07/05/2025
Writing by Hand Helps Children Learn Letters Better
A new study has shown that young children learn letters and word structures more effectively through handwriting than by using keyboards.
Researchers taught 5- to 6-year-olds unfamiliar letters and pseudowords through either manual writing or typing.
Children who wrote by hand performed significantly better in identifying, writing, and pronouncing the new letters and words, particularly with unfamiliar word sequences.
The study also tested variability, finding that freehand writing (without guides) further improved learning outcomes over guided writing or uniform keyboard fonts.
This suggests that both graphomotor skills and variability in practice contribute to stronger memory and literacy development.
Researchers concluded that handwriting should remain central in early literacy education, while digital tools should be used only to complement manual learning.
https://neurosciencenews.com/hand-writing-learning-28806/
