National Handwriting Day is celebrated each year on January 23, John Hancock’s birthday (according to the Gregorian calendar), an American Revolutionary leader and first signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. The Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association started this holiday in 1977 to acknowledge the history and influence of penmanship. And we carry on this tradition today to increase awareness of the literacy benefits of mastering handwriting skills.
One of the most overlooked skills in the assessment of handwriting problems is the visual component. Vision (which is comprised of 17 skills, only one of which is eyesight) can hinder a child’s educational progress by robbing him or her of the opportunity to form accurate perceptions of himself, the environment around him, and letter and numbers. These misperceptions can lead to reading and writing challenges as well as problems with sports and activities of daily living.
With vision in mind, I am re-sharing this post that explains the vital need for having a child’s vision assessed and the important role vision has in learning. And that includes handwriting.
In”sight” Into Handwriting Struggles