Learning multiple traits of penmanship can be a long journey. From cursive to precursive, handwriting can be of various types; one can include activities and workbooks to improve their calligraphy and get better with the pen.
However, those who are enhancing their skill might be intrigued to know some handwriting facts which can help them know more and practice. Our list of handwriting facts will educate you about unique knowledge about good and bad handwriting. Traverse through these insights to relish and make use of valuable information.
How do facts help for better handwriting?
Facts are often interesting to go through, especially when they are about a skill that an individual is looking to acquire. Related to handwriting, here are a few reasons why you should comprehend important facts:
- Facts come with proof and thereby can be discerned as truth. Individuals can take keep these insights in mind to enhance their knowledge about handwriting.
- Facts can help people to come out of multiple perspectives. In other words, they can mark the end of myths about styles of handwriting.
- These can educate about attributes needed to improve handwriting
- Can introduce new insights about handwriting that was previously unknown to the individual
- Facts can act as foundation for further research on handwriting-related concepts.
Facts about handwriting- Good or bad but worth comprehending!
Here are some interesting facts that can motivate you toward handwriting. Check out insights of each fact in detail:
1. Good handwriting can have an effect on language fluency, and spelling
Sibylle Hurschler Lichtsteiner[1] made a research to observe the effect of handwriting training on various attributes like fluency, spelling, and text quality. Tests made on third-grade students showed that good handwriting skills facilitate in building a phonological loop of working memory to address fluency and spelling.
2. Good Handwriting shows that the person is organized and balanced.
Neat handwriting is characterized by appropriate pen pressure, size, and slant. This means that people need to maintain a balance between all the attributes to organize text. This reflects the personality of the person -showing they are disciplined, arranged, and Stable.
3. Handwriting is different for every person.
There are five attributes[2] of handwriting: line quality, pen pressure, size, slant, and pen lifts. These attributes are often responsible for determining the subjective size and shape of a person’s handwriting.
4. People with good handwriting have the correct word space, which reveals their personality:
Good handwriting is the one in which the formation is perfect, and the word spacing is optimum. However, people with good handwriting often have a perfect word space that reflects the ‘social’ aspect of their personality. These people are often socially sound and like to have people around them. At the same time, they like to be free and independent.
While good handwriting facts can be used to encourage individuals, bad handwriting facts can also work with the psych of the person in a much similar way. Here are some facts about bad handwriting:
5. Bad handwriting is a sign of creativity and intelligence
People with great intelligence may think about facts faster than writing. Linking these two attributes, people may have ugly handwriting. An article from the Times of India reads out that the link between bad handwriting and intelligence is scientifically proven. Also, it outlines that ugly handwriting can prove the person to be an independent thinker.
6. Handwriting can be improved with a better perception of language and motor controls.
Florence Bara[3] did research to evaluate how haptics helps in teaching handwriting. A couple of tests were conducted by the team- the second of which evaluates the role of visual-motor skills and perception in handwriting. The results of this test showed that these attributes are important for good handwriting, which implies that developing motor skills and perception can improve handwriting.
7. If your handwriting slants up as sentence graduates, you represent high levels of ambition.
A lot go people have slanty handwriting, that often slants upward, especially when the sentence graduates. These people are often the ones who have high levels of ambition. But, they can also be arrogant as individuals.
8. Lack of form and rhythm could also be indicative of emotional volatility.
Lack of form in handwriting can be indicative of poor self-esteem, insecurity, and emotional volatility. The unattractive handwriting could also indicate that an individual has a bad and short temper, along with a troubled past.
General handwriting facts
While a lot of people practice calligraphy and aim to get a grasp on good handwriting; for that lot, getting to know some general handwriting facts might be fun and engaging.
1. January 23rd is observed as National Handwriting Day every year.
This day was created by the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association with the aim of advertising the consumption of pencils, pens, and other stationery in 1970. Later, it became a popular day to recall the vintage art of handwriting in the world of advanced technology. There is a reason behind choosing January 23. It was the birthday of John Hancock, who was the first person to sign the declaration of independence.
2. There is a residual correlation between Print and Cursive Writing
Doreen Armitage[4] studied the relationship between better print style and cursive writing. It was outlined that there is a low positive correlation between print and cursive style. Accordingly, it is concluded that teachers may look into learning print style and then gradually teaching students about cursive handwriting.
3. Cursive Writing was first seen in the 1600s
Writing scripts was evident right from Sumerian civilizations but there were no specific regulations to make scripts neat and organized. It was in the 1600s that a standardized format was developed that ensured it was neat, smooth, and understandable. While it was called Roundhead, this style is still one of the commonly used cursive styles today.
4. Until the 18th century, the use of Punctuation was minimal
Literacy became popular in the 18th century. In this century, a large number of books were published and also got popular among the masses. As a part of this, the importance and use of punctuation gained importance.
How to make use of these facts
Traversing through the above insights must be accompanied by proper application. Here are a few of our suggestions where these can come in handy:
- Individuals can make use of them to improve their personalities. As handwriting is linked to attributes like motor skills, fluency, and balance, individuals can improve handwriting to address these traits.
- People can explore history to discern actually what traits of handwriting are needed in the present day.
- With these insights, teachers can suggest feedback to their students related to their handwriting in class.
- Understand that no two people’s handwriting may look the same and focus on relevant certainties instead of improving penmanship.
Before we wind up…
Along with understanding the importance of handwriting, it is equally important to discern tips and strategies to ameliorate them. The list of facts that we have elucidated above can motivate and educate you with insights to improve your penmanship. Also, explore the benefits and application of these facts to make sure you discern them in the right sense. Share this knowledge with your loved ones to create a scope for better handwriting learning.
References
- Hurschler Lichtsteiner, S., Wicki, W., & Falmann, P. (2018). Impact of handwriting training on fluency, spelling and text quality among third graders. Reading and writing, 31(6), 1295-1318.
- P.K.A. (2018). Study on Class Characteristics of Handwriting Based on Emotions. Study on Class Characteristics of Handwriting Based on Emotions.
- Bara, F., & Gentaz, E. (2011). Haptics in teaching handwriting: The role of perceptual and visuo-motor skills. Human movement science, 30(4), 745-759.
- Armitage, D., & Ratzlaff, H. (1985). The non-correlation of printing and writing skills. The Journal of Educational Research, 78(3), 174-177.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,