Handwriting is Fun! BlogAugust 2014 - Handwriting is Fun! Blog

Modern Handwriting or Hieroglyphics? Are they simply DRAWING? (Part 2)

27th August, 2014 · otchic · 2 Comments

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” (Art Walker Charter Academy)

“Drawing keeps the eye fresh, the mind alive, and the intuition nimble.”

Welcome back for Part 2 in our discussion about handwriting, our eyes and our hands, and drawing. We left our last meeting with some food for thought:

If the seed for our personal handwriting style… our creative interpretations for the message that we want to convey…remains in our scribbling memories, wouldn’t a bit of drawing practice help a struggling child find his way naturally toward handwriting success?

That’s what we are here to discover today!

A Common Ground

Art, handwriting, and creative writing are all forms of communication for us. They share a common ground for “getting our message across.” But children begin to try their hand at communicating from the day they are born.

Trevor Cairney, in his informative blog, “When do children start writing?“, tells us that early on “babies begin to respond to their world and that many of their early vocalizations, eye movements, gazes, facial movements and body movements are attempts to communicate.” He goes on to discuss the importance of a child “making his mark” and his desire to tell us what those squiggly lines “mean.” They are the beginnings of a child’s desire to use handwriting to
Babies use their “early vocalizations, eye movements, gazes, facial movements and body movements as attempts to communicate” (Trevor Cairney)

communicate with us.

Yes, we all have the desire to put our ideas into some form of communication. In my “Life is A Series of Baby Steps” blog on the Child Development Club website, I ask that you “Give Them The Space and They Will Create!” Providing space for art allows children to”talk to you” with an arrangement of colors, shapes, and elements that are a language in and of themselves!

Janice J. Beaty, in her article “Early Writing and Scribbling,” tells us that “

Scribbling is to writing what babbling is to speaking: an early stage of children’s development that should be encouraged.”

She emphasizes that the development of hand and finger strength brings scribbling into the realm of producing “circles, ovals, squares and crosses….” Handwriting skills are developed long before a child even begins to think of the alphabet. They are experimented with and honed during the most exciting part of learning – play! Play without pressure. Play for the sake of play.

I believe in the advice from Marvin Bartel, art professor:

“We encourage scribbling by providing a place and materials, by acknowledging the work, and by discussing the work in a nonjudgmental way.”

But, you may be asking, how can all of this “freedom” turn into efficient handwriting skills? Well, let’s take a look!

Handwriting is an Art Form

Drawing is “a method for creating intelligible order. It is a universal language, and a natural one.” ….. Dr. Susan Rich Sheridan

“Serious play with abstraction need not be withheld at a certain time or grade.” (Dr. Susan Rich Sheridan)

Dr. Sheridan is an artist, writer, parent, and teacher who utilizes drawing to build writing skills in her students with her “Drawing/Writing” program. For struggling students, drawing allows them to get over the “hump.” Just as children use drawings to develop their language skills, drawing activities can help students to go back to the basics to repair and enhance their handwriting skills. Dr. Sheridan tells us that “children are born ready for symbol systems. Every representation children construct in their brains is an abstraction. Serious play with abstraction need not be withheld at a certain time or grade.”

And I say, aren’t the manuscript and cursive letters of the alphabet simply abstractions? Symbols created to depict what we see in our “mind’s eye” in order to translate a picture symbol that we would immediately recognize into a language that society has deemed conventional. Again, I suggest, wouldn’t drawing be the perfect medium for handwriting instruction and remediation?

Art is there for the taking!

Efficient handwriting requires some very complex skills that can be developed in some very simple ways. Children seem to know what they need to do to sharpen these skills when they are given the freedom to experiment. You don’t have to look far to find those simple ways to hone handwriting skills. I am honored to share with you some of the excellent artistic/handwriting skill development ideas from two of my favorite sources! Just to help out a little, I’ve linked Vanessa Levin’s ideas with the handwriting skills that Lisa Marnell will define for us to guide you toward the “freedom for learning” that will link art and the development of efficient handwriting skills. Have fun exploring!

Vanessa Levin, Pre-K Pages, in her blog,“What’s in Your Writing Center?”, provides a very simple, sensory-motor collection of tools that allow children to explore and learn.

Lisa Marnell, Handwriting Help for Kids, shares an excellent outline of the five basic skill areas for handwriting from an occupational therapist’s point of view.

1. Visual Motor Skills

defined as “using vision to guide written output”

the ability to reproduce shapes, letters, and numbers

to connect lines, to start and stop at the correct spot, and to edit for accuracy

Vanessa offers sandpaper alphabet rubbings to encourage visual motor skills with a touch of sensory input and alphabet stamps and pieces for creating pictures while they sort and identify the letters.

I love to use worksheets that provide budding artists with the chance to use their letters and art to connect the symbol with the letter formations. A wonderful way to connect the “visual” with the “motor!” You can even make your own worksheets at Enchanted Learning!

2. Visual Perception Skills

defined as “a child’s ability to use visual information to make meaning of what he sees”

the ability to cognitively “call up” letter formations and produce them automatically in writing

to retain information in short-term memory until it is on the paper, allowing for fast and fluid handwriting

to recognize the differences between letters (e.g., b and d)

to remember the proper placement of letters within words (for spelling)

Vanessa provides plenty of opportunities for experimenting with visual processing skills. Her cutting center and alphabet pieces work well for vision scanning and tracking as they create pictures and crafts.

I enjoy Childhood Beckons’ “Storytelling With Illustrations” activity that asks children to visualize their story and produce it on the chalkboard.

3. Fine Motor Skills

defined as complex

the ability to use the hands adequately in order to write fluently and effortlessly

Vanessa provides plenty of opportunities for children to be creative using their hands with cutting, gluing, stamping, and even stapling, complimenting these with Wikki Stix, lacing, and and even fishing activities!

In lieu of issuing pencil grips, I like to see a child work on developing these skills.

4. Trunk Control Skills

defined as “strong and steady trunk muscles to provide the base of support needed for delicate fine motor tasks like writing”

the ability to work without fatigue sitting at a desk or running around the playground

Vanessa’s Writing Center appears to be a “free-form” area where students are encouraged to work standing, walking around the room, or even on the floor. Drawing, coloring, cutting, or pasting can be done during “big-kid tummy time.” They are working on trunk control as they support themselves on their elbows and maintain their head and neck position in order to see their creations!

I like to hide the pieces of our craft project in various corners of the room, presenting the work as a “ground-floor project” where we all crawl to find them and complete the work on our tummies! It’s fun. Try it!

5. Shoulder Stability

defined as “the muscles around the shoulder working together to hold this joint stable”

the ability to use “very slow, well controlled shoulder movements” for efficient pencil control

to write fluidly and legibly without fatigue

Vanessa works on shoulder strengthening with clipboards to write and draw on and stabilize as they walk around the room or during tummy time!

I am especially partial to having children draw on the board or any vertical surface to encourage the development of their shoulder muscles and joints. Children always enjoy being the teacher!

Some Final Notes

Lacing is a fun handwriting warm-up!

The developmental stages that lead to handwriting mastery begin in infancy and continue to develop through elementary school.
Learning how to grip a pencil appropriately depends upon the development of the hand, vision, and the brain.
These connections provide the foundation – and they can be developed through play!

Please be sure to connect with Vanessa and Lisa, as well as the other excellent sites offered here, and let them know how much we appreciate their awesome “shares!”

In Part 3 of our “Modern Handwriting or Hieroglyphics” series, we will discover the artistic ventures that can help our older strugglers with their handwriting mastery! I hope you will join me and share your thoughts!

Is writing just "too much" for the hand?"

Modern Handwriting or Hieroglyphics – Part 1

Be sure to check out Part 1 in our series!

Katherine Collmer, M.Ed., OTR/L

Katherine J. Collmer, M.Ed., OTR/L, is a pediatric occupational therapist who specializes in the assessment and remediation of handwriting skills and understands the link between handwriting skills and writing. She can be contacted via her website, Handwriting With Katherine.

Disclaimer: The information shared on the Handwriting With Katherine website, blog, Facebook page, Twitter page, Pinterest page; on any guest blog posts or any other social media is for general informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for sound professional medical advice or evaluation and care from your physician/medical team or any other qualified health care providers. Therefore, the authors of these links/posts take no responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk taken by individuals as a result of applying the ideas or resources.

Modern Handwriting or Hieroglyphics? Are they simply DRAWING? (Part 1)

20th August, 2014 · otchic · Leave a comment

Is the hand ready for handwriting?

“Is writing really for the eye, at the expense of the hands?”

If you find that question intriguing, you must pick up Dr. Mark Changizi’s, equally intriguing book, The Vision Revolution.

As an evolutionary neurobiologist, he sparks this thought and

reveals that it is fortunate for the eye that

“writing has been culturally selected to look like nature….”

with its tendency “… to use the fundamental structural shapes in nature.”

That is good because the eye has evolved to see nature….”

It is unfortunate for “the hand, however, (which) has not evolved to draw nature.” (1. p. 170)

The Eye Versus The Hand

“Human sight is a complex sense composed of many complementary elements that work together. The miraculous human eye, elegant in its detail and design, represents a gateway to vision.”

Our Eyes:

Our eyes have developed to recognize and interpret the foundational shapes and contours of nature – gradual and smooth deviations much like gentle movements with few angles to mark boundaries or beginnings and endings.

Our writing processes have changed over time, using nature as its guide, to meet the needs of our eyes.

Our ability to “see the natural shapes around us and…put those shapes to paper” to produce “thousands of tiny shapes” we call letters, and THEN to be able to use our rapid visual processing skills to interpret them is what Dr. Changizi calls “our greatest superpower of all!“

This power provides us with literacy…which IS power in itself. And he credits this superpower to the evolution of our eyes to record and analyze information for writing. (1. p. 167)

Our Hands:

Our hands did not evolve to reproduce nature’s shapes naturally.

The hand, however, did not evolve to reproduce nature’s shapes naturally. It was required to adapt to a handwriting process that was developed to use the fundamental shapes and contours of nature – lines and curves – to accommodate our visual system.

Fine motor skill development is focused upon the need to use our hands in all of the required tasks of life – including handwriting.

And the development of handwriting skills begins as soon as a child uses his visual system for the first time – at birth – before he ever puts a writing instrument to paper (or the wall) and makes a mark.

As soon as he does “make his mark,” he begins to understand the connection between the use of his hand and his ability to communicate with others.**

Scribbling, as pointless as it may appear, is the foundation for handwriting skills.

Scribbling is the foundation for handwriting skills.

Scribbling is a natural developmental process that children worldwide develop following a similar process while using similar shapes.

Rhoda Kellogg, pioneer of the study of children’s art, “focusing on scribbling and the early ‘ages and stages’ of child development,” encouraged parents and educators to provide children with ample opportunities to scribble and copy adult models as they “develop the symbols that will later become the basis for all writing and drawing.”

Dr. Changizi urges us to look at children’s scribblings and understand that they are “objects – not necessarily realistic ones – (used) to convey a message…each culture using its own conventions to depict different objects.” (1. p. 177) He suggests that if we “read” children’s drawings from a country that does not represent animals or people in art in the same manner as we do, their “objects” would most likely be difficult for us to interpret, as they are using their experiences to define them. They are not pieces of lines and circles that have been placed next to each other to copy the object; but a visual image of what the object “looks” like to them in their “mind’s eye.” Much like hieroglyphics, wouldn’t you say?

Hieroglyphics Fun Facts

While our English alphabet is based upon 26 characters we call letters, which are then combined to form words and sentences to tell a story, the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic writing contained more than 2,000 characters.

Each character represented a common object in Egypt and could represent the sound of the object or simply an idea associated with it.

There were even cursive hieroglyphs that were used for religious documents.

Of course, Egyptian hieroglyphics were based upon the conventions of the time and would be difficult for us to read anywhere outside of ancient Egypt without an interpreter.

My point here is that the pictures told the story – pictures of objects drawn from the “mind’s eye” – using mostly lines and strokes. The readers “spoke” the same written language and understood the meaning of the representations. The need for a written language that could be produced fluidly by hand and understood by those outside of one’s culture, however, demanded the need for structured handwriting instruction – one that would meet the demands of both the eyes and the hand. This is where handwriting strokes came in.

Harnessing Scribbling to Mimic Nature

It appears that strokes are “fairly easy to see by the visual system, and are much easier for the hand to produce” than the shapes and contours in nature. (p. 171)

Basic Strokes – Universal Handwriting Program

Without the hand adapting to the needs of the eye, “the visual system couldn’t be harnessed for reading.” Our “Literacy Superpower” would not be available to us. Natural handwriting strokes, the precursors to handwriting skills, are all created through the scribbling of squiggles and doodles. A crayon in a child’s fist is the first step in producing a message for the reader. As children begin to gain muscular control over that crayon, they begin to realize that they can control which direction those scribbles take and the number of ways they can use them to create repeated patterns. The first time they draw a dog that someone actually recognizes without translation, they collect that motor pattern and store it for future use, refining and modifying it until it is the best dog they’ve ever drawn.

Modern handwriting instruction is (and should be) taught in much the same way.

First we harness those squiggles and scribbles as children learn to draw some vertical and horizontal lines, then some circles.

As they gain control over the motor movements, we move them on to crossed lines and a square, finally going beyond and producing triangles and diamonds.

As a more mature grasping pattern develops, as well as their visual perceptual skills, we provide practice designed to refine their burgeoning handwriting style.

When they begin to master the chosen handwriting program, they are in fact developing their own personal style. In the end, they will produce a fluid, smooth, and legible handwriting that reflects their own perspective – how they see the words in their “mind’s eye.”

This harnessing of scribbling forces us to follow convention and learn the strokes and forms that society can read and interpret. But the seed for our personal handwriting style… our creative interpretations for the message that we want to convey…remains in our scribbling memories. Hence, if a child is struggling with the mastery of the strokes that his hands have been adapted to produce, wouldn’t a bit of drawing practice help him to find his way naturally toward handwriting success?

“Open the doors to learning for children through the visual arts.” (Art In The School.Org)

In Part 2 in our “Modern Handwriting or Hieroglyphics” series, I will “draw” upon the elements of art that suggest that drawing would be the perfect medium for handwriting instruction and remediation. I certainly hope that you will join me – and share your thoughts!

(1) The Vision Revolution: Dr. Mark Changizi

**Interesting Note: Dr. Changizi reveals on page 170 of his book, The Vision Revolution, that data he has collected from children’s scribbles (has) shown that “the fundamental structures occurring in scribbles are unlike those found in writing and in nature.”

Katherine Collmer, M.Ed., OTR/L

Katherine J. Collmer, M.Ed., OTR/L, is a pediatric occupational therapist who owns and operates a clinic that specializes in the assessment and remediation of handwriting skills. She can be contacted via her website, Handwriting With Katherine.

Disclaimer: The information shared on the Handwriting With Katherine website, blog, Facebook page, Twitter page, Pinterest page; the Wellness For Life: Cape Cod blog; on any guest blog posts or any other social media is for general informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for sound professional medical advice or evaluation and care from your physician/medical team or any other qualified health care providers. Therefore, the authors of these links/posts take no responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk taken by individuals as a result of applying the ideas or resources.

Handwriting Tips: Getting It Right The First Time (using the lessons in life)

13th August, 2014 · otchic · Leave a comment

I have always been one to say, “Well, that was nice but next time….!” I am never quite satisfied with the status quo. If something didn’t happen quite the way I’d expected, I went on the hunt for a different way to approach it. That’s not to say that I always found a better way – simply a different one. Today I’d like to take some of those lessons learned and turn them into Handwriting Tips for Getting It Right the first Time! Let’s go, shall we?

Tip 1: Never buy a house with a wet basement.

Tip #1: Never buy a house with a wet basement.

Wet basements are the ultimate turn-off for me when I’m looking for a new home. A soggy bottom means a weak foundation. This hold true for handwriting skills, as well. The early learning stages MUST be built soundly in order for a young writer to develop the appropriate skills for pencil grasp, letter formation and recognition, and fluid handwriting. A weak foundation will result in lots of expensive “remodeling” later on!

Tip #2: Birds do not nest in painted birdhouses.

Tip 2: Birds do not nest in painted birdhouses.

Yes, that’s true! When we purchased our nifty birdhouse a few years back, I asked the builder why he didn’t paint them? He told me they were “put off” by the paint. Voila! A new fun fact is learned! The same truth can be applied to handwriting practice. If students who are struggling with handwriting skills are discouraged and put off by desk work and pencil-and-paper activities, then it is certainly counterproductive to ask them to spend time on them. Handwriting practice and remediation can be accomplished with plenty of activities that get them up and moving, that provide them with opportunities for art work, or simply look like child’s play! Painted birdhouses mean they will be empty. No sense in that, eh?

Tip 3: Less is more!

Tip #3: Less is more.

As my hubby and I are downsizing and getting ready to move to Arizona, we have come to realize that this saying has enormous value! Phew! Who knew that two people could accumulate so many useless things? They must have been useless because some of them I haven’t even touched in the past 10 years! Having “more” certainly didn’t make our life any better. This same truth is a vital link for handwriting mastery. Practicing letters or words over and over, whether they be on a chalkboard, paper, or in sand, can become tedious and boring. Again, working on the fine and visual motor skills that lay the foundation is more fun and will enhance handwriting skills without your child even knowing he is practicing handwriting! Less boring = more learning!

Tip #4: Don’t believe in coincidences.

Tip 4: Don’t believe in coincidences.

The old saying “It was meant to happen” is one that allows us to believe in coincidences. If an event occurs, we can accept it without complaint and step away from the challenge of changing it. Coincidences in handwriting are events that make it easy to accept sloppy and illegible skills. They are the times when we say, “Well, we won’t need handwriting soon because technology will replace it.” Or, “Why would I waste time on handwriting skills when he only needs to learn keyboarding?” The increased use of technology and its capabilities is only a coincidence. Handwriting skills have been and continue to be an important facet of learning – ones that continue to need instruction and remediation when they fall short. Believing in coincidences can stand in the way of a child’s educational success. Now was THAT meant to be?

Tip 5: Money doesn’t grow on trees.

Tip #5: Money doesn’t grow on trees.

It doesn’t? Man, don’t dash my dreams just yet! Funny, but I think I’ve heard just about every parent I’ve met say that to their child at least once in my presence! Having money is a good thing, of course; but, as we’ve all learned in the end, it needs to be earned and saved. Handwriting mastery works the same way. The skills a child needs for fluid and legible handwriting must be taught using a structured program, with consistent practice, and with guidance. They don’t simply grow on trees naturally where they can be plucked off when we need them. They grow with practice and remediation.

Katherine Collmer, M.Ed., OTR/L

Katherine J. Collmer, M.Ed., OTR/L, is a pediatric occupational therapist who specializes in the assessment and remediation of handwriting skills and understands the link between handwriting skills and writing. She can be contacted via her website, Handwriting With Katherine.

Failed at Handwriting: Collateral Damage From Poor Vision Skills

5th August, 2014 · otchic · Leave a comment

Education News

Collateral damage is the damage caused to people as a result of incidents occurring around them in which they are not necessarily involved. Despite their lack of participation, the injuries or harm that are inflicted on them are real, nonetheless. At times, people can be aware of the impending danger; but the occurrence can also come at them from out of the blue. The danger was there all of the time but their awareness of it comes only after it has made itself visible.

Visible…that’s the key word in the discussion about collateral damage and handwriting skills.

The impending danger – the underlying cause that can result in handwriting struggles – will sometimes only show itself when a child begins to USE his vision-related skills in kindergarten.

The signs may be there prior to kindergarten and first grade; but they are subtle and lurk behind our reluctance to push children past their developmental skill level.

If a preschooler is having some difficulties with pre-handwriting skills, it is natural and correct for us to consider that he may be developing at his own rate and that he will catch up with experience.

Only when he fails to do that do we begin to suspect that there may be another cause for his struggles.

By the time we sidle up to the problem, our little kindergarten student is struggling with reading, writing, and arithmetic expectations.

How do we prevent our children from collateral damage resulting from poor vision skills? Prevention is best achieved by “getting smart” on vision wellness strategies and the outward symptoms of visual skill impairments. Let’s

A child’s vision is the gateway to her world.

review those here.

Vision Assessments

1. Over 60% of what a child learns, from the day he is born, is learned through his vision. Fifty percent of what he needs to know will be obtained in his first year of life.

2. The most critical stages of vision development occur during that first year. Hence, undetected vision problems can lead to permanent vision impairment.

3. Babies can develop amblyopia, strabismus, eye diseases, and refractive error without detection.

4. It is recommended that babies receive their first vision assessment by a developmental optometrist

between the ages of 6-12 months,

at the age of 3,

as they enter kindergarten, and

every year thereafter, unless otherwise specified by their developmental optometrist.

5. InfantSEE provides free vision assessments for babies between the ages of 6-12 months, regardless of their access to insurance benefits or their parents’ financial status.

Outward Symptoms

1. Visual Red Flags* are behaviors that may indicate possible difficulties in visual functions.

2. They can be observed during a child’s every day activities, such as dressing, playground exploration, and fine-motor arts and crafts.

Eyes that drift inward or outward, consistently or inconsistently, warrant assessment by a developmental optometrist.

3. Some symptoms are quite visible, such as stumbling or walking into walls, awkward movements with running and climbing, difficulty with movement sequences (Simon Says), or rubbing the eyes or squinting.

4. Other symptoms include inappropriate social behaviors such as grabbing at items presented to him, giving the appearance of staring at or ignoring someone speaking to him, too much/too little pressure on his pencil.

5. Eyes that drift in or out, consistently or inconsistently, can indicate a visual impairment and should be brought to the attention of a pediatrician and developmental optometrist.

In order for a child to master the skills necessary for kindergarten readiness…and ultimately reading, handwriting, and math success…he needs to be able to see clearly.

Sometimes, all a child needs for success, are a pair of glasses!

Seeing clearly means that his eyes are working together to form one image, an accurate perception of himself and his world, for an adequate length of time.

He needs to be able to manipulate letters and numbers on a page, locate and identify errors, understand the boundaries of his working space, and write for comprehension – both his and his reader’s.

He must be able to “learn to read and read to learn.”

These skills are built upon strong and solid vision skills. And vision skills are built from birth.

As always, thanks for reading! “See” you next time!

Katherine

*A Vision Red Flags Checklist can be obtained on Handwriting With Katherine’s Resources Page.

Monthly Archives: August 2014