An Overview of What Teachers Need to Better Teach Handwriting in Kindergarten

At a Glance

• In a 2018 study reviewing handwriting needs among kindergarten teachers, researchers found significant gaps in resources, collaboration with occupational therapists, and standardized assessments and progress monitoring.
• Teachers want a standardized curriculum, more training from occupational therapists on how to teach in the classroom, and handwriting practice tools that keep students engaged in learning.
• While this is a single study with significant results, replicating it could show other regions where teachers require more support in providing adequate handwriting instruction in the classroom.
• Commit to teach it! Research shows that legible printing is NOT self-evident. Nor is it a logical consequence of normal development.
• Lastly, switch the focus from letter form to letter size.

Many teachers have noticed that students don’t have the foundational skills they need for handwriting instruction until the end of their kindergarten year. Unfortunately, kindergarten students are expected to start learning to write early in the program, often presenting difficulties compounded by a lack of formal handwriting instruction. 

Since handwriting is an essential part of early education, handwriting difficulties often result in a referral to an occupational therapist for additional handwriting practice. But what role do kindergarten teachers play in handwriting education, and do they have the tools they need to provide adequate handwriting instruction?

In this blog, we review a study conducted by Jill A. Nye and Divya Sood for The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy to learn how we can help. Follow along as we explore Teachers' Perceptions of Needs and Supports for Handwriting Instruction in Kindergarten.

The Study

Years of previous research already indicate that there is no systematic formula for teachers to use that ensures adequate handwriting programs at such a young age, including studies by:

• Dinehart (2014)
• Vander Hart, Fitzpatrick, and Cortesa (2010)
• Graham, Harris, Mason, Fink-Chorzempa, Moran, & Saddler (2008)
• Asher (2006)

The pace, quality, and quantity of instruction varied widely from teacher to teacher. In a search to create a more comprehensive teaching format that can be easily implemented across a variety of curricula, the researchers in this study decided to address two main questions: 

1. What factors prevent kindergarten teachers from practicing handwriting skills with their students?
2. What support do these teachers need to ensure better handwriting instruction in their classrooms?

Method

As a phenomenological study, this research method draws on the experiences of a range of teachers to identify common ground around a specific phenomenon. These researchers collected and analyzed the data to produce their findings.

The participants were teachers from Illinois elementary schools who taught kindergarten full-time. The teachers were primarily female and ranged in age from 29 to 45. Most teachers majored in education and held a secondary degree.

Researchers interviewed the teachers using a semi-structured format that allowed the organic emergence of questions from all participants. 

Analysis

The results of this study found several main themes, including which foundational skills kindergarten students should have as they prepare to learn how to write, the challenges related to teaching handwriting, what support systems make a difference to teachers, how OT can help enhance handwriting instruction, and what strategies teachers can use to promote handwriting.

• Foundational Skills: Students need to have a grasp of pattern recognition and spatial organization, such as understanding what top, bottom, and middle mean. They must be able to understand letter placement and sizing.

• Teaching Challenges: Teachers lacked a handwriting curriculum and the time to develop one. There was also a lack of consistency in the approach to teaching children handwriting across the school district. No guidance, no resources, and no access to occupational therapy also played a significant role in teacher struggles.

• Teacher Supports: In addition to a district standard for handwriting curriculum, teachers participating in the study also requested formal teacher professional development workshops. Teachers needed a guide that would enhance their knowledge, create specific classroom strategies, and address potential concerns with struggling students.

• Occupational Therapy Enhancements: Every teacher in this study believes that occupational therapy collaboration or co-teaching is essential to successful handwriting instruction. Many also identified that therapist coaching for teachers would provide valuable input for improving their classroom lessons.

• Teacher Strategies: Consistent strategies included practice, review, consultation with an occupational therapist, as well as modeling and structured learning activities. Additionally, teachers found commercially available handwriting programs helpful in guiding their lesson plans.

This breakdown shows several barriers that kindergarten teachers face in providing adequate handwriting practice for their students. 

Findings & Results

The study found that kindergarten teachers would greatly benefit from standardized instruction and collaboration with occupational therapists to address classroom challenges. The findings include:

• Lack of Curriculum: Overall, there was no formalized training for teachers related to handwriting instruction. Most teachers felt unprepared to provide handwriting instruction due to gaps in their knowledge of assessing progress, supporting struggling students, and developing engaging teaching strategies. They requested OT courses online or in-person to model lessons and explore foundational skills.

• Access to OT Services: The availability of local occupational therapy services severely constrained learning opportunities for both teachers and students. Teachers wanted more availability of OT services for professional development purposes.

• Teacher Training: Teachers noted that grading and assessing handwriting were informal because they had no training. They required a way to compare students with one another through individual progress monitoring, skill-level assessments, and foundational skills.

• Collaborative Service Delivery: The authors of this study believe that a collaboration between teachers and occupational therapists is essential to establish and maintain handwriting teaching standards that are beneficial to teachers and students. Teacher coaching is key to providing observation and feedback so that teachers can improve their handwriting instruction.

Final Thoughts

At Real OT Solutions®, our team comprises occupational therapists, teachers, and educators with real-world experience in handwriting instruction. Using this study, among many others, we’ve developed a standardized curriculum with lesson plans, tools, and tracking metrics that are simple to implement at home, in the classroom, and across entire school districts.

From a homeschool handwriting curriculum to classroom-ready handwriting kits, Real OT Solutions® is here to help. If you’re a teacher struggling to teach handwriting in the classroom, a parent who wants to enhance at-home learning, or an administrator exploring continuing education options for their team, reach out to us today to learn how our program can be applied to your needs.