So as an adult, I have poor handwriting form. I am left handed and not a lot of people were able to help me hold my pencils the correct way. I had difficulty with hand cramping, calluses developing on my fingers and smearing ink across my entire paper while writing.
Three Common Handwriting Problems
Handwriting requires highly developed fine motor skills, which is why it typically isn’t taught until children are age 4 or older. Keep in mind everyone’s handwriting is unique and no two children will write in exactly the same way.
Problems with letter shapes
English letters are made up of balls and bats. In the beginning, it takes a lot of coordination to form them and you may see different sized letters, as well as some confusion between similarly shaped letters, such as lowercase a, e and o. Note that lowercase letters are generally harder to write than capitals because they are smaller and they contain more rounded edges and curves.
This is one reason why people who struggle with handwriting sometimes prefer to write in all capital letters. The more a child practices the movements of handwriting, the more they become automatic and he or she builds up muscle memory, strength and dexterity in the hands. You can expect letter shapes to become increasingly regular as a child progresses through his or her first year of learning and begins to write using a steady grip and fluent rhythm.
Problems with spacing
English is written left to right and words are denoted by spaces between them. However, there are also spaces between letters! And some words are combinations of two words, like contractions for example, separated only by an apostrophe. Understanding how these different distances work and then being able to recreate them on paper can take some time.
Planning word space is also tricky. It’s quite common for words to run off a page in the writing of very young children who are not practiced at estimating how much space they need per letter and per word. In terms of producing text that follows along a straight line, this ability is somewhat contingent upon being able to write letters that are relatively the same size. You also need to know how a letter shape falls across the horizontal axis to get the vertical spacing correct. Parents and teachers can help by providing graph or lined paper with dashes that serve as a guide for letter height.
Problems with grip and posture
Beginner writers need plenty of practice to get comfortable holding a pen or pencil using a tripod grip. This is the preferred finger positioning where the thumb, index and middle finger work together to hold the writing instrument securely. Young children may first begin to develop this skill through drawing, and later by coloring inside the lines in coloring books.
In addition to how the pencil is held, there’s also figuring out the placement of the arm and elbow and learning how to apply the right amount of pressure so text is not too faint to read. Some young writers bear down on the pencil, which can cause hand cramps and broken pencil tips. Getting these children a writing utensil with a wider diameter, such as a chunky pencil or marker, sometimes helps, or a rubber grip to help the instrument to become thicker and prevent the hand from slipping if palms become sweaty.
Many parents note that handwriting skills can take longer to develop in children who are left-handed. Because English is a right to left language lefties may end up dragging their hand or sleeve along and can sometimes smudge the ink.
Moreover, most school desks are built for righties so it’s important that a child who is left-handed gains access to the correct classroom accommodations. Keep in mind there is no perfect position for handwriting– every child needs to find something that’s comfortable and works for them.
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