Call us the handwriting brigade. Seriously. From day one, even with the advent of technology and the slow decline of handwriting instruction (let alone cursive, gah!) in schools, we’ve always made it our mission to encourage kids not to lose the art of handwriting. And if it’s not asking too much, we’d like it to be as legible as possible, considering we all know at least one relative, co-worker, friend or yes, doctor, whose handwriting is like some secret code requiring a decipher key.
After our first season of writing actual letters to our kids at sleepaway camp — and receiving them — it really drove home the value of personally penned notes, even if it’s just a sticky note on the fridge reading “mor cookeez” from a preschooler.
There’s a ton of research about how writing well leads to all sorts of amazing benefits from self-confidence to critical thinking skills. So we’ve put together 16 fantastic tips to help get your kids to practice handwriting, and actually enjoy it. Because one day, you’re going to get one of those letters home from some vacation or summer camp or long weekend at Grandma’s too, and trust us, it’s the best thing in the world.
Tips and tricks to get kids to practice handwriting
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Updated for 2023
1. Let them know you treasure their writing. (Even when you can barely read it)
I love this reminder from Abundant Mama, who suggests creating a love note treasure box, that we should let our kids know how much we adore getting their notes by saving the most important ones in a special spot. Of course, these notes may not always be the ones they want you to remember—the one stating we’re the “wurst mom in the werld” is definitely a keeper too–but by letting them know you love receiving them, hopefully they’ll keep writing them. If you choose to put them in a special box, you can even have your child help decorate it for you.
2. Let them write the words they like.
Workbooks don’t have to bring out the groans from kids who need a little extra practice outside of school. In fact, our kids would get a kick out of copying the ridiculous and silly sentences found in the Wacky Sentences workbooks (at our affiliate Amazon) which is filled with atypical phrases for kids to trace before writing themselves.
You can also DIY by simply allowing your kids write their own favorite words ten times, whether it’s Dora, pink, or poop. Yes, really.
3. Find handwriting worksheets themed around their interests.
Our kids would go bonkers for these free printable Minecraft handwriting worksheets from Pepperscraps (also at top). We love that they can get writing practice three ways: First by tracing the letters with their finger, next by carefully following the dotted letters, and finally by trying to write the words on their own on the bottom line. With a sheet for every letter of the alphabet, this will make a great Minecraft alphabet book when it’s completed.
4. Write letters to the Tooth Fairy or Santa.
Ask your kids to write list of toys they’d like from Santa. A note to the Tooth Fairy (like this free printable from Handmade Charlotte) wondering why she forgot to come to pick up the tooth the night before (cough.) Or a sweet letter to an imaginary friend. Any paper will do, though we love something special for these notes. Even if these letters never leave the house, they are a great incentive for our kids to sit down and think about using their very best handwriting. Because, if there is anyone they want to be sure can read their writing, it’s the big guy with the sack.
5. Write fan mail
We love this child’s handwritten fan letter from Building a Library, even though his daughter hilariously picked an author who doesn’t actually exist. We think even reluctant writers will jump at the chance to jot a note to their favorite author, singer, YouTuber or movie star, especially since they may get a response. (Hey, they don’t need to know it’s from a publicist.)
6. Get some new pens and pencils.
Even though we’re pretty sure there’s no “new pen smell,” a set of colorful new pens, pencils, or markers can make handwriting practice seem a lot more special. And hey, add a new notebook or some drawing paper too!
7. Make your own custom handwriting sheets
Learning how to write their first name properly (for starters) is an important first writing skill for kids, and Landsdowne Life’s custom handwriting sheets make it easier for kids to practice those letters on their own. With her free PDF, just type in your child’s name — or any words that fit, really — and it will automatically duplicate a series of lines with that word on the page. A second page even leaves space for your child to trace and then write freehand. Each PDF can be saved too, so you can print out additional pages and see how far your child has come throughout the school year.
8. Write to a pen pal
Whether your kids write to a beloved relative they don’t see enough, or a peer they’ve never met on another continent, having a pen pal is a great way to connect with someone through letters. Check out 6 Reasons Your Kid Should Have a Pen Pal at Our Adventure Story, which lists some compelling reasons. Plus she’s created an awesome free printable with prompts to help kids send off that first important letter. Hey, there’s still nothing quite like the excitement of opening the mailbox and finding a letter addressed to you. Especially in the age of email.
9. Become your child’s own pen pal
Even easier, encourage your kids to leave you notes by becoming their “insider pen pal” by making these two adorable free printable mailboxes from TinyMe. Perhaps you just want to leave little love notes to each other, or you can use it to ask your older kids what they’d like for dinner or what movie they’d like to see over the weekend. We love that you can even print out cute little notecards and envelopes from the site too.
10. Teach cursive (even if their school doesn’t)
Beyond learning how to sign their own name — or to read your to-do lists — we all believe that cursive is a useful skill for our kids to know how to write and to read. But since a lot of schools no longer teach it as part of their regular curriculum, we’re all for taking matter into our own hands. We love how Monica “Latina Mom” Olivera uses cursive lessons to teach her child to read and write in two languages. Don’t miss her list of resources for cursive workbooks or downloadable worksheets to use in your home.
11. Turn writing time into art time.
Kids who love drawing but maybe not so much writing may spark to the idea of discovering how fun and expressive their handwriting can be. Check out creative writing books like Klutz’s Lettering in Crazy, Cool, Quirky Style and How to be the Best Bubble Writer in the World Ever. With lots of space for creativity, these tools will help your kids make their letters pop off the pages. Plus, you may become the recipient of the coolest-looking notes in the neighborhood.
Another option is to simply find inexpensive letter stencils, hand the kids some cool pens and pencils and let them go crazy with the designs.
12. Learn calligraphy
The ancient art of calligraphy can feel very new and cool to children who have never used a calligraphy pen and it gives them another artful reason to put pen to paper. Tinkerlab has some great tips for learning calligraphy even for kids still mastering pencils. You may surprised that this old-fashioned way of writing holds a lot of appeal for modern kids.
13. Get kids their own stationery
Our kids love personalized things–especially when they have an uncommon name that you don’t see everywhere. So for all the Emmelines, Dantes, and Quinlans (as well as the Chloes, Emmas, and Jacks), don’t underestimate the power of a nice set of stationery to get them writing notes with a little less prodding. (The fun personalized stationery at Minted like the one above doesn’t feel anything like formal stationery grownups might use.)
14. Encourage kids to keep a diary or a journal
In this era of oversharing, a journal or diary for private thoughts can be a great way to get kids excited to write, whether it’s a book with prompts or a traditional blank diary with a lock and key — eeboo makes lots of fun ones just for kids like this robot diary. Even a simple marbled composition book will do. In fact, sometimes the less precious the journal, the more likely kids will be willing to jot thoughts and make necessary mistakes along the way. Plus, some day when they look back at what they scribbled down in their formative years, they may thank you. Or give you a hug for putting up with their pre-tween moods.
15. Grab some Mad Libs or crossword puzzle books
Before your next road trip, stock up on Mad Libs and good old-fashioned crossword puzzles that your kids to do when they have some downtime, whether at home or a road trip somewhere. Not only do Mad Libs help kids master the basics of parts of speech, but if they don’t write neatly in the space provided, they’ll learn quickly [adverb] that their handwriting [noun] will be very hard [adjective] to read back.
16. Encourage thank you note writing
There’s something special about the power of a handwritten thank you note that can really make someone’s day, which is why we encourage our kids to write them whenever possible. Think about birthdays, holidays, and the end of the school year when there’s a beloved teacher who’d probably love to hear how beloved he or she is in the students own words. For the youngest writers, a simple “Thank You” with their name is perfect, but older kids can practice using their very-best handwriting to say what they are thankful for. Just be sure to let them pick out their own stationery, which makes it way more fun for them. And how great is this personalized camping stationery, also from Minted?
My favorite teacher was my daughter’s 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Narang — she is the perfect combination of caring, firm, encouraging, supportive & fun!
Just a suggestion for writing fan mail — try having your kid write a letter to the President or Prime Minister of whatever country you live in. Many will write back (even if it’s only a form letter). My daughter wrote a thank you letter to President Obama for making National Parks free for 4th graders this year and, three months later (which isn’t a terrible turnaround time for a world leader), she got a huge envelope from the White House with a letter back, information about the Park Service, and autographed pictures of the President and his family. She could not have been more excited and kept saying “I can’t believe he wrote me back.” Now my daughter — who normally hates handwriting — has been writing one or two fan letters a month.
Fantastic idea Tom, thank you! I still remember a little girl in my third grade class who got a letter back from the First Family and they read it over the loudspeaker at school. Huge deal for all.
And I’m so glad it worked out for her. Nothing like feeling heard to get kids excited about writing and speaking.
My favorite teacher is my sister in late Karen. She makes learning fun and the kids really look forward to coming to class!
Ms. Beth Wichmann : a caring, fair, very efficient teacher!
My favorite teacher was Mrs. Hunt in 4th grade. She was the absolute perfect blend of everything you’d ever want in a teacher. She knew exactly what would turn us on to learning and designed her curriculum around that. Just the best!
Miss Polo for being the BEST Transitional Kinder Teacher ever – NO crying the first day of school for any of her students! I love how my kid comes home telling me of all the things Miss Polo does.
We’ve been lucky to have some really amazing teachers for my kids, but my twins’ teacher last year, Ms. Finlay, really was incredible. She made every day an adventure for her class, was always there to support the kids and their parents, and (bless her heart) learned to tell apart two sets of identical twins at once, always making them feel special and unique, without going crazy! LOL
I have so many favorite teachers, it’s hard to pick just one! But I have to say that my son’s first teacher, Ms. Ruth, is/was amazing. She has such a calm, gentle and nurturing presence, but really inspires the children in her class to push themselves to do their very best. She’s awesome!
My favorite teacher was my son’s preschool teacher Mrs. Kuttapa. She was not only an awesome teacher but she had so much love to give all the kids. My son was very shy, she helped him come out of his shell. She was his first friend at school!
My favorite teacher was Mrs. Martin-Shaw in eighth grade. She really sparked my love for English and ultimately my desire to be an English teacher as well. I student-taught with her and now have a classroom of my own. I hope I can inspire my own students the same way she was able to inspire me: through relationships, enthusiasm, and a genuine love for reading and writing.
My favorite teacher was my kindergarten teacher Mrs McConnell. She made the classroom a fun, welcoming & safe. I have fond memories of kindergarten!
My favorite teacher was Mrs. Newyear in 3rd grade. My little brother was diagnosed with leukemia that year and she went above and beyond to provide support and care while my family went through that stressful, challenging time (I was his bone marrow donor during winter break of that school year). An amazing teacher is one who not only teaches well, but loves his/her students too.
My favorite teacher would have to be my son’s kindergarten teacher Mrs. Payne. She is firm trying to help them learn the new ways of “big” school, but loving and caring at the same time!
Ms. Vega, 2nd grade- My daughter came home and told me that she was really strict and she liked that because if the kids listened to her then she would be able to learn. However when I met Ms. Vega she was a bundle of warmth as well.
My favorite teacher is Mrs. Dolgin–she made my son’s Kindergarten year a great one, and didn’t mind all my emails throughout the year!
Ms. Stouffer is such an incredible teacher. She makes learning fun and encourages her fourth graders to be the best they can be.
Ms. Schmitt, my high school women’s studies teacher. She opened my eyes to feminism as an academic discipline, and always encouraged me to dig deeper, write better, and read more thoroughly.
My favorite teacher was Mrs. Foster, my choir teacher in junior high school. Thanks to her I can read music and sing harmony. She required excellence and I’ve been singing ever since.
My favorite teacher(s) are elementary school teachers because they put my children on the right path for learning new things and being excited for school.
We had a few really great teacher’s last year, specifically Miss Bistany and Miss H.
My son was diagnosed with Autism last year and they did everything they could to support us and fight for the help that he needed to stay in his Kindergarten classroom.
Ms. Peoples was the best 1st grade teacher for my son. It was her first year teaching and my son was already struggling with being a boy in a regular classroom – talking, not sitting still, etc. In the first few weeks, notes were being sent home and I was afraid that we would have a continuation of kindergarten with my son telling us that he wasn’t good at school, he would never make it, going to the principal, etc. Anyway, Ms. Peoples emailed me and we discussed my son. She asked me to ask him a few questions about what he liked, what he didn’t like, how she could help him do better, etc. It worked! After the end of September, he only came home with one other note and that was in the spring. My son never complained about school, he was leading groups in his class and was coming home smiling. Ms. Peoples helped my son, and us, feel that he really had a future in the public education system.
My favorite teacher was Mrs. Shaw. She was tough and had high expectations, but she believed in each and every student’s ability to rise to them. She was passionate and enthusiastic about teaching and was the only teacher I ever had that inspired joy in learning.
Ms. Willert is fun while stile maintaining high standards. She always lets me know she cares.
My favorite teacher was my 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Shea, who treated us like adults and had a wonderful sense of humor!
My son flourished under the caring, creative eyes of Candace. She embraced Montessori teaching thoroughly and her patience and passion made him excited about learning all things. We miss her!
My favorite teacher was Ms. Stephens in elementary school because I remember her as being very patient and kind.
Hands down my favorite teacher has been my son’s first grade teacher Mrs. Dudish- she was able to accomplish the impossible. She made learning fun for him. He can read because of her.
Our favorite teacher is Ms. Eassa. She is the best Kindergarten teacher. She makes each and every student feel special and helps them grow their love for learning.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING! As a mother of boys I am always looking for ways to improve their hand writing!!