Handwriting:
Best Practices
Debbie Shatrowsky/Occupational Therapist
Ergonomics
• 90° rule- hips, knees, ankles
• Trunk, neck and head vertically
aligned
• Wrist in slight extension
• Desktop 1” to 2” above elbow when
seated
• Paper angled- right handed/right
corner up, left handed/left corner up
Looking Out For Lefties
•Preventing the “hook”
•Left corner of paper elevated,
okay for student to have an
exaggerated slant
•Left handed writers will
sometimes pull into their hand
which causes them to write from
right to left, this is okay to allow
Left handed
•Slant left corner up
•Okay to have
exaggerated slant
Right handed
• slant right corner up
Pencil Grip
Developmental sequence
• Palmer 1- 2 years of age
• Digital pronate- 2 to 3 years of age
Transitional Grips
• Static tripod- 3 ½ to 4 years of age
• Dynamic or quadrupod - 4 ½ to 6
years of age
Efficient Writing Grips
Dynamic Tripod
Quadrupod
Adapted Tripod
Inefficient Grips
Correcting Grip
Twist N Write Pencil- Office Depot,
Educate and Celebrate, Amazon
Grotto
Crossover
Jumbo Big Grip
Grips available at Educate and
Celebrate or
therapyshoppe.com
Handiwriter- therapy
shoppe.com
Claw Grip
Slant board
•To decrease wrist
flexion
•Visual difficulties
Developmental Sequence of
Prewriting
• Imitation-vertical, horizontal, circle
• Copying
~ 2yr.10mo. vertical
~ 3 horizontal and circle
~ 4 to 4 yr. 11 mo. cross, diagonals,
and X
~ 5 yrs. 3 mo. triangle (Beery-Buktenica
Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration)
Developmental Approach
to Handwriting
• Handwriting Without Tears®
L F E H I – Verticals and horizontals
U C O Q G S J D P B- lines and curves
R K A V M N W X Y Z- diagonals
Uses a sensory motor approach
Promoting Development
of Fine-Motor Skills
•Sensory motor approach- rainbow letters
•Whole arm to promote motor planning
•Wet sponge
•Air writing
•Strengthening- incorporate pinching activities:
clothes pins, strawberry hullers for sorting small
objects, cutting play-dough snakes, poker chip or
bingo chip activities
•Parents- encourage wheel barrel walking with
their child
Promoting Proper Stroke,
Number and Letter Formation
• Model sound handwriting behaviors
• Reading and writing follow the same
basic patterns - top to bottom, left
to right
• Orally describe the pattern when
introducing and practicing letter
formation
Promoting Proper
Formation
• Stress correct starting point and
formation of letters i.e. large writing on
chalkboard, wet-dry-try, etc.
• Make sure the tool size is proportional to
the hand size
• Forget the dot-to-dot use whole strokes
when practicing writing
Wet Dry Try
Adult writes letter
Student erases with wet sponge, dries, and then
writes
Ideas for fine-motor centers
Teach letter sequencing and
letter sounds with this poker chip
alphabet sequencing activity with
Leap Frog Fridge Phonics
Filo from
Beyond Play
$25.
Lakeshore products $60
Lakeshore
Products
Alphabet
Rubbing Plates
$19.95
HWTs Products
HWTs Square Block Paper
Integrating Handwriting
and Reading Programs
Option 1: Separate the handwriting and reading
sequence (remind students when letters
and sounds have been previously taught)
Option 2: Integrate the handwriting and reading
sequence (when introducing letter
formation also introduce the sound/s and
when introducing letter sounds use direct
instruction for learn letter formation)
Option 3: Follow the reading sequence when
introducing letter names and formation
(Leanne Meisinger/Learning Specialist CCPS)
When teaching handwriting keep in mind the basic
principles of UDL and the four major channels of
learning:
•Visual learners learn through seeing.
•Auditory learners prefer to listen
•Tactile learners like to use their fine-motor skills
when learning
•Kinesthetic learners need to use their bodies in the
learning process. They need to “do”. They are handson learners.
http://www.cast.org/udl/
Resources
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Amazon.com
Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration 6th Ed.
Beyond Play- Products for Early Childhood and Special Needs
(beyondplay.com)
ccpsatot.wikispaces.com
Educate and Celebrate (http://www.learning-experts.com)
Handwriting Without Tears (hwtears.com)
Lakeshore Learning Materials (lakeshorelearning.com)
Leap Frog Products
Office Depot
Meisinger, Leanne /Learning Specialist CCPS
Therapyshoppe.com
UDL Principles (http://www.cast.org/udl/)