Some of us groan at the memory of those schooldays when we had to practice our handwriting because producing neat letters wasn’t easy.  It still isn’t for many – and for many others, our handwriting has deteriorated due to lack of practice.   And many of our children hardly have to worry about handwriting any more.  So do we encourage it or not?

Anabela Malpique, Deborah Pasternak and Susan Ledger have researched this question and find that youngsters need to be able to write with paper and pen as well as learning to type on a keyboard.

Their research

In a study published last month, they involved 544 children from 17 primary schools in Perth, Western Australia.  They assessed how easily students wrote stories using paper and pencil compared to writing stories using a laptop. they found they produced longer and higher-quality handwritten texts. This was based on ten criteria, including ideas, vocabulary, spelling and punctuation.

These findings echoed their earlier study, completed in December 2023 where they did a meta-analysis of studies published between 2000–2022. These compared the effects of writing by hand or keyboard on primary students’ writing.

They looked at 22 international studies involving 6,168 participants from across different countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and other non-native English-speaking countries, such as Germany and Portugal.

Their analysis showed primary students produce higher quality texts using paper and pen or pencil than when using a keyboard.

Why does handwriting produce better quality texts?

In most countries children are taught to write by hand before learning to type.  Studies show that teaching handwriting in the first years of schooling is connected to improved spelling and greater capacity to write well and quickly in primary and later years of schooling.

Other studies show that using handwriting to create texts (such as notes) promotes our capacity to learn and memorize information.

Of course, in our current age, it is important for children to be able to use a keyboard too. They will need to use keyboards to write for study, work and life as they get older. This process needs to become automatic so they can concentrate on the content of what they are writing.

Research has also shown that when young children struggle with neat handwriting or typing, they may often avoid writing altogether, so both fluid handwriting and competent keyboard skills are important.

Handwriting or typing  – which comes first?

While students ultimately need to be able to write both on paper and using digital devices, there are unanswered questions about the order in which handwriting and typing should be taught or whether they should be taught together.

We also don’t yet know if it matters whether students are learning to write via keyboards, touch typing on tablets or by using stylus pens (devices that look like pencils and write via screens).

More research is needed to support teachers, students and families.

How to help your child

Despite these unknowns, there are many things we can do to help children learn how to write on paper and using a keyboard. These include:

• dedicating time for practice: teachers can build regular times in class to write and send home small tasks (such as writing a shopping list, finishing a story or describing a monster)
• joining in: instead of “policing” your child’s writing, show them what you write in your everyday life. As you write, you can talk about what you will write (planning) and you can share ideas about how you can make your writing clearer or more exciting.
• talk about your mistakes and find ways of correcting your writing: when adults talk about their errors or doubts, they make them a natural part of the process.
• ask children to read what they have written: this provides opportunities for correction and celebration. Praise children’s bold attempts such as using new words or experimenting with expressions.
• give children choice: this gives children some control. For example, they can choose a topic, they can mix art and letters or they can choose paper or keyboard.
• display their writing: make children’s writing visible on your walls or fridge or as wallpapers on your devices to instil a sense a pride in what they have done.

Provided by The Conversation 

Image supplied by Freepik