Home » Education & Career » Youth Learning a Second Language » Handwriting versus Technology

Handwriting versus Technology

© Lucy Appadoo

A number of years ago, children worked diligently to refine their handwriting. They held the pencil well to allow it to flow smoothly across the page and to join letters in creating words and sentences.

These days, handwriting has less appeal because the computer presents it in a more sophisticated and modern form.

Handwriting specialist, Rosemary Sassoon (as mentioned by Diana Hindus in 'Melbourne's Child') states that today's hands are not as useful as they were in the past. Our age of technology does not require human hands to perform many of its duties. However, when children do need the use of their hands, their lack of practice makes a job a lot more difficult.

Ms Sassoon studied children's hands for over 20 years and discovered that those commencing school were less prepared for writing. She also states that children are using their hands less and less prior to starting school, so their hands are slower in movement. To rectify this, children can gain hand skills by cutting paper and measuring.

Children need pre-reading skills to be able to read well. For example, focusing on and enjoying pictures in books, outlining the storyline of a book, recognising that print is read from left to right, and so on. Knowing how to write requires pre-writing skills, but they are not as easily known. As I stated in a previous article, children need fine motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination prior to holding a pencil and in writing letters correctly. Children need to cut things, stick things on to paper, work on jigsaws, do claywork, and draw with paint, chalk and crayon.

Etiquette is needed when children put down objects quietly, do-up buttons, and tie shoelaces to teach the hands, in readiness for writing.

Montessori education teaches children etiquette, how to dress and feed themselves as infants, to nurture nature or wash up. That way, children have a lot more control of their bodies.

If children are told to write their names before they are ready (without gross motor skills), then bad habits can eventuate. For instance, sitting without good posture, holding the pencil incorrectly or producing letters incorrectly. Consequently, at the start of school life, writing makes children feel like a failure.

According to Rosemary Sassoon, at 5 years of age there is more change in handwriting ability than at any other time. Handwriting does not pertain to intelligence, but due to the lack of fine motor skills for boys, whose skills develop a little later than those of girls. For boys it's worse, as stated by Beverly Scheib, a special-needs consultant (Diana Hindus in 'Melbourne's Child') and handwriting specialist, who believes that some children find writing harder than others and will say they hate to write. Such writers can receive assistance by increasing use of the computer for writing. Children can learn to touch type with all their fingers.

The copyright of the article Handwriting versus Technology in Youth Learning a Second Language is owned by . Permission to republish Handwriting versus Technology in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.