What is Midline Crossing: 5 Ways it Affects Handwriting
Everyone talks about midline crossing like we should inherently know what it is. They use the term in a throw away manner like they are talking about skipping or bike riding – something that everyone should just automatically know about. So what is midline crossing? Midline crossing is the ability to cross the imaginary midline… Read more »
Teaching Cursive Handwriting: Why Don’t Our Children Stick With Cursive?
Over the past number of years it seems that cursive handwriting has, in some circles, fallen out of favour. There seems to be little time during the school day for teaching cursive handwriting and many note that so many children seem to revert to printing as soon as they are given the choice. There has… Read more »
Left Handed Development and Teaching Lefties to Write
When our babies begin exploring they tend to use both hands, or randomly use either the left or right hand. Hand preference may begin to emerge as early as 2 or 3 years of age, while for others, this may only happens around the age of 5 or 6. So, you may notice early on… Read more »
Why a Multi-Sensory Handwriting Curriculum?
Multi-sensory is defined by the Collins English Dictionary as “involving or using more than one of the senses.” So, what is the big deal about this when it comes to a multi-sensory approach to writing? A Multisensory Handwriting Programme is a Must! Over time we have learned that using sensory input, such as touch or… Read more »
Letter Formation Order: Does it Matter?
There are as many ways to teach letter formation as there are teachers. Each teacher draws on her experience and applies it into her classroom to give the children in her class the best chance of achieving success. However, we are also able to draw on the developmental progression of acquisition of the foundational lines,… Read more »
Walk Before you Can Run: Pre-Writing Lines and Shapes
They say you can’t run before you can walk and I am certain that we all agree that this is true. Just as true, is that children cannot learn to form letters and numbers before they have mastered the drawing of shapes. And they cannot draw shapes before they are able to draw the component… Read more »
Fan Folding Download
This is the folding template to go with the Paper Rosette Hedgehog as shown in the video by Easy Peasy and Fun. Get your free downloadable fan folding sheet by entering your details in the form below:
Magic Scissors®: Your Preschoolers Need These! Cutting Skills Development
We know that cutting skills are critical for pre-handwriting fine motor development. I will never tire of saying that because I believe it so fiercely. It is essential that our children achieve success in scissor skills and we need to find ways to facilitate cutting skills development. Magic scissors have a unique patented design which… Read more »
The Perceptual-Motor Foundations of Handwriting: Handwriting Development
If a child is struggling with poor handwriting and is referred for an occupational therapy handwriting assessment, the outcome of the assessment can show very diverse difficulties. This is because the perceptual-motor foundations of handwriting are numerous and complex. Let’s look at The Wall®, an occupational therapy framework for explaining learning difficulties in children, and… Read more »
Which Pencil Grip? The Start Right Pencil Grip
We know for sure that there is no such thing as one size fits all when it comes to remediating an incorrect pencil grip. When do you use the Start Right Pencil Grip, when do you use the CLAW and when is the Stetro or Crossover the best? Is there a checklist, a magic formula… Read more »
How Can we Turn the Tide of Declining Fine Motor Skills? Fine Motor Skills for Preschoolers
It is well known by teachers in classrooms across this very diverse country that the standard of fine motor skills in our pre-schoolers are not where they should be. Teachers are criticised for referring too many children to occupational therapy. Occupational therapists are criticised for prolonged intervention for fine motor skills. And parents? Well, they… Read more »
What are Fine Motor Skills? Fine Motor Skills Checklist
What are fine motor skills? Fine motor skills are the small co-ordinated movements of the hands and fingers that make us as human beings special. In some instances they are also called hand skills. Fine motor skills enable the hands to perform refined manipulative tasks that foster independence, and enable us to become independent, functional… Read more »
Why I Never use Clothes Pegs as Finger Strengthening Exercises
Years ago, I had every conceivable type of clothes peg in my occupational therapy practise. We made Lion King ones, Nemos, and of course, Disney Princesses for the girls. We picked up jelly tots and every other imaginable item. We were working on the-three-friends®. For those of you who don’t know, the-three-friends – the thumb,… Read more »
There is little evidence that children will “catch” handwriting skills! Teaching Handwriting
“There is little evidence that children will ‘catch’ handwriting skills!” (Steve Graham, 1999.) I love this quote! Handwriting is not like the flu. You don’t catch it simply because you happen to spend time with those who are engaged in the activity. You learn to become an efficient handwriter because handwriting is taught. This begs… Read more »
How Working Memory Gets Gobbled Up: The Importance of Letter Formation
Working memory is a temporary storage area in the brain which manipulates information. Working memory, unlike long-term memory which we seem to have an endless supply of, is a finite resource. Working memory is different to short term memory. Our friends of over at Wikipedia describe short term memory as ” the capacity for holding,… Read more »
The Journey from Scribbles to Handwriting: Pre-writing Skills Activities
Our children’s first works of art are random scribbles on a page. Within a few short years these scribbles have been transformed into the beautifully crafted letters that make up handwriting. This is a critical scholastic milestone because handwriting is the foundation for story writing and composition. Some children make the transition from scribbles seamlessly,… Read more »
Why are our Children’s Fine Motor Skills Declining? | How can you Develop Fine Motor Skills?
Over the past 20 years there has been a generalised decline in our children’s fine motor skills. What started as a general fall off, has progressed to them plummeting in the last 5 years. The reasons are numerous but I have highlighted some that, to me as an occupational therapist, have had a significant impact… Read more »
How to Choose a Handwriting Curriculum and Style: 5 Principles to Consider
When it comes to teaching handwriting, choosing a style and handwriting curriculum is the most critical decision you are going to be making. Once you have made a choice, you need to see it through for at least the duration of the academic year. You can always change if it has gone horribly wrong, but… Read more »
The-Three-Friends® and Handwriting: Finger Exercises for Handwriting
We usually think of handwriting as a solitary task – an interplay between the child’s thoughts, their hand, and the paper. But there are three very special friends who play an integral part in the handwriting process. They need to be acknowledged, they need to be nurtured, and they need to be used. These are… Read more »
Why Handy Scoopers Changed my World! Fine Motor Skills for Toddlers
Parents have them, schools have them, and occupational therapists love them. Your toddler needs them and you need to get on board! Does your little one have them? Why peer pressure is right about Learning Resources Handy Scoopers and why they are the best for the development of fine motor skills for toddlers! I just… Read more »
How Untidy Handwriting Slashes your Grades: Is Untidy Handwriting a Disability?
One of our great handwriting researchers, Steve Graham, revealed in one of his research studies, the shocking implications of untidy handwriting on the grades allocated to students. I always knew that untidy handwriting affected marks but I didn’t know it was this bad. I didn’t know the true objective answer to the question: is untidy… Read more »
The Five Biggest “Bad Handwriting” Myths Busted: Handwriting Intervention Strategies
“My Child is Just Being Lazy – That is Why He has Untidy Handwriting” The first of the “bad handwriting” myths is the belief that children have untidy handwriting because they are lazy. I always say that if your child was able to write neatly they would. No child ever wakes up in the morning… Read more »
When Fine Motor Skills Send you Running for Cover | How Can I Help my Child with Fine Motor Skills?
With the steady decline in fine motor skills in our children over the past number of years, teachers are becoming increasingly concerned about the fine motor abilities of their children. Parents are asking: how can I help my child with fine motor skills? The expertise offered by school programmes that was sufficient to develop fine… Read more »
How Pencil Grips can Keep you Out of Trouble | Crossover Pencil Grip
The Crossover Grip and the Thumb Wrap The Crossover Pencil Grip is one to try for those children who have a persistent thumb wrap. But what is the big deal about the thumb wrap and why should we worry at all? The discrete refined finger movements which are so essential for speed and quality of… Read more »
Fine Motor Festive Wreath: Free Cutting Exercises for Preschoolers
We are all always on the lookout for an amazing cutting exercises for preschoolers and Grade school, but to find one that develops and challenges their fine motor skills while achieving an amazing end product is a real bonus! Research has shown that our Grade R children spend more than half of their day involved… Read more »
Left Handed Handwriting | A Golden Nugget
Every teacher and every therapist has encountered a left handed child. If you aren’t left handed yourself, you may wonder how to help and advise parents. You want to ensure they end up with a well adjusted left hander, who masters handwriting with the same finesse as many of their right handed counterparts. If you master… Read more »
The Stetro Song: Learn to Use the Stetro Pencil Grip
The Stetro Pencil Grip is your go-to beginner grip. The cues will help your child to know exactly where to put their fingers and with a little practise with the song, will be well on their way! Before you get stuck in with the song, please do be sure that you have the grip on the correct… Read more »
How Can We Help Ally with Her Handwriting? Handwriting Learning Activities
Ally is in Grade 2 and her mother is most concerned about her handwriting. What are some of the clues we can identify from the challenges evident in this handwriting sample, and which handwriting learning activities can help her? Occupational Therapist, Bunty McDougall weighs in. The first thing is always to say that handwriting is a… Read more »
Ambidextrousness: Why One Hand is Better than Two
From time to time we hear of children who are ambidextrous. This seems such an amazing thing – wow – imagine being able to write with both hands! But is it really a good thing and when, if at all, should we intervene? Before I dive in and get into this fascinating topic, I need… Read more »
Can Ritalin Improve Handwriting? Thoughts from an Occupational Therapist
There are a number of medications, Ritalin and Concerta amongst others, that can assist children with concentration difficulties. But, can they improve handwriting and how would this work? Let’s take a look at whether this is true and if so, how it makes a difference. Handwriting is a complex skill that originates in the linguistic… Read more »
Get a Grip! But Which One? The CLAW
What a Strange Name but Oh How Well CLAW Pencil Grips Work! The CLAW pencil grips with their unusual design is what makes them a fantastic pencil grip. When I first heard of it and saw its name I thought I would never use it – it both looked and sounded strange! After someone asked about… Read more »
The Secret’s Out! Letter Formation Rules!
Letter Formation usually includes the ability to correctly form both letters and numbers. Research has shown that good letter formation is a significant predictor of the mastery of good handwriting. Looking at what is letter formation with this easy infographic from The Happy Handwriter will take you through the steps toward mastering letter and number formation…. Read more »
Why Pre-Schoolers Need to Cut to the Moon and Back! Free Practise Cutting Worksheet
Cutting assists children to develop their fine motor hand muscles for pencil control and handwriting. It is one of the most valuable pre-handwriting skills we have. The cutting motion develops the exact muscles and movement patterns we need for pencil grip and pencil control so it certainly deserves our attention. Once your little one has… Read more »
Pencil Grip Devices: The How and When | 7 Tips from an Occupational Therapist. (Infographic)
There are so many pencil grip devices out there. When we should and shouldn’t be using them can become somewhat bewildering and leaves us asking: “which pencil grip?” Occupational Therapist Bunty McDougall from The Happy Handwriter, has laid out 7 tips around the “how” and “when” of pencil grips. If you would like to try… Read more »
Handwriting | Why is it so Important? | 6 Reasons by an Occupational Therapist. (Infographic)
Handwriting – should we still teach it? Is it outdated in the techno age? Perhaps we shouldn’t teach it in schools and save precious time for maths, reading, composition and story writing? Occupational therapist, Bunty McDougall, author of The Happy Handwriter, explores the latest research on handwriting. This is a good Infographic to have on… Read more »
Fine Motor and Handwriting Workshop: Cape Town, September 2015
The Happy Handwriter is excited to present our upcoming 2 day Fine Motor and Handwriting workshop. It will be held in Observatory, Cape Town on Thursday 24th and Friday 25th September 2015. The course is open to occupational therapists, teachers, schools, physiotherapists, psychologists and anyone interested in fine motor and handwriting development in children. Looking forward to… Read more »
Pencil Control | 8 Steps to Improve it by an Occupational Therapist. (Infographic)
We all know what untidy, illegible handwriting looks like. The quality of fine motor skills and pencil control are on the decline in our techno age where pre-schoolers are pointing and swiping, rather than engaging in the manipulative skills required for developing the hand muscles essential for controlling a pencil. Occupational Therapist, Bunty McDougall, from The Happy… Read more »
Workshops 2015
Due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control we have been forced to put our advertised 2015 workshops on hold. We will keep you posted and let you know as soon as we are able to proceed with these. In the interim, please stay in touch with us regarding your interest in the workshops so we can… Read more »
The Pencil Project
Yesterday, during a Muscle Mania fine motor group in a Grade 1 classroom at a disadvantaged school, pencils took on a whole new meaning to me. In fact, it was the absence of pencils. Many of the children didn’t have pencils and some had pencils so small, that when they were writing, they were hidden… Read more »
CAPS and Handwriting workshop
With the transition to CAPS, our teachers have been overwhelmed with integrating all the changes in the curriculum. To stimulate thought, and to look at how we can teach handwriting smarter so as to achieve the goal of efficient and legible handwriting, I will be running a workshop for teachers on “CAPS and Handwriting.” It… Read more »
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