Handwriting – why it matters

A child’s education is a journey which begins with learning through play, closely followed by the building blocks of reading and handwriting. In this digital age where everything is typed, it would be easy to forget the importance of good handwriting as a skill for communication. At Pilgrims we understand the importance of developing these skills from an early age, building the children’s gross and fine motor skills whether through ‘tummy time’ in baby room, to mark-making in Pre School; we equip our children with the necessary skills to develop fluid, cursive handwriting.

The National Handwriting Association believes that time devoted to the teaching and learning of letter formation in the early years will pay off, as confident handwriting skills will free a child up to consider the content aspects of what they’re producing rather than how they’re producing it. Even beyond education, the National Handwriting Association reminds us that most employment situations will involve at least some handwriting and it continues to play a critical role well into adult life.

At Pilgrims, we have invested in our process for teaching a high standard of handwriting from an early age. In fact, one of our pupils, Rivka Jutla, won the Age 4 category in this year’s National Schools’ Handwriting Competition organised by Campaign University Press and SATIPS (Support and Training in Preparatory and Primary Schools).

After a tough judging process, the winners were announced and Rivka was chosen as the winner in her category after being entered by her Reception class teacher Mrs Jerram. Children were asked to copy out their poem in their best and neatest handwriting on a piece of A4 paper using a pencil. Rivka put a great deal of hard work into her submission and it paid off for her!

Jo Webster, our Head Teacher said: “We are so proud of Rivka and she really deserved to win this award. It’s also wonderful for us, as a school, to gain recognition in this area as we have invested a great deal of time in developing our handwriting process.”

We wanted to share a few good reasons why we believe that good handwriting skills are important:

1. There’s a positive correlation between better handwriting and increased academic performance in reading and writing.
2. Using a pen and paper can boost memory – writing something down cements it into our brains more effectively than using a keyboard.
3. There’s nothing more meaningful than a handwritten letter or card. Parents and grandparents appreciate the time and thought that goes into something more personal. Who doesn’t love getting something handwritten in the post?
4. Writing is part of our day to day lives whether it’s taking notes in meetings or writing reminders for ourselves, handwriting is something we need at any age.
5. It’s important to remember that handwriting can help with the development of fine motor skills and helps children learn to focus.

You can read more here