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.

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.