Teach Handwriting

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Teach Handwriting

Everything you need to know to teach your child handwriting. https://www.teachhandwriting.co.uk Free games to help strengthen the muscles needed for handwriting.

Animations and handwriting worksheets showing how the letters of the alphabet are formed and joined. Looking at the most common handwriting difficulties and how to overcome them.

06/08/2026

Placement (Preposition) and Directional Vocabulary Games are Important!
Teaching your child the vocabulary related to placement (preposition) and direction is import in supporting them to understand and follow instructions, as well as sharing information themselves, such as; ‘put your cup on the table’ or to say ‘teddy in car’.
We also use this placement (preposition) and directional language to explain how to draw shapes, patterns and write letters and numbers.
With handwriting now having to be taught separately from phonics and starting from the first term in reception, the writing framework recognizes that on joining reception:
“They may also need additional support to ensure they are secure in their understanding of key directional words such as, ‘up’, ‘down’, ‘round’ and ‘back’.”
Department of Education; The writing framework: July 2025; page 24/25; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-writing-framework
To help support the development of this vocabulary we have created three sets of picture cards and games to help you support your child in developing and using positional (preposition) and directional vocabulary.
You can find these free resources on our Phonics website by following this link: https://www.teachphonics.co.uk/phonics-resources.html
You can find these free resources in the Parent section of the Teach Handwriting website by following this link: https://teachhandwriting.co.uk/more-activities.html
For useful preposition and directional phrases, see this week’s blog: https://teachhandwriting.blog/

30/07/2026

Handwriting Really Starts with Play!
Learning to handwrite does not start with pen and paper but through play, as children explore shape and motion (how the body moves) through their senses - touch, sight and body awareness. Play is such an important element of your child’s physical, emotional, social and academic development.
Young children learn many of the directional pushes, pulls and changes in direction, required for handwriting, on a much larger scale, long before they pick up a pencil, through playing with cars or pretending to cook. These movements become the drawings/scribbles which young children form once they start mark-making, initially as big uncontrolled movements then becoming more controlled and smaller as their gross and fine motor skills develop.
It is through play that you can really engage your child in learning how to correctly form pre-handwriting patterns and letters (the start points, orientation, directional movements and finish points).
Our non-pencil – ‘Big to Small’ activities are an easy fun way to start developing these skills early on through play: https://teachhandwriting.co.uk/big-to-small.html
For links and more fun Ideas go to: https://teachhandwriting.blog/

23/07/2026

Different Types of Play and their Importance
We are always being shown how important play is in the development of young animals’ survival and hunting skills. How many times have you thought how cute or lovely when watching kittens, puppies or polar bears playing?
Humans are also animals which thrive and develop through play; in fact, play is so important the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights state it as a right for every child (Ginsburg, 2013).
We often think of play as a frivolous pastime rather than a practical and meaningful one. However, here at Teach Children we see play as a vital part of a child’s physical, emotional, social and intellectual growth and well-being.
There has been considerable research over the years on play, which supports our point of view, with the consensus being that children need to experience five different types of play (Dr.D Whitebread, 2012). These five types of play are roughly based on the developmental opportunities they provide, especially if it is child driven rather than adult lead.
To check if your child is experiencing these five styles of play see this week’s blog: https://teachhandwriting.blog/

16/07/2026

The Right Handwriting Tool for the Job!
As with learning any new skill the right tool at the right time can make a real difference to the whole learning experience as well as the outcome. Learning to handwrite is no different.
Young children due to their gross and fine motor skills ability require chunky shafted tools so that they can grip them effectively. This means they have a greater control over the tool and can achieve a more satisfactory outcome. If they are using a tool that is too thin, they will find gripping it difficult and have to keep changing their grip. They will have less control of the tool making the experience disappointing at best and discouraging at worst.
To help young children to store patterns and letter shapes formation into their motor memory it is important that the tools used provide a resistance rather than one that flows effortlessly over the writing/drawing surface. The greater the resistance the more the body can neurologically acknowledge (feel) the movement and help to send appropriate information to the brain.
Go to this week’s blog for more ideas and information to support your child: https://teachhandwriting.blog/

09/07/2026

The Move from Pencil to Pen
A while ago we looked at why pencils, rather than pens, are a good first tool for learning to handwrite.
Children can't wait however for that magic day when the teacher moves them from pencil to pen. It really is a big moment and means more than just “I can write neatly”, for them it is an acknowledgement of their maturity (growing up) and a status symbol of intellect and ability in their eyes and those of their peers.
Moving from pencil to pen can have a dramatic effect on a child’s confidence and self-esteem. I have seen how moving a child from pencil to pen can give them a new found confidence and self-belief in their own ability, because I showed my belief in them by making that gesture. They may not have had the perfect font style in pencil but moving to pen did improve their ability to form letters more freely and become more consistent in their formation.
It is difficult to put an age on when a child should move from pencil to pen because every child is different. Schools have different policies on when this should happen, with most tending to make the move at around the age of 8/9 years old. It should really depend on the child’s ability rather than their age, as well as the potential benefits the move may have to confidence and self-esteem.
It does not make sense to keep a child working with pencil until they have a perfect handwriting style because that may never happen. For many a neat, beautiful handwriting style may never be a reality.
Advantages of pens:
• A good quality pen will give an even ink flow.
• A more consistent hand pressure is required, helping to develop and maintain a fluid handwriting style (reducing hand strain).
• Fibre tip and roller pens can give the same look and writing experience as a good quality fountain pen, but are far less messy (especially for left-handed people).
• With the right pen everyone’s handwriting can look good, (I love my fountain pen for that reason).

Limitations:
• Cheap biro pens require a lot of hand pressure and give an inconsistent ink flow (so not very different from pencils).
• Cheap fountain pens can be scratchy and messy
• Some schools will insist on using a particular type of pen which is not always good for all.
My tip would be to test a few pen types and weights to find out which ones your child finds the most comfortable and enjoyable to use. I realise this can be an issue if your child’s school insist on one type of pen. But if you can prove your child’s handwriting ability is great with a different style, I think it is worth talking to them about it.
Moving from pencil to pen is an important point in a child’s education, affecting their confidence and self-esteem, and like any transition stage it should be approached with thought and care.

02/07/2026

School Reports – Handwriting Improvements Needed!
So, the school report has been received and you have been told that your child needs to improve their handwriting.
This is all well and good, but what exactly needs improving?
What are they finding difficult and how on earth do you write a continuous cursive z?
So, you eventually get some handwriting practice sheets home or off the web. But no amount of time spent doing them seems to make much difference. It seemed to take longer to get them started than they spent practising handwriting. In fact they seemed worse because they were unhappy and frustrated with their own progress, so the more you try to push them the more resistant they become. Eventually you think there has to be a better way than this?
Doing more of what you are already struggling with is not always the answer. Handwriting is a complex skill to learn and there are a number of reasons why a child may be struggling.
There is a lot of information and free resources on our ‘Parent’ page which has been designed to help you: https://teachhandwriting.co.uk/parents.html
Try not to get over whelm, take things slowly and keep it simple. See this week’s blog for more information: https://teachhandwriting.blog/

25/06/2026

Is your child reluctant to handwrite or has a poor writing speed?
There are a number of possible reasons why a child may reluctant to write or have a poor writing speed. Over the last few months, we have looked at a number of these:
• Having the right writing tool
• Hand swapping
• Letter and word spacing
• Too much or not enough pressure
• Visual and Motor Memory issues
• Spatial Awareness and eye tracking issues
• Copying from the board
Other key areas to look at we have also cover are:
• Sitting correctly and why they may find this difficult.
• The importance of learning to position and tilt the paper appropriately.
• Pencil grip – is the grip appropriate for their age and ability and when to support them.
• Having the writing hand under the writing line.
• Learning to write their letter correctly.
See this week’s blog for: Tips for a Child who Actively Avoids, or is Reluctant, to do Writing or Drawing Activities: https://teachhandwriting.blog/

18/06/2026

Why do Children Fidget or Appear Bored When Handwriting?
There are two key elements that can cause a child to fidget or appear bored when handwriting, both relate to being able to sit correctly:
1. The height of the table and chair.
2. The child’s physical core strength.
See this week’s blog for more information and support ideas: https://teachhandwriting.blog

11/06/2026

Letter & Word Spacing Issues
Some children find it difficult to space their letters in words correctly and to show spacing between words. There can be a number of reasons for this:
1. They may not understand the concept or conventions of spacing words and letters and this needs to be explained.
2. Other Physical Skills such as poor spatial awareness skills, eye tracking or general eyesight.
3. Poor Key Strengths and/or Key Abilities elements, required for handwriting, such as sitting position, paper position, pencil grip, hand position and letter formation knowledge may also be hindering them.
‘Tips to support letter and word spacing’ will help you to identify if your child is having difficulty in understanding the spacing conventions and how to support them: https://teachhandwriting.co.uk/spacing-difficulties.html
Games and activity ideas to develop a child’s physical skills for handwriting: https://teachhandwriting.co.uk/handwriting-motor-skills.html

04/06/2026

To use, or not to use, a pencil grip aids? That is the question.
Aids to support good pencil grip can be very useful for some pupils. However, one of the issues with their use is that, when a pupil has not got the pencil grips to hand, they revert back to the original poor grip position.
Pencil grip aids generally do not correct the grip, they just force the hand and fingers into the correct position for writing. To correct the grip permanently the physical factors that have created the incorrect grip need to be addressed.
The use of grips can encourage a pupil to write more fluently, building their self-esteem, whilst you work on correcting the factors that have caused a poor grip to form. The long-term aim must always be to get the pupil to grip the pencil correctly without the use of aids.

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