Pen Pals

Summer Handwriting Group

Handwriting is an academic skill that allows children to express their thoughts and feelings and communicate their knowledge to others. Classroom teachers depend on written work to measure what children are learning and how well they are learning.

Efficient handwriting requires integration of multiple skills including vision, memory, posture and body control as well as the task of holding a pencil and forming letters. If a child lacks these necessary skills, he may miss significant learning opportunities and lack self esteem.

This four-week program is designed to identify areas of needs, provide appropriate recommendations and to establish underlying skills and good habits necessary for success with handwriting. The occupational therapist will use a fun, multi-sensory and developmental approach to teach basic skills to younger children and will provide effective strategies to improve handwriting skills in older children, as well.

In addition, the occupational therapist will look for:

• Posture that supports the proper use of arms, hands, head, and eyes
• The child’s level of physical strength and endurance
• Adequate fine-motor control, which includes holding a pencil
• Visual and perceptual abilities that influence the formation of letters and shapes

At the end of the program the occupational therapist will:

• Provide parents with strategies to help the child improve classroom performance
• Suggest home activities that promote the development of needed skills

Important information

• No formal assessment required unless specifically requested by the parent
• Groups will be formed with children separated into manuscript and cursive handwriting groups, accordingly.
• Size of each group will be limited to 4 children
• Parents will be provided with samples of recommended supplies that will be available for purchase

Download a registration form.