As computers become more commonplace and teachers are incentivized to start children on keyboarding skills young, children are becoming more distanced from handwriting skills. However, there are a number of benefits to learning by hand that have been proven time and again in the classroom.
Learning By Hand
In the modern era, sometimes the idea of penmanship and doing anything by hand can seem archaic. But when students learn to write by hand, their ability to read develops more quickly. In addition, they retain information better and develop their ability to idea generate more readily. All around, learning to write by hand creates a series of cognitive benefits in a child's brain that can't be ignored by science.
How Screen Use Impacts Child Education
New technology has allowed students to learn new skills, develop computer literacy, and find more information than ever before. However, this innovation comes at a cost.
Children who use computers all throughout the day are more susceptible to migraines, have more trouble sleeping, have less sustained focus capabilities, and retain information more poorly than their counterparts who are taught using hand-learning methods. Screen time in schools should be conducted sparingly in order to maximize learning potential and information retention.
Should Children Still Be Taught Cursive?
Writing by hand is newly fading out, but cursive writing has long since been under fire. However, all the benefits of children learning to write by hand are augmented when children are taught cursive.
Learning cursive improves the ability to read beyond handwriting, aids in the improvement of spelling skills, and can assist children with dyslexia who struggle to read printed text. All around, learning cursive further improves the development of a child's ability to take in new information dynamically and aids in cognitive function.
Parents and teachers only want the best for students. Though it's important to set children up for the technological era they are growing into, teaching children handwriting and cursive skills is essential for giving them the cognitive boost they need to excel in school and in the workforce.
That's why, at Math Genie, we always make sure our students learn to do math and to write by hand. Though we give importance to coding and technological advancements, we want to ensure every child has the chance to encounter their inner genius, and more there's a good chance that genius is hidden in their hands!
Sources
Asherson, S. (2013). The Benefits of Cursive Go Beyond Writing. New York Times, The Opinion Pages. [Web]. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/04/30/should-schools-require-children-to-learn-cursive/the-benefits-of-cursive-go-beyond-writing
Crum, M. (2015). Should We Learn To Write Cursive? An Education Expert Weighs In. Huffington Post, Culture and Arts. [Web]. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/should-we-still-learn-cursive_n_561ff614e4b050c6c4a4d544?_guc_consent_skip=1573146729
Klemm, W. (2013). Biological and Psychology Benefits of Learning Cursive. Psychology Today. [Web]. Retrieved From https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/memory-medic/201308/biological-and-psychology-benefits-learning-cursive
Mindshift. (2014). Does Losing Handwriting in School Mean Losing Other Skills Too?. KQEDNews. [Web]. Retrieved from https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/36080/does-losing-handwriting-in-school-mean-losing-other-skills-too
Schwartz, K. (2016). Why Are We So Obsessed With Teaching Kids Cursive Handwriting?. MindShift. KQEDNews. [Web]. Retrieved from https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/46509/why-are-we-so-obsessed-with-teaching-kids-cursive-handwriting
