Has handwriting truly become a lost art?
One of my son’s friends came over to the house after school, and the first thing she asked…
“Can anyone here read cursive?”
What?? I thought to myself. But this girl is so smart…
“Don’t they teach you this in school?” I ask her.
“Nope,” she says, “and I really want to learn. I asked my teacher, and she said it’s been discontinued because it’s no longer relevant.”
The teacher’s reasoning came down to the fact that everything today is typed.
Besides making me feel old and out of touch, it made me sad.
Today’s kids are missing out on so much.
Don’t get me wrong, I know handwriting could be a dreaded subject in school for some children. But to take it away completely just blows my mind.
In today’s world of screens and keyboards. handwriting might seem less important, but it plays a big role in a child’s development.
When kids write by hand, it helps them learn more effectively, remember information better, and think creatively. Writing by hand uses different parts of the brain than typing. This makes it easier for children to understand and remember what they’re learning.
For young children, handwriting is crucial for developing fine motor skills and learning how to read and write. When they practice writing, they’re also building important connections in their brains that help them understand language better. Handwriting encourages kids to slow down and think about what they’re writing, which can lead to better learning and understanding.
Handwriting also helps children express their ideas and thoughts in a personal way. When kids write by hand, they often find it easier to organize their ideas and solve problems. Additionally, handwritten notes and letters can feel more special and meaningful than something typed on a screen.
Even in the digital age, handwriting is an important skill for children. It not only helps them learn and think better, but it also gives them a personal way to connect with the world around them.
So if your’e grappling with whether or not to teach your child handwriting and/or cursive, I highly encourage you to focus on it.
If you find ways to make handwriting fun, it will encourage your children even more!
To learn more about how learning is contagious, I invite you to check out my earlier blog post: https://learningisawayoflife.com/learning-is-contagious/
