I still have my children hand-write their school work. They use pencil and paper every day for math, writing, language arts and Bible study. Handwriting practice is not old fashioned. It is a skill with many benefits for our children.

You will be surprised by these reasons why handwriting helps with academic success. I have quite a few activities that are fun for kids to get some handwriting practice in too!

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Make Handwriting Practice Fun

I realized that handwriting practice was an essential skill when my two oldest children started a homeschool hybrid program. Their curriculum worked in cursive and standard handwriting into the spelling work.

It was such a creative way to make handwriting practice part of learning. I see now, it had long term benefits for my children.

My younger two – the twins – now use the same spelling curriculum. I have found some additional handwriting practice activities and workbooks to share with you. Even using fun printables like these Arctic Animals Notebooking Printables can inspire kids to find joy in writing. It is essential, but there are multiple ways to teach it too!

Benefits of Handwriting Practice for Children

Writing by hand “triggers the activation of larger regions of the brain than when we type, including those that take care of language, healing, thinking, and our memory” according to learning-mind.com.

When children write letters by hand they are better able to learn them. This translates into college level learning too. Hand writing notes results in greater comprehension than taking notes on a tablet or other device.

Handwriting helps us process our thoughts as we write. We tend to type verbatim. When we write, it takes more time. We put our own words into it leading to greater understanding of the concept.

This can also lead to greater depth of problem solving skills.  

Writing helps us relax and focus. Handwriting skills and practice “supports executive function by engaging a child’s attention and developing her ability to focus.” (weareteachers.com)

That is huge in an age where so many children are diagnosed with attention deficit. Many children are completing their school work on a tablet or computer rather than writing by hand. It really opens our eyes to what we may be losing by relying on screens versus using a pencil and paper.

Activities to Make Handwriting Fun

A fun handwriting workbook that engages a child’s focus and builds their spelling is a great way to make practicing handwriting more fun. It can even encourage greater academic skills in the process.

Alphabet Handwriting Workbook for Kids

I have used a few different handwriting tools for my children. I highly recommend the Alphabet Handwriting Practice Book for Kids. You can view it here. It is less than $10!

This workbook guides children through learning each of the letters. It covers letter sounds, letter formation, and even spelling in the form of copywork. Copywork has been the most effective spelling activity for my kids.

The Alphabet Handwriting Practice Book for Kids is a spelling and handwriting tool for kindergarten and first grade.

Get a copy of Alphabet Handwriting Practice Book for Kids here on Amazon. It is a wonderful tool to make handwriting fun.

Letter Learning Activities for Kids

Good handwriting starts with letter comprehension. The Preschool Activities page has many activities for learning letters. Try a few with your preschooler.

These ideas for beginning to teach letter formation and handwriting at The Measured Mom are great. Full on handwriting practice can wait until kindergarten, but I love incorporating some handwriting when my children show an interest in writing letters.

When they show interest, I start working it in. These letter lesson plans work great for depth of learning.  Get the Alphabet Handwriting Practice Book and work in the letter pages as well.  It all makes a great letter of the day curriculum for preschool.

You can use my affiliate link to get your copy of Alphabet Handwriting Practice Book for Kids here. All other Preschool resources are free here on the blog!

 Leave a comment and tell me what you have used to teach handwriting to your children.