Do children still need to learn handwriting?

Some people think handwriting is not as important as it used to be.

Being able to write by hand is not as necessary as it once was. The invention of the computer means we’re typing just as much as we are writing, if not more. Adults rarely write things down at work – usually anything important is typed. This is because when something is typed, it can be read and copied more easily and shared instantly with other people over the internet. Outside work, it is possible to make notes and shopping lists on a phone, and you can also take photos of written information instead of writing it down. Computers and phones can even understand human voices, so with the right software, you can simply say what you want out loud rather than typing. So do children really still need to be taught how to write by hand?

Yes – handwriting helps you learn

Learning how to write by hand helps young children recognise and remember what the different letters look like – it’s how you learn to read and write. If you never learn to write by hand, then you will always need a device to write on. What if it runs out of battery or you forget it one day? What’s more, scientists have discovered that learning to write by hand also helps you organise information better in your brain. You are more likely to remember and understand what you have learned if you write it down in a way that makes sense to you. Besides, since everyone’s handwriting is different, a handwritten card or letter leaves a special trace of you behind on the paper for other people to treasure.

No – there is no need to write by hand

In 2018, everyone writes on computers – there is no need for us to write by hand. Typed work is much easier to read, and after a bit of practice, it’s much faster than writing by hand. Instead of handwritten letters that take days to arrive in the post, it is quicker to send emails and texts so your messages arrive instantly. Typing also takes less effort than writing by hand. When you type, you can delete words and reorder your sentences and your work never looks messy. Besides, learning to write neatly by hand is dull and it takes a lot of time to learn – time that children could better spend exploring interesting topics to write about. What should matter is what you write, not the way you write it.