Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic, “3 R’s” that have served as the foundation of basic educational curriculum, was believed to have been first coined during a toast by Sir William Curtis around 1825 (1). Yet over the previous two decades handwriting has experienced a decreasing level of focus and instruction. Many schools do not have any formal handwriting curriculum in place. A common opinion is that with the increasing role computers play in our society; handwriting is no longer an important skill to learn at an early age. Unfortunately this opinion is misguided. Consider the following examples from academic research that highlight the importance of dedicated handwriting instruction, and the potential consequences for young children lacking basic handwriting skills.

“Failure to attain handwriting competency during the school-age years often has far-reaching negative effects on both academic success and self-esteem…Studies of handwriting remediation suggest that intervention is effective. There is evidence to indicate that handwriting difficulties do not resolve without intervention and affect between 10-30% of school-aged children. Despite the widespread use of computers, legible handwriting remains an important life skill that deserves greater attention from educators and health practitioners.” (3)

“If young children have to devote large amounts of working memory to the control of lower-level processes such as handwriting, they may have little working memory capacity left for the higher-level processes such as generation of ideas, vocabulary selection, monitoring of the progress of mental plans and revising text against these plans.” (5)

The research and evidence is clear. Handwriting instruction is a critical component of a child’s early development, and students who struggle with speed and / or legibility of their handwriting face numerous challenges as they progress through the education system. So given the importance of handwriting, why has it taken a backseat in terms of education priorities? For our opinion on the answer, please click here to read the “ez Write” story.