Handwriting

With more work being completed on a computer, it is a natural consequence that handwriting skills can slip. It still remains however, that handwriting is a very important skill. Exams are still handwritten! The good news is that you can improve the quality of your handwriting by following these useful tips. With regular (daily) practise, taking into account the guidance below, you should see an improvement in as little as two weeks!

1. Choose the right pen

Before you write a word, think about your pen. Try out a few different types to see which pens are most comfortable to use and produce clearer handwriting. Think about the feel of the pen on the paper, the width of the barrel and the comfort of the grip.

Some recommended websites to buy handwriting pens:

• TTS Handwriting Pens - Mr Milton's top recommendation!

• Cult Pens - This website also offers a variety of different handwriting pens you may want to try.

2. Check your posture

Sit with your back straight, feet flat on the floor, legs uncrossed. Relax your hand and arm. Shake your hand until it feels floppy. Breathe. Many people curve their arm around the page while writing, but handwriting benefits from sitting up straight, with your forearm resting on the table, so that the arm moves the fingers rather than the wrist.

3. Slow down

Slow down and make your handwriting as neat as possible. It is a waste of time to write so quickly that your work can't be read. The more you write in the style you desire, the faster you will get at writing in that style.

4. Examine your writing

Take a sheet of lined paper and write the alphabet, aiming to join every letter. Focus on which letters you have the most trouble with. Do your Os look like Qs, or vice versa? Are some letters not properly formed? Perhaps your a and g are left open at the top, so they can be confused with u or y. Circle the letters you're not happy with and work on improving those. Does your handwriting slope backwards or forwards, or is it upright? A traditional hand-writing style slopes slightly forwards so it guides the reader's eye in the direction they are reading.

5. Check the heights of your letters

Letters must be the correct height in relation to each other – if the height of your letters are wrong, your writing will be difficult to read.

6. Let yourself doodle

Making relaxing scribbles on a page will help your writing style by training your hand and eye to work together, and also teaching your pen to skim across the page smoothly and easily. Use spare moments to practise this – it's actually strangely relaxing. Don't do this on your notes or in exercise books as it makes them look messy and will be harder to work from.

7. Copy handwriting you like

If you particularly admire a different style, get some tracing paper and start to copy it – the more you imitate a particular way of writing, the easier it will be to bring elements of that into your own script.

8. Start a journal

Starting a daily journal will give you a reason to practise your handwriting every day – if only for five minutes. Little and often is best.

9. Persevere

This is the most important point when it comes to handwriting. You are able to improve the quality of your handwriting. The speed at which this happens depends on how much time and energy you are willing to invest.