Handwriting In Early Childhood Education: A Case Study

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The author, Laura Dinehart, delves into the subject of handwriting. Her paper, “Handwriting in Early Childhood Education”, details an abundance of specific research on academic performance being linked to handwriting, prewriting as a toddler setting the standards for later writing skills, and fine motor coordination. These three items are all connected to the handwriting proficiency of a student. The thesis of the paper covers handwriting development, discussion of current research linked to handwriting and its application to young children, ramifications for research down the road, and present teaching practices in the classroom of preschool and kindergarten students (Dinehart, 2015, p.98). Dinehart (2015) contends that the removal or diminishment of handwriting from common core will affect academic performance of children as they progress through school, and that by keeping handwriting in the classroom will increase the …show more content…
These include writing skills acquired before school and academic performance of older children (Dinehart, 2015, p.102), math skills in the preschool years aiding in later grades (Dinehart, 2015, p.107), the connection between ADHD, early handwriting and executive function (Dinehart, 2015, p.108), and teaching educators how to teach handwriting effectively (Dinehart, 2015, p.110). The author believes that researchers should continue to study handwriting and its connection to early education and child development, and for practitioners to develop handwriting programs that include prewriting skills. The article contributes to my own research paper as I want to petition for handwriting to be reintroduced as a subject in education and the link to academic performance will help promote this idea. The article raises the subject of prewriting, something which had not occurred to me, which may be more important in early education than actual handwriting