THE IMPORTANCE OF HANDWRITING IN EDUCATION

I have a passion for writing, ever since I was a child. I would always much prefer pens and paper for Christmas instead of toys. I'm lucky that I now have two girls, Mia and Elliw, who love writing too. They both try their hardest in their spellings and handwriting, and it's nice to see them trying their best- also showing a passion that I also have. Mia is the one who has the most passion for writing- she's forever writing letters or pretending she's a teacher and writing worksheets and class registers.

Ever since my girls started to write, I've always tried to encourage them to carry on writing and learning how to spell and write a letter correctly. When Uniball contacted me to see if I'd be interested in taking part in their campaign to raise awareness of children's handwriting and the importance of handwriting in education, I was really keen to be involved and write about it.

Uniball told me that according to the Institute of Education, the quality of handwriting education in primary schools can have a direct impact on success into secondary and higher education. Something that shocked me was that the National Literacy Trust suggests that around 25% of UK adults are classed as 'functionally illiterate' with many people struggling to write a birthday card or a cheque.

I always like to think that my girls are learning quite well with their handwriting in school and I don't see them having many problems as they go on to secondary school, but that's if they keep at it. Uniball have created infographics and a variety of free resources for parents, teachers and homeschoolers, which I personally think is a great idea. Over on Uniball's website they have written a piece on how to teach cursive handwriting to children. Mia is really into joining her letters at the moment, and it's taken her a while to get used to, but she has kept at it and has done pretty well. Uniball have also created an infographic-

Not only have they shared about teaching children to cursive, but they've also shared their 5 top tips to improve your child's handwriting, and free handwriting worksheets for children- something my girls absolutely love doing and I've already printed a few out for them. I think it's so important to still help your child's handwriting at home, as well as in school. Uniball have also written a great piece on children's handwriting development and writing skills which is really interesting.

* We have collaborated with Uniball. However, all words and opinions are my own.