I don’t know about you, but I am constantly on the hunt for easy & comprehensive screening tools to use during observations, annual reviews, and to assist in general progress monitoring. This year I was specifically hoping to kick off the school year with a handwriting screening tool that could help me to gather some baseline data, and would give me a good kicking off point for session planning.

The key to being able to support students in their handwriting journey begins with understanding the basics of handwriting. There are 5 main components of handwriting that impact overall legibility - formation, sizing, placement, orientation, and spacing. In this blog post I will break down each of these components of handwriting to better explain what they are and how they impact overall handwriting legibility.

As a school based occupational therapist, I am often asked to consult with classroom teachers on the developmental progression of handwriting. One of the main topics of conversation with early education teachers revolves around the progression in which to teach letters. Specifically, I am often asked, “What should I teach first? Capitals or lowercase?”.

This sweet kiddo was the perfect example of a student who was succeeding academically, but was having a bit of trouble in the handwriting department. He had all the ideas, but just needed a bit of support in building up the skills necessary to legibly get those ideas down onto paper. Because of these challenges, he was under the impression that he wasn’t a “good writer” and writing had become a constant battle. Over the course of the summer, we were able to not only unleash his ability to form beautiful letters, but we were able to begin a mindset change in regards to writing in general.

In recent years, the need, or lack thereof, for cursive handwriting instruction has become somewhat of a hot topic in elementary and middle schools across the country. While some parents and teachers argue that cursive is a necessary part of the school curriculum, others argue that cursive writing is a thing of the past that has been replaced by technology. As with most things in this world, there is no right or wrong answer here. If, however, you are on the fence of whether cursive instruction would benefit your child, we have put together a list of thinking points on the topic to help you make the right choice for your family.

It’s no secret that COVID-19 has negatively impacted our children’s education. Despite the valiant and exhaustive efforts of educators across the country, there are just some gaps that aren’t able to be filled during distance learning. Unfortunately, for many of our young learners, handwriting is a part of the curriculum that is no longer fitting into the daily classroom routines.

No matter where your child is in terms of hitting their developmental milestones - it’s often challenging to know when it’s time to step things up. One of my most frequently asked questions is,

“How do I know when my child is ready to start handwriting?”.

The answer to that question isn’t quite as cut and dry as we’d like it to be. As with every other skill, handwriting skills are best addressed when the child is developmentally ready to succeed. Some children are ready to start working on letters at very early ages (3+), while other children truly aren’t ready to start working on those skills until they reach school age.

While there is no simple answer, this guide will help you decide if your kiddo might be ready to take the next step.

My name is Tori - I am the founder of Little Letters. I have been working in the NYC school district for 5+ years as an occupational therapist. During that time, I found that there was a signifiant amount of children who were struggling to keep up with the classroom demands of writing solely because they didn’t have a strong foundation of handwriting skills. In response, I began to offer private handwriting services to families throughout the NYC area, and was shocked by the outreach of families looking for these types of services. After building up a steady flow of students, I decided it was finally time to expand! And then, COVID….