Reach All Readers [Listen again] Answers to all your questions about teaching handwriting - with Dr. Shawn Datchuk
Dec 15, 2025
Dr. Shawn Datchuk, professor and director at the Iowa Reading Research Center with a background in special education, talks handwriting research and practice. He discusses when to start letter formation, why lowercase and print often come first, pencil grips and comfort, routines and cues that support memory, assessing progress, and tools like LIFTER to connect handwriting with reading.
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Writing Boosts Early Reading
- Handwriting and reading support each other, especially in early grades where handwriting links to letter-name, letter-sound, word reading, and spelling.
- Even 15 minutes a day, a few times a week of handwriting that emphasizes letter knowledge yields measurable reading gains.
Handwriting Is Drawing Plus Alphabetic Memory
- Handwriting differs from drawing because it requires alphabetic knowledge plus visual-motor coordination and memory retrieval.
- Encoding (writing) strengthens the same letter-shape and sound representations used in decoding (reading).
Prioritize Handwriting Over Separate Motor Drills
- Don't overemphasize isolated motor drills; focus practice on actual handwriting tasks instead.
- Build fine motor skills through meaningful drawing/writing and begin letter instruction around pre-K when alphabetic retrieval can be introduced.