Handwriting trains the brain – muscle memory and handwriting

Muscle memory and handwriting – What is “muscle memory” and how does it apply to handwriting?

Muscle memory involves practising a physical skill such as riding a bike or playing the piano until it becomes automatic. (It is really the brain that remembers, not the muscles, but it is still a commonly used and understood term.) The brain learns as the child starts slowly and deliberately, then practises the music correctly, or writes letters with the correct starting points and directions, until it becomes automatic and accurate. This is the key to success. It is much harder to change a bad habit than to learn a good one from the start.

When a child first learns to read and write a letter, it is better to associate it with the sound of the letter than its name, because this is what is most useful for beginner readers.

A month or two ago I added some more handwriting practice sheets to Gilead Success with Phonics. These use the words from the first sixteen easy reading books that only contain three letter words – the books with red stars.

The advantages include

• Another opportunity to practise correct starting points and directions.
• Remembering the shape and orientation of letters – reduces b/d confusion, etc.
• Makes the transition to cursive writing easier.
• Associating writing with the sounds of letters.
• Building confidence in reading – letters, sounds, blending, no pictures.

I recently did an internet search for muscle memory and handwriting and found an interesting article confirming its importance – another teaching method whose outcomes are being demonstrated by modern techniques that can measure brain activity and development.

“Using advanced tools such as magnetic resonance imaging, researchers are finding that writing by hand is more than just a way to communicate. The practice helps with learning letters and shapes, can improve idea composition and expression, and may aid fine motor-skill development.” (Bounds, G., 2010, How Handwriting Trains the Brain, Forming Letters Is Key to Learning, Memory, Ideas, https://www.fahrneyspens.com/images/PDF/handwritings-trainsthebrain.pdf, The Wall Street Journal, <accessed 1 December, 2017>).

In a related video interview with Wendy (Gwendolyn) Bounds, she says, “The actual act of constructing the letters … writing it down seems to have some real effect in helping us remember the proper way that [the] letter … is going to look like.” (https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704631504575531932754922518)

To get the writing practice sheets click here click here and here to get the b/d memory aid card.

Check out http://successwithreading.com/order-of-teaching-words-and-sounds/ to find links to the books and old numbering system.