Handwriting Epedmic

Warning: This blog is written by a teacher (and an opinionated one, at that), not a doctor.

I am not a handwriting expert. Far from it. I think I even went to handwriting summer school one year. I just thought this information was too important not to pass it along.

Some of you may know that the world of education is always changing its mind. For a long time, phonics was all the rage. Then it was whole language. Now it's back to phonics. If you don't know the difference, it's OK, because you're reading this. If you can't read this, then we probably need to talk.

We also see trends in education because of what is happening in the culture around us. For example, one of the third grade reading assessments we give is about beavers. The kids have to read and comprehend a fictional story about a beaver family. About 5 years ago, kids could care less about the story. Then, The Lion, the Witch & The Wardrobe came out in movie form and boom! just like that, kids love the beaver family story!

Sometimes culture has a negative impact on our education system. Sadly, even in the 6.5 years I've been teaching, the number of kids with divorced parents has skyrocketed. This equates to a big challenge for teachers. Who do you call when the child is sick? in trouble? Who gets the report card? Often times the parents have had such a messy divorce, they don't communicate with each other, making for a sad situation for the child(ren).

But I digress. The point of this blog was not to complain about the status of society or our education system. What is the point, you ask? Well, read on!

We are seeing a new trend in education. In the past few years doctors have instructed mothers of infants to place children on their backs--not their stomachs--when they sleep. They have also been told to eliminate small toys and objects from their reach. Kids have also been more "contained" in car seats, chairs, or simply laying on their back. Take a look the next time you are in a restaurant--kids are sitting in their car seat, staring at the ceiling. Not an overly stimulating view. What they are often staring at are flashing lights and whirling objects, placed there to keep them occupied.

But, I'm getting a bit off topic again. All of these things are good--lowering the risk of SIDS, choking and eliminating other potential hazards from their reach are good. Listen to your doctor!

However, I do want to tell you about the flip side. This is where the education part comes in. Our occupational therapist informed our teachers this week that America is in the middle of an epidemic. A pandemic, even. Kids can't write. It's not that their teachers didn't teach them. It's not even that the students didn't learn how to form the letters. They can't write because they are physically incapable of doing it.

Because babies are not placed on their stomachs for long periods of time, they never develop the shoulder muscles to hold themselves up. Therefore, they do not have the muscles in their arms to hold a pencil properly.

Because babies do not play with small objects like blocks or clothes pins, they do not develop the dexterity and strength to stabilize the pencil in their hand.

Because babies are often limited to a car seat or laying on their backs for long periods of time, they don't fully develop the neck muscles that babies in the past had from looking around (when they were being carried around on mom's hip for most of the day). These neck muscles also (amazingly enough) are needed for handwriting and other simple tasks.

Kids literally do not have the ability to write. It's quite sad, actually, when they get to first or even second--and now, even third grade--and they can't hold their pencil properly. And it's not for lack of trying, or for lack of teaching.

Anyway, I don't think that doctors or parents mean any harm in how they are raising their children. Quite the opposite, I think they mean well for their children and I know I never would have related any of the above practices to handwriting.

Now that I've thoroughly caused alarm and some mass-hysteria among mothers of infants or young school age children, take a deep breath. Take a minute to relax and keep reading. There's hope. Here's what you can do, if you are so inclined.

1. Have your kids (even at a very young age) lay on their stomachs to watch TV or play a game. They have to prop their heads up on their hands/arms. See how long they can do it. (How long can you do it?)

2. Have them play (well supervised) with smaller objects, like small macaroni noodles. You can take an old plastic tub, punch holes in the lid and then they have to put the macaroni noodles in through the holes.

3. For kids a little bit older (5-7), you can have them hold a cotton ball with their ring & pinkie fingers (against their palm). Then using their thumb, index & middle finger (like a claw), have them pick up small objects (like #2). These are the three fingers they need the most for holding a pen/pencil.

4. For a long time, I was a big proponent of "If the pencil is shorter than your thumb, throw it away". But, our occupational therapist has changed my mind. It's GOOD for kids to practice with tiny pencils & broken crayons. It takes more work and strength and dexterity to hold a small pencil than it does to hold a longer one. So, live on, small pencils!

5. Clothes pins are great. It helps them develop strength in those three fingers mentioned in #3. Have them put clothes pins on and off the edge of their bed sheets or comforter.

6. Don't be afraid to let them use scissors--there are lots of kid-friendly scissors out there and it really helps them to develop fine motor skills. Just don't let them near your new curtains or favorite blanket.

7. Crafts! Crafts! Crafts! Scissors! Glue! Paper! Coloring! Stamping! Painting! Buttons! Snaps! Sewing! It's good for their little fingers and their brains! It's cheap and it's fun! A bit messy, yes, but isn't that what childhood is all about?

I could go on, but I will stop here. Like with all things in education and life, a balanced approach is best. Don't "go to a level 10" (I hear this a lot from Joel), just do a few things here and there to help set your child up for handwriting success. Your child (and their teacher) will thank you for it later.

One more note. Please leave me a comment about this blog if you have any other opinions or information. I would love to have it. I am, after all, just a teacher, not a mom!