Why Handwriting is Important + FREE Worksheets

January 22, 2021

January 23rd is National Handwriting Day! We're a day early, but we wanted to celebrate by offering FREE handwriting worksheets that you can print and use at home to practice with your kids. Plus, learn why handwriting is important and what you can do at home to practice.

January 23rd is National Handwriting Day! We're a day early, but we wanted to celebrate by offering FREE handwriting worksheets that you can print and use at home to practice with your kids.

Why is handwriting important?

Handwriting is an important skill that our occupational therapists can help with! Practice makes perfect, and neat handwriting is a skill we want all kids to have. Handwriting isn't only about words on paper, though. When someone writes letters and words, that person engages fine-motor muscles in the fingers and hands, larger muscles in the arm and body, and even the eye muscles. Writing also immerses the brain, which helps improve the memory; studies have shown a link between writing and information retention. When a child works on handwriting, they also work on their hand-eye coordination, which transfers over into many other areas.

What can we do at home?

If you want to practice handwriting at home, check out some of the FREE worksheets we have linked below. Print one off for you and your kiddo and practice together! Maybe you have a child that's not quite ready to trace letters and numbers. That's okay! Give them a crayon or chalk and let them scribble. Drawing lines, tracing shapes, and coloring in the lines are all helpful activities that can benefit future handwriting. Another beneficial activity for all ages is exercise! It may be surprising, but working the core muscles and shoulder muscles impacts writing skills. Additionally, exercises like ball tossing and hitting with a bat are great gross motor activities that help with hand-eye coordination.

If your child is struggling with writing and you're worried they may not be meeting crucial developmental milestones, check out our free Interactive Screening Tool.

Activities such as coloring can create a solid foundation for developing writing skills later.