Think Like an OT: How to Develop Handwriting Skills for School Readiness
August, 2025
When most parents think about preparing their child for handwriting, they picture letter tracing worksheets, pencil grips, and practicing their name. But as occupational therapists, we know that handwriting is so much more than holding a pencil and forming letters.
If you want to set your child up for confident, comfortable writing, you need to look at it the way an OT does. Let’s start with the body, not the pencil!
Here are 5 simple areas to think of when supporting handwriting skills:
1. Start with the Core
Posture is the foundation for handwriting. A child with a strong, stable core can sit upright without slouching, freeing up their arms and hands for precise movements. Without it, they may tire quickly, slump over the desk, or use awkward compensations that make writing harder.
At-home ideas to build core stability:
Play “musical statues” in different positions (kneeling, half-kneeling, cross-legged).
Crawl through tunnels or under chairs.
Do animal walks: bear crawls, crab walks, frog jumps, lizard crawls, duck walks
2. Shoulders, Arms, and Hands: The Upper Body Connection
Strong shoulders help control the arm and wrist, which in turn allows the fingers to make precise and controlled movements. If your child’s shoulders tire quickly, you may notice them pressing too hard or too lightly on the page when drawing, colouring and writing.
Simple OT approved activities:
Colour or draw on a vertical surface like an easel, chalkboard or wall.
Use spray bottles on to squirt water windows; sticking foam, cellophane or cling wrap to the surface.
Tug-of-war with a towel.
3. Finger Strength and Dexterity: The “Engines” of Handwriting
Fine motor muscles do the actual work of gripping, moving, and guiding the pencil. These skills develop best through play and manipulation, not endless pencil practice.
Build these muscles with play:
Playing with playdough: roll, pinch, squeeze, press or squish.
Clothes peg games (clip pegs onto clothing, a box or rope).
Stringing beads or pasta.
4. Vision Meets Movement: The Role of Visual-Motor Integration
Handwriting is as much about the brain as the hands. Visual-motor integration is the ability to take what our eyes see and translate it into coordinated hand movements. This skill is essential for letter size, spacing, and alignment.
Some ideas to develop visual-motor skills include:
Copy block patterns or build LEGO structures.
Trace paths in mazes
Draw shapes in sand, shaving cream or paint.
Completing Puzzles
5. Bilateral Coordination: The Stabilising Hand and the Writing Hand
Handwriting isn’t a one-handed task. One hand holds the pencil, but the other plays an equally important role — stabilising the paper so the writing hand can move smoothly. This is called bilateral coordination, and it’s a skill that develops through activities where both hands have to work together.
Ways to develop bilateral coordination:
Cutting with scissors (one hand cuts, the other holds the paper).
Beading or threading activities (one hand threads, the other holds the string steady).
Paper tearing and pasting (both hands hold and tear the paper into pieces)
Opening screw toys, containers or jars (one hand twists, the other steadies).
Drawing with stencils or rulers (one hand holds the stencil, the other draws).
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