How to Teach Handwriting in Your Homeschool
Technology has transformed the way we live, work, and communicate, making many aspects of life easier than ever. I wouldn’t want to give up our digital luxuries. Still, I belong to a generation that remembers life before screens dominated our days—okay, that makes me sound old! That said, is handwriting still important in today’s digital world? You bet it is! And is handwriting difficult to teach? Not at all.
There’s no shortage of research showing the benefits of handwriting. It boosts memory, comprehension, and recall, while also encouraging creativity and focus. Handwriting can even help ease anxiety and support learners with dyslexia and ADHD. Yet, fewer and fewer people are putting pen to paper these days. That’s a real shame—especially when teaching handwriting is far less intimidating than it’s often made out to be.
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Getting Ready to Write
Children learn to write at their own pace, and that timeline can vary widely. You’ll start to notice readiness when they show interest through scribbles and lines—usually around ages two to three. When that happens, lean into it! Offer fun, low-pressure opportunities for them to explore and strengthen their emerging skills.
We’ve used everything from play dough to pudding to build fine motor skills (learning should be fun and a little messy). The key is to keep activities simple but varied as children practice forming shapes, lines, and eventually letters.
Common household items like shoelaces, sand, salt, and even cooked spaghetti are great to practice forming those first numbers and letters. Other no cost ideas include just a finger! Pretend your index finger is an airplane and “sky write” different letters, or shine a flashlight on a wall to form letters, or take turns finger-writing letters on each other’s back!
Getting ready to write favorites:
- Usborne Finger Trail Books – lowercase, uppercase, and numbers
- MODO – simply good dough
- Letter Tracing Sensory Pad
- Double Sided Magnetic Tracing Board
- Magnetic Alphabet Maze
Starting to Write
With so many handwriting curricula available, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed before you even begin. Instead of becoming overwhelmed, just start with some fun handwriting paper to help visualize sizing and placement. I believe this really helps form the proper foundations in letter formation. You and your child will be ready to move on to something more structured in no time!
TIP: When beginning to write, the one thing I really wished I would have introduced earlier are pencil grips. To this day, I’ve noticed my son has to work harder than necessary when writing because his pencil grip is slightly off. A small tool can make a big difference! It’s also a good time to grab those famous Ticonderoga pencils. Yes, they really are all that!
I have used my share of handwriting curriculum – Handwriting Without Tears, BJU Handwriting, A Reason for Handwriting, and PaperPie’s Wipe Clean series (which is reusable). I don’t have one absolute favorite, but I can say this: consistency matters more than the curriculum. Choose one that works for your family and set aside just a few minutes each day to practice—whether that’s with workbooks, sidewalk chalk, or other hands-on activities.
Remember, handwriting doesn’t have to be perfect—and neither do you. A few intentional minutes a day, paired with patience and encouragement, can make a lasting difference.
Print or Cursive? – That is the Question
The answer is BOTH! Some educators find that starting with cursive is actually easier than teaching the traditional “ball-and-stick” method first. I don’t have a strong preference one way or the other—except this: make sure cursive is taught at some point. Cursive writing has so many benefits, check out these top ten!
All of the publishers mentioned above also offer cursive workbooks, making it easy to add cursive practice when your child is ready. One standout option that offers both print and cursive is the Draw Write Now (series). Books five through eight are available in cursive, while the earlier books focus on manuscript writing, and each book can be purchased individually. These books combine art instruction with handwriting practice, all while incorporating history and science instruction along the way. How awesome is that? They are also non-consumable, so you can use them again with other children. Totally awesome!
Keep Writing
I strongly encourage continuing handwriting practice all the way through twelfth grade. I know, I know—the kids may balk—but even once or twice a week is enough to keep those skills sharp as the point of a Ticonderoga pencil. Thankfully, there are plenty of engaging (and yes, cool) resources available for the older, cooler kids.
- Wacky Sentences (a hit in our middle school years)
- Teach Yourself Cursive (perfect for high school)
- Exploration of All 50 States (a great fit for U.S. geography studies)
- Learning With Literature – wow, there’s 25 of these! (below are a couple)
- Learning Cursive in Narnia, Learning Cursive with the Hobbit, and more!
- Introductory Calligraphy (learning a new hobby is always fun)
- Hand Lettering the A-Z Way (fantastic for the artsy-craftsy learners)
Other simple ideas to practice writing by hand are copywork. Copying Bible verses, song lyrics, and poetry are great practice, so are coloring books, journaling, and of course, old fashioned letter writing! There’s something special about the uniqueness and individuality of a person’s writing that will never be replaced with today’s technology.
See how easy it is to teach handwriting in your homeschool? You don’t need expensive curriculum, a certified school teacher, or an expert. Keep it fun, keep it creative, and practice, practice, practice!
Did you know that how you write can indicate more than 5,000 different personality traits? Check out this cool post from pens.com and learn things about yourself you possibly never knew!
Image source: RD.com, Getty Images
Celebrate National Handwriting Day
National Handwriting Day dates back to 1977 and is celebrated on January 23—John Hancock’s birthday. Hancock is arguably the most iconic scribe in U.S. history, thanks to his bold signature on the Declaration of Independence. Legend has it that he signed his name extra large and clear so King George could read it without his spectacles. Whether that’s true or not, I can relate—and fully applaud the defiance.
What better excuse to slow down, grab a pen, and practice your own “John Hancock”? Make it fun, make it fancy, and celebrate the timeless art of handwriting.
