1. A tidy table builds the foundation for good writing

A table free of unnecessary books and clutter sets the basis for good writing. You need sufficient space to place your books and your arms comfortably on the table so there is room for writing movement. The height of the table and chair should fit comfortably for each child so there will be no straining or slouching during writing.

2. Taking baby steps

Alphabets are formed with a combination of curves, straight & diagonal lines. Diving straight into letters and numbers may be intimidating to most children and a more gentle method would be to start small and get children to practise with patterns i.e. like a few rows of straight lines or curves for them to get used to the writing movement.

Template courtesy of Shirley’s pre-school activities

3. Guide-lines are great for writing practice

Practise writing using lined worksheets as the writing lines guide the height, width and length of each letter in upper and lower case or numerals.

4. Invest in an ergonomic pencil

Having an ergonomic pencil helps with better writing. There are mainly 3 kinds of pencil shapes; Hexagonal, Round & Triangular.

Hexagonal pencils are the most common as that was how the first pencils were made.  Their prices then to be lower than other pencils but due to their pencil edges, they are the most uncomfortable ones to use. The pencil edges ‘press’ into fingers when gripping them especially when writing for long periods, causing painful bumps.

Round pencils are also very common and are slightly more comfortable to use as compared to hexagonal pencils. As round pencils do not have edges, more effort is needed to grip the pencils so they do not slip while writing.

Triangular-shaped pencils are by far the most ergonomic as it fits the recommended tripod writing hold. STABILO has been an innovator in ergonomic writing and have been working with ergonomic experts, teachers and parents to design the perfect writing instrument for children who are just starting on their writing journey. STABILO EASYstart is a range of writing instruments specially designed to aid children just learning to write. EASYgraph which is part of the range, is a jumbo sized graphite wooden pencil with ‘holes’ that guide little fingers to the tripod grip. EASYergo is a more sophisticated retractable pencil with superior ergonomics for older children and soft rubber moulds for creative writing.

5. Being supportive

Not all children are born to have neat handwriting from the start and it is important to give encouragement so they are not put off writing and thus be motivated to practise. Praise them even if they do write outside the lines (sometimes) as writing is supposed to be fun!

To find out more:
Schwan-STABILO Singapore Pte Ltd , EASYstart range of products

Email: [email protected]