A handwriting question

[Greta]

I'm not asking about teaching handwriting (which is why I didn't post this on one of the education boards), just about how you write personally.  Do you make the movements which form the letters by using the muscles of your hand and wrist?  Or by using the larger muscles of your arm/shoulder (hand relatively "still")?

 

I do the former:  the motions come from my hand/wrist.  This is what I've done my whole life.  Not one of my elementary school teachers ever said to do otherwise or attempted to correct me.  It's a pretty ingrained habit and I don't know if I could change it.  But I've read that this is the "wrong" way to do it.

 

On the other hand, I've read that it's neither "right" nor "wrong" but if you write the way I do, Italic is a good choice for you, while if you write from the shoulder/arm, then Palmer is a good method.

 

Just curious what the hive thinks of this.   :001_smile:

[JIN MOUSA]

I definitely use the muscles of my hand/wrist, and not my arm/shoulder. I also don't recall any effort by teachers to address or fix this. 

 

Since at least college, I think, I've used print almost exclusively. In the last year I've been practicing my cursive as part of our school work, and subsequently using it more. I'm not really sure if one feels more or less "right" or "natural" based on which muscles I use. 

[AK_Mom4]

I definitely write from the wrist. I’m pretty sure I would have gotten thumped with the ruler if I had moved my whole arm when writing in grade school.

 

I mostly print these days. Block print usually. Last time I did cursive was teaching it to DD16 and that was A long time ago.

[JIN MOUSA]

Per Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmer_Method a hallmark of the Palmer method was an emphasis on muscle motion, focusing on using the arm/shoulder muscles. 

 

So maybe if a child's teacher identifies how they write (hand/wrist muscles vs. arm/shoulder muscles), then they could direct them to a method that's appropriate? But that seems like a small window of opportunity.

[Daria]

As a teacher who has worked pretty closely with a lot of OT's, I've never heard of moving your whole arm as a long term approach to writing.  Preschool/Kindergarten teachers, and OT's work very hard to help kids isolate the sides of their hand, so they can write using the muscles in your hand.

 

Now, there are plenty of programs, like Palmer or Orton-Gillingham, that encourage kids to use large muscle movements to help them master the sequence of strokes and memorize the plan for forming letters, but I've never heard someone imply that they should keep using their whole arm to write once the motor plans are cemented.  

 

Do you have a link that explains the idea of writing with your whole arm?

[Greta]

Thanks for sharing your insights, Daria!  I don't remember off-hand where I read that, but I will try to find it.  I'm more than willing to be convinced that it's preferable, or at least acceptable, to write with the muscles of the hand!

[Greta]

I think this is the source I was thinking of:

 

http://www.paperpenalia.com/handwriting.html

 

It specifically says "fingers" however, while I said hand and wrist.  So I may have misspoken.  I do use my fingers/hand/wrist, all if it!  But not my shoulder.  Am I doing it wrong?

[Petrichor]

I recently got a book on spencerian handwriting(mostly for me) and from what I've understood so far( haven't gotten very far in it, lol) is that you are supposed to use your whole arm for at least some of the strokes. 

 

That said, I've always written with my fingers/wrist rather than whole arm. Since reading some of the book though, I've tried incorporating more "whole arm" movement.

 

I do wonder if whole arm vs wrist/finger writing has an impact on fatigue from writing a lot.

[Greta]

I recently got a book on spencerian handwriting(mostly for me) and from what I've understood so far( haven't gotten very far in it, lol) is that you are supposed to use your whole arm for at least some of the strokes. 

 

That said, I've always written with my fingers/wrist rather than whole arm. Since reading some of the book though, I've tried incorporating more "whole arm" movement.

 

I do wonder if whole arm vs wrist/finger writing has an impact on fatigue from writing a lot.

 

 

How is that process going?  Are you finding it easy or difficult to change?

 

 

I had wondered about that too because my wrist does start to hurt when I write, and it doesn't take very long for it to happen.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I think I do a combo of both.

 

 

[Greta]

This article about how to improve your handwriting also advises:

 

 

Keep your fingers and wrist still and relaxed. Move the pen with the large muscles of your arm.

https://www.jetpens.com/blog/how-to-improve-your-handwriting/pt/913

 

It's not universal advice, but I am finding it in multiple places.

[Petrichor]

How is that process going?  Are you finding it easy or difficult to change?

 

 

I had wondered about that too because my wrist does start to hurt when I write, and it doesn't take very long for it to happen.

I haven't really had too much time to start, but based on the few strokes I tried, it's definitely something that will take me some time to get used to. 

[Junie]

I write letters using my fingers and move across the page with my shoulders.

 

I believe that this is how I have always written.  I have RA and my wrists are locked (from lack of movement and disease progression) which leads me to believe that I have never used my wrists as part of my writing.

 

My handwriting is a unique blend of printing and cursive.

[Ellie]

Writing should be done primarily with the hand/wrist. To imagine that one must move one's whole arm and shoulder to write is to be crazy, IMHO.

[Carol in Cal.]

My old old old 3rd / 4th grade semi-classical teacher tried to get us to do those ovals with our whole arms.  This was accomplished by insisting that we not rest our hand on the paper or move our wrist joints AT ALL.  I was completely incapable of this, and it made me feel utterly incompetent.  I also got poor grades in handwriting.  

 

However, I was a year younger than most of my class, and not at the developmental level that they were, physically.

 

So years later, although I never developed the habit of using my whole arm to write, I did develop good handwriting despite that.  When I was ready.

[Greta]

I took my son for handwriting instruction in about 5th grade. He hated it so! The teacher showed us a couple of things. One was to hold the pen/cil about 1/3 up the length...not to pinch it by the point. This lets you write across a page without lifingbor adjusting your position in the page and speeds things up. It also is less fatiguing.

 

 

 

 

Oh, that's interesting!  I do tend to hold it right at the point, and with a death grip, which probably explains why my hand/wrist starts to hurt pretty quickly! :lol:  I will work on that.  Thanks!

[Greta]

Writing should be done primarily with the hand/wrist. To imagine that one must move one's whole arm and shoulder to write is to be crazy, IMHO.

 

The first time I read it, I thought "WHAT?  People actually write that way?"  But then when I saw it mentioned a few other places I thought maybe I had missed out on something important!  My handwriting has never been as neat as I would like it to be, and I do tire very quickly.  But I'm going to try Patty Joanna's tip and see if that helps!

 

 

My old old old 3rd / 4th grade semi-classical teacher tried to get us to do those ovals with our whole arms.  This was accomplished by insisting that we not rest our hand on the paper or move our wrist joints AT ALL.  I was completely incapable of this, and it made me feel utterly incompetent.  I also got poor grades in handwriting.  

 

However, I was a year younger than most of my class, and not at the developmental level that they were, physically.

 

So years later, although I never developed the habit of using my whole arm to write, I did develop good handwriting despite that.  When I was ready.

 

 

Me too.  I remember more than one of my elementary teachers always being on my case because I was so bright and such a good student, if only I had better penmanship....  I really did try, and I think it got better.  I even get compliments on it now.  But it's still not as nice as I'd like it to be.