Just the Facts: Handwriting

You need better writers in your classroom, better test scores for your district, less remediation, and improved literacy skills. Simple, right?

This may be a surprise to you, but this is where explicit handwriting instruction can help—and lead to a good foundation for all academic subjects.

Why Handwriting:

• Research shows that handwriting is a foundational skill that can influence students' reading, writing, language use, and critical thinking (Saperstein Associates 2012).
• When children practice printing by hand, their neural activity is far more enhanced and “adult-like” (Bounds 2010).
• Research states that learning how to write by hand is a necessary motor exercise (Saperstein Associates 2012; James and Gauthier 2006; James 2012; Berninger 2012).
• Children consistently do better writing with a pen. They write more and they write faster (Berninger 2009).

The Handwriting Without Tears® curriculum draws from years of research to provide developmentally appropriate, multisensory tools and strategies for your classroom. See why it works:

• Our unique letter order makes writing developmentally appropriate and makes it easier for all children to learn how to write.
• Our teaching order moves from writing readiness in Pre-K, to printing and cursive. The scope and sequence of lessons is based on research about how children learn best.
• Our program follows research that states children learn more effectively by actively doing and by using the five senses.
• Our unique physical approach addresses posture, grip, and paper positioning.
• Students using Handwriting Without Tears made siginificant improvement in test scores across all handwriting skills. 

We are THE handwriting specialists.

We have a unique, proven, developmental approach to letter formation that makes all children successful writers.

Read our full handwriting research review for best practices and citations. 

By Annie Cassidy Annie Cassidy writes about technology education and early education topics including Pre-K, and handwriting.