Why Bother With Handwriting?

You might be thinking, "Why bother with handwriting when we’ve got all this cool tech?" Well, let me tell you—handwriting is way more than just a way to scribble words on paper. Sure, a teacher needs to read what a student writes to see if they “get it,” and yes, students need to be able to read their own notes to study (hello, school survival 101!). But if that’s all handwriting was about, we’d just tap away on keyboards all day, right? Well, hold onto your pencils, because there’s a lot more to it than that!

Here’s the big secret: handwriting is the single best activity for training kids to focus, persevere, and pay attention to the tiniest details, all while doing those not-so-fun fine motor tasks. These are the real superheroes of academic success! In a world where kids can click a button and instantly get something entertaining, they’re losing the chance to really work on focusing their attention. And guess what? That’s creating classrooms where more and more students struggle to stay engaged.

So, while typing may be easy, handwriting is the perfect platform to teach way more than just how to write neatly. It’s about building the foundation for staying seated, staying focused, and being successful in school (and beyond)!

Ready to put the pen to paper and unlock some super skills? Let’s do this!

Check out what these folks are saying about handwriting:

  1. “Why handwriting still matters in the digital age: From improving focus to strengthening cognitive pathways, handwriting offers neurological benefits that modern technology can’t replicate.” By Vittoria Traverso

  2. “Why Handwriting Is Better for Your Brain Than Typing: How handwriting boosts memory, attention, and brain health.” By Elizabeth Mateer, PhD

  3. “Handwriting: Beneficial to Reading and Often Misunderstood.” By Shawn Datchuk, MEd, PhD.

Legy-friend character within the lowercase handwriting workbook series, The Legybles. She is wearing an orange sweater, green skirt with white polka dots, and is seated at a desk with her hand raised.
Two boys seated at desks. Boy, on left, is sitting with feet on the floor to show the best handwriting posture. The boy on the right is sitting with his feet up on the chair. The picture is crossed out to indicate not correct posture.
Closeup of two boys sitting desk. One on left is sitting with the correct posture, head up. The one on the right has his dead down resting on his arm; crossed out indicating not correct.
Sam is a studious fictional character in the lowercase handwriting workbook. He is seated on a rock looking through a magnifying glass at a leaf with a caterpillar on it. He is wearing a brown shirt, green shorts, and a large brown hat.