Stress Free Handwriting Practice | The OT Toolbox

Stress Free Handwriting Practice

Handwriting can be a stressful situation for many students. Encouraging written communication in a stress-free environment can help kids write more fluently and legibly.

For the student who is who struggles with handwriting, practicing written work can be very overwhelming. He or she may scribble down whatever is on their mind as quickly as they can just to get the task done. Encouraging an environment where students feel respected and less handwriting-related stress can help with handwriting legibility. Use the ideas below to encourage a climate of acceptance and respect where students can write in their own manner.

Stress-free handwriting practice ideas for kids who hate handwriting or have practiced handwriting but continue with frustration.

Stress free handwriting practice ideas

Encourage an environment of acceptance students can then right as they like without worrying about how letters are formed how they're spaced or how hard they're pressing with their pencil.

Encourage the freedom to write as they like. Let the students know it's OK to write as they normally do and to be spontaneous and written work. This simple freedom can enable students to write more fluently and efficiently.

Take away the stress by limiting criticism, comparison, judgment, and competition regarding handwriting legibility. In this way students can know that what they are writing down on paper is more important than the way it looks.

Make writing fun! Take away the seriousness of handwriting practice by balancing freedom to experiment with ideas putting ideas on paper and producing clear written work. Encourage a fun writing assignment but make sure the student knows that it does take work to make written material legible.

Share excitement and encouragement about handwriting. Kids that see that handwriting practice can't be fun will be more eager to practice. Use big motions, music, songs, rhymes, and any creative ideas like fun ways to work on letter formation to help kids spark enjoyment of handwriting practice.

Remove the obstacles of handwriting. Take away comparison, Over-analysis, judgment, and over-reactions to mistakes to help kids feel more at ease with handwriting.

Allow time. Give kids lots of time to put their ideas on paper. A graphic organizer can be one way to help kids get ideas down on paper in a visual way. They can then use the graphic organizer as a sloppy copy to help hand writing occur in a timely but efficient manner where they are given enough time to put their words on paper. Many times kids can work practice letter formation in legibility of him ready when they don't have to think about what they are writing.

Let kids write without asking them to stop and correct mistakes. Students can write down their ideas and get answers on the paper without worrying about legibility mistakes or letter formation mistakes. Use a short period of time at the end of the assignment to quickly go over and check any legibility errors.

Collaborative writing. When kids right with others they can see the momentum that goes into hand writing. For the reluctant and writer sharing good ideas in writing in a group setting can help them to see that others are writing just as they are. Kids can also see good writing skills happening. Create a small group writing area where students can sit at a desk or table of 3 to 4 other students and each writes about one particular item that is sitting in the middle of the table such as a bowl of pipe cleaners. Use that physical picture as a writing prompt for students.

Balance the seriousness of handwriting with the freedom to experiment in written work. Kids should know that writing does take hard work but it can be fun to put your words on paper so that others can read them. Set up a writing pen-pal relationship where students correspond with students in another school. Here are a few sites to find a pen pal for students.

What are your favorite ways to encourage stress-free handwriting?


Try these handwriting ideas to work on the skills needed for legible written work:

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