Did you know that January 23 is National Handwriting Day? Although many of us increasingly use technology to get our thoughts on paper, there is increasing evidence that handwriting (the good, old-fashioned pen to paper way) is beneficial to our brains! Handwriting helps students to:
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Strengthen neural connections, making it easier for our brains to send and receive new information.
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Handwriting activates large parts of the brain.
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Improves spelling skills.
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Handwriting assists with committing to memory new information.
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Writing letters strengthens sound and letter recognition, in turn helping to develop emerging literacy skills.
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Assists with extracting meaning from information provided auditorily.
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Helps with interpreting the context of words and phrases.
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Helps to develop fine motor skills necessary for independent functioning.
- In short, handwriting is helpful for the development of memory and language skills.