Here is the fascinating science behind why handwriting remains vital in education.

Understanding the Neurological Difference

A study published in Frontiers in Psychology by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) showed what happens in the brain when subjects are writing by hand versus typing. 

The research revealed that students who wrote by hand showed higher levels of electrical activity across various brain regions than their typing counterparts. This engagement of movement, vision, sensory processing, and memory helps to show the cognitive richness of handwriting.

The Tactile Advantage

One of the key advantages of writing by hand is its tactile nature. When writing or drawing, there is a direct connection between perceptual understanding and motor execution. 

What does that mean? Well, it means that the process of writing by hand reinforces memory pathways and enhances comprehension and retention. This is a phenomenon well-documented in cognitive psychology.

Why Handwriting Matters in Education

Numerous studies have highlighted the benefits of handwriting over typing. If you’re interested in whether writing or typing is better, check out this article on the writing vs typing debate.

Learning to write by hand at an early age is important for students as it:

• Develops motor skills
• Stimulates different brain areas
• Facilitates letter recognition,
• Creates important foundations for literacy

Balancing Tradition and Technology

Technology and digital tools offer undeniable benefits. However, it’s important not to rely solely on technology’s benefits, especially if it is at the expense of losing the skill of writing by hand. 

The use of digital technology should complement, not replace, writing by hand when doing homework or at school. Maintaining a balance between tech and primary skills is essential. Using both skills interchangeably is key to staying current and maintaining vital skills.

Preserving Handwriting in Education

Educational systems are still navigating the technology transition. Neglecting manual writing activities in early childhood education can have profound effects on cognitive development. 

The importance of fine motor engagement and activities that build motor skills remain key. Students need to have handwriting skills in their lives.

Embracing the Power of Handwriting

The evidence is clear: writing by hand is not a nostalgic practice but a scientifically proven method. Writing by hand has been proven to enhance memory and learning. Recognizing the unique cognitive benefits of handwriting empowers students to thrive in an increasingly digital world while honouring the timeless art of penmanship.

Embracing the benefits of handwriting can unlock the full potential of students and ensure that the timeless tradition of handwriting enriches educational experiences for generations to come.

Does Your Child Struggle with Writing? 

Unlock your child’s writing potential with Oxford Learning! Our customized writing programs ensure that students develop these key skills.

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The Decline Of Handwriting

In recent years, there has been a decline in the practice of teaching handwriting. Many schools no longer teach cursive; some have even eliminated handwriting instruction. The rise of digital technology has made typing more critical than handwriting in many contexts, with many people viewing handwriting as irrelevant.

Despite this decline, some argue that handwriting is still an important skill to have. For one, it engages different parts of our brain than typing. When we write by hand, we have to think about the formation of each letter and the words we are writing, which requires more mental effort than typing. Research suggests that handwriting can help with memory retention and creativity.

There is also a growing interest in calligraphy and other forms of decorative handwriting. For some members of GenZ, handwriting is making a comeback. Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram are filled with examples of people showing off their handwriting skills, with many young people embracing the idea that handwriting can be a form of self-expression.

The Handwriting Debate is Ongoing

The debate over whether handwriting is a lost art or not is ongoing. While it may no longer be as essential as it once was, there is still value in developing one’s handwriting skills. Whether you’re a member of an older or a younger generation, taking the time to write by hand can be a meditative and rewarding experience.

While the importance of handwriting may have diminished in recent years, it is still a lost art. Handwriting remains a vital aspect of our cultural heritage and can be valuable for personal and professional purposes. Whether you’re writing a letter to a loved one, jotting down notes for work, or simply practicing penmanship, handwriting is still very much alive.

Need Help with Building Stronger Writing Skills?  

At Oxford Learning, we can help students stay motivated while building vital writing skills. Writing skills are essential for everyday success, whether in or out of school, whether digital or writing in cursive. We can help improve students’ writing skills at every age and grade, setting them up for success!

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Whether for a math assignment or writing an essay, editing skills are an important part of learning. Editing skills can even boost learning confidence!

Writing and Editing

Reviewing and editing your work is a fantastic way to become a better writer. However, some people dread editing because it’s not as fun as writing itself. Because of that, students skip this step, which can hurt their grades!

Good writing skills are extremely beneficial, whether reviewing a math assignment, revising an essay, or even composing an email in their career later in life. Students must be aware of the importance of self-editing and how to do it properly!

Four Component of Editing Skills

Editing involves four major components: 

1. Reading the written piece 
2. Highlighting any mistakes 
3. Fixing the mistakes that were found in the work
4. Ensuring that the work is clear and easy to understand   

When students include all the components into the editing task, they’re decreasing their chances of losing marks for simple mistakes. 

Editing is more important than simply hoping for a better grade. By self-editing, your child catches silly errors before potential embarrassment from a peer or a teacher. It also keeps them accountable for their work and will lead to caring more about the finished product. All of which can help them become more confident in the classroom! 

How to Self-Edit Properly

By following the steps below, students will be able to catch any mistakes in their writing:

1. Read the writing aloud. Reading aloud adds an auditory element and slows the reader down. This strategy makes it easier to think about the content and observe its readability. 
2. Create an editing checklist. Set up a simple document that students can use when revising their work that covers common grade-level errors. 
3. Start with the basics. During the first round of edits, have your child focus on only finding missed/overused capitalization and punctuation. Once that’s complete, they can spend more time on structure and grammar. 
4. Ask for help! A second set of eyes can help see any missed mistakes. 
5. Set aside enough time to complete and edit the work. If your child procrastinates, they are more likely to skip the editing process. Giving themselves adequate time for the project will ensure they are able to review it before submission.

Develop Writing and Editing Skills at Oxford Learning

The ability to review one’s own work and make corrections as needed is an important skill. At Oxford Learning, all students learn self-editing skills that help them catch mistakes, communicate more clearly, and get better grades. Ask us about how our writing program can help your child succeed in this key area!

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However, with the right information and tips or even with the aid of services like the essay writing service reddit, preparing and writing your essay becomes a lot easier. Check out our guide for essay writing below to help you write a paper you can be proud to hand in.

Before You Start Writing The Essay

1. Pick Your Topic

Unless your teacher has given you a very specific topic, you will need to pick one. If possible, choose a topic that interests you. Once you have a topic in mind, narrow it down to make your paper more specific. You want to be able to prove a point with your chosen topic.

Example: “Golden Retrievers as therapy dogs” is too broad of a topic. A topic that is narrower, such as, “Golden retrievers as therapy dogs for residents in nursing homes” keeps your research and ideas focused.

2. Determine Your Thesis Statement

Your thesis statement is the main point you are trying to prove in your essay—it ties all of your ideas and arguments together into one or two concise sentences. A good thesis statement gives your reader a preview of what you will be discussing in the body of your essay.

Example: Golden Retrievers are ideal therapy dogs for seniors in nursing homes because they provide emotional support and companionship to residents.

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3. Find Sources

Once you have an idea of what you want to say in your essay, start finding sources you can use to back up your points. Aim to have at least 2-3 credible sources in your paper, unless your teacher says otherwise.

Some examples of sources include:

• Books
• Websites
• Published articles
• Encyclopedias
• Academic Journals

Always check with your teacher to find out what kind of sources he or she is looking for.
Once you have found (and read) your sources, take note of pieces of information you think could back up your thesis.

4. Create An Outline

Creating an outline of your essay will help make the writing process much easier. It is a way to organize your thoughts and structure them in a way that makes sense. Try to come up with three arguments that support your thesis. These arguments will form the body of your essay.

Example: Arguments to support the thesis could be:

• Golden Retrievers can sense emotion in humans.
• Golden Retrievers are highly intelligent and easy to train.
• Golden Retrievers are more calm and gentle than other breeds of dogs.

Writing Your Essay

All essays, regardless of length, have an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Each of these sections serve a different purpose in your paper.

The Introduction

The introduction of an essay is one paragraph that introduces your topic and gives an overview of what will be discussed in the body of the paper.

The introductory paragraph is where you will state your thesis and the arguments that you will be presenting in the body of the essay. Avoid talking about the conclusion or findings in the introductory paragraph—you will be discussing those in the rest of the essay.

Helpful Tip: Even though it appears at the top of your essay, write your introduction last. This way, you can summarize the rest of your essay easily—it’s difficult to summarize something you haven’t written yet!

The Body

The body of your essay is where you present your arguments/evidence that back up your thesis.
Each paragraph in your essay should have:

• A topic sentence: What is this paragraph about? What are you trying to prove in this paragraph?
• Supporting sentences: How can you back up the topic sentence? What sources can you use to support your claim?
• A concluding or transition sentence: How will you keep your reader engaged? How can you link this paragraph to the next?

Every paragraph in your essay should have a unique claim/argument that supports your thesis. Always structure your essay to have the strongest argument in your first paragraph, and the next strongest argument in the final paragraph of the body. Your other argument should be sandwiched between your stronger paragraphs.

The Conclusion

The conclusion is the last paragraph in your essay. This is where you wrap up your findings from your discussion in the body paragraphs.

Start your paragraph by restating your thesis (although not in the exact same words). In a few sentences, summarize your arguments from the body paragraphs, and avoid discussing any new ideas that you didn’t talk about in the body of your essay. Finally, wrap up your findings in one final sentence.

Helpful Tip: Your final sentence should convince your reader that you proved your thesis.

References/Bibliography

The final page in your essay is the references page (sometimes called the bibliography). This is where you document all the sources you have cited in your paper. There are several different formats that can be used to reference sources, such as APA or MLA style. Your teacher may have specified a certain format he or she would like in your paper. If you are unsure, double-check with your teacher before starting.

Polishing Your Work

After writing the first draft of your essay, take one or two days before you go back and read it so your mind is fresh. Make any changes you think are necessary to improve your paper, such as reordering sentences, adding extra information, or taking out sentences that don’t add value to your arguments.

If possible, ask another person to review your essay for spelling, grammar, and clarity. A second set of eyes is helpful to catch small errors you may have missed.

Helpful Tip: Read your essay out loud to make sure it flows and your sentences are clear.

More Essay Writing Tips

1. Don’t force yourself to write your essay in order—start by writing the body of your essay first. Your introduction and conclusion should not be written until the main points of the body are completed first.
2. Don’t plagiarize. Plagiarism is taking other people’s ideas, thoughts, or work and presenting it as your own (or not citing your sources correctly). Always give credit where it is due.
3. There is no such thing as starting too early! Get a head start and prioritize writing your essay so you have plenty of time to review and edit well before the due date.
4. Keep your writing objective. Objective language helps convince your reader the facts you are presenting are strong and factual.Example:
   Objective: Golden Retrievers are loyal companions because…
   Subjective: I think Golden Retrievers are loyal companions because…
5. Avoid using slang terms and contractions. These words make your writing appear less formal.

Time To Get Writing!

Writing an essay can seem intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! Give yourself plenty of time to pick your topic, find your sources, and preparing your outline. Once you are happy with your ideas, just start writing! If you begin your essay well before the due date, you will have lots of time to edit and rework your essay. This way you can be confident in your work when it comes time to hand it in.

If you need more help with writing your essay, Oxford Learning is here to help!

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It takes time to develop strong writing skills, and it can be a tough task to accomplish. Thankfully, there are many things that parents can do at home to help improve children’s writing skills.

From fun activities to daily reading and writing sessions, these tips on how to improve kids’ writing skills will help your child build his or her skills in no time.

Improve your child’s communication skills with these simple and fun kids’ writing activities.

1. Read Up

   Regular reading is a stepping stone to better writing and helps kids’ strengthen their writing skills. It helps expand children’s vocabulary and shows them different ways of using words. This also makes it easier for them to use these words in their own writing.

   With younger children, make sure you’re reading together every day and encouraging their love of reading as they grow. Start reading early—many children who devour books grow up to become strong writers themselves. Tweet This

2. Make it Fun!

   Play games and activities that encourage writing. Crossword puzzles and word games are great for everyone. Little ones will especially like the “write the word” game: where they search for items and write down the word when they find each item.

3. Create Writing Worksheets

   For young children just learning to write, try creating a worksheet where they can trace letters and words. Write out letters and words, place another piece of paper on top, and have your child trace onto the blank piece of paper. You can also create a connect-the-dots game by having your child trace along dotted lines and then tell you which letter or word she or he finds.

4. Try Different Materials

   Switch it up by writing with something other than a pen or pencil. Sidewalk chalk on the driveway, finger painting, or a salt writing tray are all fun writing activities that will also help build kids’ writing skills.

5. Write Letters

   Today, writing letters is a bit of a lost art. Encourage your child to write letters to friends or family members. Distant family members will especially love receiving handwritten letters and it’s a great way to work on improving writing skills for kids.

   Pen-pals are also a fun idea, or you can even write letters to each other and leave them around the house to find!

6. Encourage Journalling

   Keeping a journal is a great way to express thoughts and ideas while also working on improving children’s writing skills. Plan an outing to pick a fun journal with your child and encourage them to write in it as much as possible. Make it a part of his or her daily routine.

7. Create a Writing Space

   Set aside a little corner in your house that is completely devoted to writing. Having an area dedicated solely to writing will help free your child from distractions so he or she can focus on practicing writing skills.

8. Invest Time

   Make sure your child knows you’re available to help with spelling or proofreading whenever he or she needs it. When you make writing time a priority for you, it will make it easier for your child to improve his or her writing skills.

9. Connect Their Interests

   Think about your son or daughter’s favourite book series. Or maybe he or she is obsessed with dinosaurs. Whatever his or her interests, connect them to writing. Have your child write a new short story about his or her favourite characters, or let him or her create a story all about dinosaurs.

10. Create Story Prompts

    A fun way to improve kids’ creative writing skills is to have them write short stories.

    Cut out pictures from a magazine with different characters or locations, or write down different words. Place these in a container or glue them to cards to use as writing prompts for creating a unique story. This also makes a fun activity for the whole family to join in.

11. Model It

    There’s no better way to learn something than to see someone else doing it. Let your children see you writing, often. When writing is a normal part of your daily life, it will come more naturally to them. Anything goes: a simple grocery list or letter to the teacher, holiday or thank you cards, or even a sweet note to your child.

12. Use Technology to Your Advantage

    There’s no getting around the fact that technology plays a huge part in our lives. Use it to your advantage by having your child create a blog. This can help your child work on improving his or her writing skills by encouraging frequent writing habits.

13. Make it Part of Your Daily Routine

    Make sure there’s time each day to do some writing in one way or another. Whether it’s writing a grocery list, writing in a journal or composing a letter, practicing writing every day will go a long way to improving kids’ writing skills.

14. Praise Their Work

    Show lots of interest in your child’s writing and stories. Ask questions, celebrate when he or she brings home a good piece from school, and encourage his or her writing as much as possible.

Improving Writing Skills Can Be Fun

Writing is an important practical life skill. While developing great writing skills requires lots of time and patience, you can help your child with these simple writing exercises for kids.

Lots of reading, frequent writing time in a special writing area, and incorporating fun writing activities and games will all go a long way to giving writing skills a boost.

Need Extra Help?

If your child needs extra help improving his or her writing skills, Oxford Learning can help. Our English tutoring program helps develop kids’ writing and comprehension skills, from word recognition to paragraph writing. Contact us today!

Related Resources

5 Reasons Writing By Hand Is Good For The Brain
Understanding Literacy & Your Child
5 Ways To Help Kids Learn At Home

The post How To Improve Writing Skills For Kids: 14 Easy Tips appeared first on Oxford Learning.

Kids today are born tech-savvy—they’ll never have to be taught to use a keyboard or how to operate a tablet.

Which is great news, because education increasingly incorporates technology into the classroom. Technology has become essential to how we access information and how we organize our lives. But just because something is new and useful, doesn’t mean that the old way is no longer relevant.

This is especially true when it comes to writing. Even in the age of technology, there are still plenty of times when putting pen to paper is needed—such as when writing an essay portion of an exam. However, as it turns out, writing isn’t just required for school: writing is an activity that has been shown to have numerous benefits to the brain and the body.

Whether journaling thoughts, chronicling the day, attempting poetry or starting a novel, old-fashioned pen and paper has an immense impact on emotional well being, helping students organize their thoughts and even improve their moods.

Despite being viewed as an old-fashion activity, writing by hand is still considered a valuable skill that has many cognitive benefits both in and out of the classroom.

So put the keyboard away and grab a pen and paper! It doesn’t matter what students write so long as they take advantage of the benefits of this old-fashioned (but still relevant!) school and life skill.

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