these tips but still is not able to improve, then he must seek professional help. For children with serious writing problems, they can look for help from occupational therapists. Some kids use and benefit from occupational therapy that helps them with handwriting skills.
Adults should time – again encourage child to write better. If care is taken from the beginning it becomes easier for the child to develop a good writing style. Constant guidance and support can really help child to develop a handwriting, which he can be proud of in future.
