Colleen Beck, OTR/L is a pediatric occupational therapist and the owner and author of The OT Toolbox website. She manages all of The OT Toolbox social media accounts and runs the popular newsletter.
Colleen created The OT Toolbox in 2011 and since then has written thousands of blog posts designed to support therapy providers, educators, parents, counselors, admin, and caregivers in promoting the healthy development of kids.
Check out Colleen's blog posts below:
This article on shamrock balance beam ideas was originally written in March 2016. We updated it in March 2024 and included new information on how to grade up or down a balance beam, and balance beam ideas for preschoolers and toddlers.
This shamrock balance beam uses foam shamrocks we found at the dollar store. It’s a fun indoor balance beam to use with a St. Patrick’s Day theme or a Spring theme in occupational therapy. In fact, you could use this gross motor activity along with our Spring sensory walk and you’ve got a great obstacle course for therapy sessions.
This shamrock activity is a great balance beam for preschoolers because when the child steps along the shamrocks, their movements are very precise. One way that I actually like to use it as a path to follow a few leprechaun activities in OT sessions, too!
Shamrock Path Balance Beam Activity
There is just something about easy sensory play that makes mom and kids happy. Balance beams are a way to incorporate vestibular sensory input into a child’s day, allowing them to refocus, improve behavior and impulsivity, regulate arousal levels, improve attention, Improve balance, and help with posture.
One thing we see a lot in schools or in therapy clinics is the need for vestibular input. There are sensory red flags that come up a lot. And while not every child has every red flag show up…and red flags might not mean there is for sure an issue that needs addressed. (This is where the OT eval comes into play!)
Some things to consider about vestibular challenges…
Children with vestibular problems might seem inattentive. These are the kiddos that appear lazy, showing excessive movements, anxious, or attention seeking. They might have trouble walking on uneven surfaces, changing positions, or resist certain positions.
One way to address these needs is with a balance beam, like this Shamrock St. Patrick’s Day balance beam.
A while back we shared a snowflake balance beam for indoor vestibular sensory input…And we’ve been on a balance beam kick ever since!
For our balance beam, we used foam shamrocks along the floor. Position them as close to each other as your child needs. To extend the activity a bit, move them further apart or add curved and turns to your balance beam.
For our balance beam, we used foam shapes. You can adapt this to any theme by cutting foam shapes or using any type of foam piece in place of the shamrock. Then, you can help preschoolers and toddlers develop skills all year round, with the same activity.
It’s very possible to create a beginner balance beam using shapes or tape along the floor.
You can modify a balance beam to make the balance activity easier, or harder, depending on the needs of the child.
Check out the strategies below each section below. While we have them listed as toddler balance beam and preschool balance beam, this is just a way to classify the modification and activity tips to support developmental progression. Don’t worry about the names “toddler” and “preschooler”. This is just a developmental age range and you can definitely challenge balance and coordination skills at any age! Remember that the development of balance occurs through play.
Toddler Balance Beam
Walking along a balance beam can be a challenge for some kids with vestibular sensory needs. This is a great balance beam for toddlers and preschoolers because it’s flat on the ground and not raised up at all like a foam balance beam or a gymnastics balance beam.
You can really add some modifications to this activity to help a toddler gain skill sin balance and coordination. During toddlerhood that young children develop so many gross motor skills through play. My own kids loved this type of activity as 2 and 3 year olds!
Try these activity ideas to help motor skills development with a toddler:
Ask the toddler to tip toe along the shapes
Use different color shapes and ask them to name the color or the shape. You can use any foam or paper piece, as long as they are stuck to the floor with a bit of tape.
Ask the toddler to hold their arms out at their shoulder height.
Ask the toddler to walk sideways or backwards
To modify, or make the balance activity easier or harder:
Change the thickness of the balance line
Make the balance beam or balance line closer to the floor (flat on the floor) or raise it up with a board and blocks
Use bigger stepping stones or stepping images.
Encourage other movements or easier movements (hopping, tip toe, stepping, etc.)
Preschool Balance Beam
We love using this easy balance beam with preschoolers because you can really challenge preschool skills, too.
To further challenge your child, try some of these ideas:
Add arm motions.
Ask your child to look up at a fixed point instead of down at their feet.
Add curves and turns to the balance beam.
Position the shamrocks on pillows for an unsteady surface.
Raise the surface with a long board.
Try walking on tip toes, balls of the feet, or heels.
Walk the balance beam backwards or sideways.
Hop along the balance beam. (Be sure to tape the shamrocks to the floor.
Use crab walking or other animal walks along the balance line
Include upper body movements along with walking
To modify, or make the balance activity easier or harder:
Encourage different walking movements
Make the shapes or the walking line thicker
Make the steps closer together
Use the suggestions above from the toddler section.
Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.
Many years ago (July 28, 2015 to be exact…this post has been updated!) we made this set of baking soda paints. It was a fun outdoor, creative painting activity and we painted on the driveway. I wanted to come back to this sensory painting idea again, because it’s such a fun way to be creative with kids. Plus, kids can mix up paints of their own and work on scooping and pouring with the ingredients and support those fine motor skills. I think it’s a fun idea you’ll want to check out!
Baking Soda Paint
The amazement of watching a child’s face light up when science and discovery happens is like watching a light turn on.
This baking soda and vinegar paint experiment is a creative painting and sensory way to explore science through painting. My kids had so much fun exploring the chemical reaction of baking soda and vinegar with our bright and bold homemade paints. We ended up with vivid paintings and had a great time creating.
Be sure to read our article on why kids need messy play…this activity sure does support those needs!
And, this activity is a great one for adding to a messy playdate with friends. As an OT, I LOVE using this activity for so many goal areas!
STEAM Activity
One fun benefit of this activity is that it’s a STEAM activity. we’ve covered the benefits of fine motor STEM activities, but the creative painting aspect of using the baking soda paints adds an art component to the science, technology, engineering, art, and math.
You might want to check out our baking soda snowmen sensory activity for another fun science activity.
Baking Soda and Vinegar Paints
This post contains affiliate links. This post is part of our Learning with Free Materials series where we are sharing learning ideas for homeschoolers and school-extension activities using items that are free or mostly free (i.e. CHEAP or you already have in the home), and is part of the 31 Days of Homeschooling Tips as we blog along with other bloggers with learning at home tips and tools.
You’ll need just three ingredients to make these paints:
Washable Poster Paint (This is my favorite brand of paint!)
A Mini Muffin Tin (any containers will work, but you’ll want all of the paints near each other and enough compartments so that you can see the different shades made by slightly adjusting the amount of paint you add.
Paper
Popsicle sticks for mixing the paint and baking soda
Water
Paint Brushes
How To make Baking Soda Paint
Ok, now that you’ve got your materials gathered, actually making the baking soda paint is really easy! This process is fun for kids to be involved with as well.
First, mix together baking soda and water to create a thick paste. You want it to be stir-able and moist. Use the popsicle sticks to mix it together.
Scoop the paste into the sections of the muffin tin with a spoon.
Add drops, globs, and dabs of different colored poster paint. Adjust the amounts in the different sections so that you get a nice variety of shades.
Stir the paint into the paste.
Next, pour off any excess water from the tops of the paste. You want a nice, thick paste to remain.
Then you are ready to paint! You can either start painting right away, OR you can let the paints harden. Allow the muffin tin paints to sit overnight. This will create a hard, tub of dried paint, almost like dry watercolors.
Baking soda and paint makes a great colorful painting mixture. We added a bit of vinegar to get a lovely fizz and pop to our paints!
This is such a fun way to explore the vinegar reaction with the baking soda paint.
Baking Soda Painting
When you are ready to paint, you’ll need to prepare the vinegar.
Pour a small amount of vinegar into cups. Use paint brushes to dab vinegar into the dried paints. Watch the science reaction happen as you paint!
Adding more vinegar to the tubs of paint will give you a brighter hue as you paint. You can get even more vivid colors by swiping chunks of moistened baking soda across the page. And, what a textured piece of art this will be!
What is especially neat about these paints are that if you work quickly enough, you can see the bubbly reaction right on your art work. Simply swipe the paint brush into the vinegar and then into the baking soda paints. Quickly paint and your bubbles will dry onto the paper.
We taped a piece of paper onto an easel and painted on the vertical surface. This is a great activity for developing wrist stability and core strength.
How gorgeous is this work of art? The baking soda paint made vivid colors!
Use a mini muffin tin to make a whole set of baking soda paints. The colors are so vivid!
Looking for more baking soda experiments? These are a few of our favorites:
Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.
Here, you will find rainbow activities that are powerful and effective activities to help with child development. I’ve strived to pull together rainbow sensory activities, crafts, fine motor activities, visual motor activities, and movement ideas. Scroll through the various rainbow theme ideas to promote skills for all ages. These are great additions to your Spring occupational therapy activities!
We’ve also added a free printable therapy activity sheet with rainbow activities that can be used in planning therapy sessions. Scroll to the bottom of the blog post to grab this resource.
Each rainbow therapy activity below is designed to promote multiple aspects of child development. These are powerful motor activities for developing areas that help kids with functional tasks, coordination, movement, and learning.
Some of our favorite rainbow activities include colorful sensory bins, rainbow markers and crayons, and making rainbow crafts. The nice thing about using a rainbow theme in therapy is that you can use what you have on hand.
Sort paperclips or craft pom poms by color.
Pick a colored pencil out of a box and use it to write the name of the color.
Ask the students to name their favorite color and then use it as a rainbow writing prompt to write about things that are typically that color.
Cut colorful paper into strips and glue it to a cloud shape cut from paper.
There are so many easy ways to come up with rainbow ideas that build on skills. Let’s take a look at a few more ideas…
Rainbow Fine Motor Activities
A rainbow therapy theme is great during the Spring months.
This time of year, rainbows are the way to go for building fine motor skills. Try some of these activities to work on fine motor strength, coordination, hand eye coordination, motor planning. You’ll see improvements in pencil control, dexterity, precision, in-hand manipulation, and fine motor skill work.
Rainbow pencil control activities– All you need is some colored pencils and paper to work on pencil control, visual motor skills, and hand strengthening.
Rainbow Color Mixing Handwriting Activity– Grab a pack of markers. Kids can work on color mixing and letter formation, letter size, spacing, and handwriting legibility.
Rainbow bead bracelets– Use beads and pipe cleaners to make a set of rainbow beads and develop pincer grip, in-hand manipulation skills, bilateral coordination, open thumb web space, arch development, and eye-hand coordination skills.
Pipe Cleaner Rainbow Craft– An alternative to the rainbow bead bracelet is our pipe cleaner rainbow that we made many years ago. This activity was fun because we built a 3 dimensional rainbow…and then used it in our leprechaun trap!
To make the rainbow pipe cleaner, use colorful pipe cleaners and colorful beads. Ask your students to sort the beads into colors of the rainbow, and then match the beads to the same colored pipe cleaner. Bend the pipe cleaners into a rainbow arch. Then, push the ends of the pipe cleaners into a foam block.
Rainbow PreWriting Lines Activity– This free therapy slide deck is a fine motor and gross motor activity to help kids with pre-writing skills. Kids can work on finger isolation, eye-hand coordination, visual motor skills, and more.
Pot of Gold Coins– Cover cardboard circles or washers with foil to make gold coins. If you can grab some gold wrapping paper or tissue paper, use it to wrap the circles while kids develop bilateral coordination, precision, hand strength, and motor skills.
In this blog post, you’ll also see how to tie scraps of fabric to create a rainbow. This is a fun bilateral coordination activity that builds hand eye coordination skills as well.
Rainbow Bottle Activity– All you need is an empty water bottle and colorful craft pom poms to work on finger isolation, in-hand manipulation, bilateral coordination, hand eye coordination, and dexterity. This is a great rainbow activity for preschoolers or toddlers.
Rainbow Fine Motor Sort– All you need is an ice tray and colorful craft pom poms to work on in-hand manipulation skills, sorting, precision, dexterity, and finger isolation.
Rainbow Scoop and Sort– A simple rainbow sensory bin can include beads, yarn, or any colorful materials and a handful of cotton balls. Add a kitchen utensil or scoops, tongs, or other tools to scoop, manipulate, and work on coordination, and fine motor skill development.
Rainbow Fine Motor Work on the Window– Kids can cut foam sheets into strips to work on scissor skills. Then, stick these to a window or even a shower wall to work on precision, wrist extension, wrist stability, shoulder strength and stability, core strength, and the coordination skills needed for fine motor tasks like pencil control and dexterity.
Rainbow Cups– Make a set of these colorful cups and work on bilateral coordination, eye-hand coordination, core strength, motor planning, and more.
Rainbow Flip and Fill Fine Motor Activity– Kids can use these alphabet worksheets to fill the upper case or lowercase letters and develop fine motor skills like in-hand manipulation, eye-hand coordination, precision, open thumb web space, and more, with these color activities in the Colors Handwriting pack and bonus pages.
More ideas for supporting fine motor skills with a rainbow theme include:
Fruit Loop Rainbow Craft: One therapy tool that I love to use during the Spring months is Fruit Loop cereal rings. Why? It’s a great shape for little fingers to work on pincer grasp and eye hand coordination, but it’s also an inexpensive therapy tool, too.
All you need to do is create a rainbow template on paper or cardstock.
Ask your student to separate the cereal by color. This is a great color sorting activity.
Next, show your student how to glue the cereal pieces onto the rainbow.
Rainbow Writing: If you need an inexpensive therapy activity that uses items you already have, rainbow writing is it. Kids like to rainbow write, especially if you use motivating words or a different writing surface than they are used to.
First, gather your materials. You’ll need a surface and colorful writing utensils (dry erase board and markers, sidewalk and chalk, paper taped to a window and crayons, fabric and markers, or just use paper and crayons).
Show the students how to make a rainbow shape using one color. Ask them to draw a large arch.
Next, use each color of the rainbow to draw right over the first arch.
You’ll end up with a colorful mess…but it’s a great activity for building skills!
This activity supports visual motor skills, pencil control, and crossing midline. If you use a dry erase board or a window, ask your students to use a spray bottle with water to erase the colors and then watch those colorful rainbow drips!
Color Rice for Sensory Bin: One sensory motor activity that I love is a good old fashioned sensory bin. Kids love a sensory bin, and as the OT practitioner, you can add or pull out a couple of items to meet specific needs, and then use the sensory bin with your caseload.
Dye rice with different colors like we do in our rice sensory table blog post.
Fill a large container with the colorful rice.
Add tools and cups to scoop and pour. (Spoons, funnels, containers)
Of course, with any sensory bin, you would need to consider the safety of the child, and a color rice sensory bin would be no different. This activity works on motor planning, sensory touch, and motor skills.
Rainbow rice sensory bins can be used for other skill areas like handwriting by adding color words and asking kids to copy the word that they find in the sensory bin.
Rainbow Worksheets: The members in The OT Toolbox membership know that we have many rainbow worksheets that support a variety of skill areas. There are handwriting activities, coloring tasks, fine motor activities, scissor tasks, rainbow crafts, rainbow self regulation activities, rainbow sensory bin materials, and much more. Like all of the materials in The OT Toolbox membership, our rainbow worksheets support hands-on skill building through play.
Rainbow Visual Motor Activities
Rainbow Ladder– Use this rainbow visual motor activity to work on visual scanning, visual tracking, visual figure ground, form constancy, visual discrimination, and other visual motor skills needed for handwriting and reading. We used this in a cursive handwriting activity, but you could use the same concept in teaching upper and lowercase letter identification, number writing, sight words, or other multi-sensory learning strategies.
Rainbow Drawing Visual Motor Activities– Use this occupational therapy teletherapy slide deck to encourage kids to copy rainbow drawing forms and build pencil control, visual perceptual skills with simple and complex drawing skills.
Emotion Matching Game– Use this rainbow matching game to teach emotions and social emotional developmental milestones and skills. It’s a powerful way to work on visual perceptual skills too, including visual scanning, eye-hand coordination, visual discrimination, and other visual motor skills.
Rainbow Colors Pre-writing Lines Mazes– These mazes are great for developing pencil control, eye-hand coordination skills, fine motor dexterity, and visual motor skills.
Rainbow Sensory Play
When kids participate in sensory play experiences, they develop tactile sensory exposure and can explore tactile experiences. Use these activities to learn colors, and learn through play! Try these multisensory learning activities to teach colors, and develop sensory exploration through play.
Rainbow Deep Breathing Exercise– Use this rainbow deep breathing exercise as a calming self regulation activity to help with coping strategies and mindfulness.
Rainbow Sensory Bottle– In this rainbow sensory bottle, we used friendship thread to incorporate all the colors of the rainbow, but making a calming sensory bottle can use any materials you have on hand. Use the sensory bottle as a calming sensory tool.
Rainbow Playdough– When kids play with play dough, they gain proprioceptive input through their hands and fingers. This heavy work input is a powerful resistive activity that “wakes up” the hands but also can be calming.
Rainbow Sensory Bins– Making rainbow sensory bins are easy but there are big benefits. Kids can use sensory bins as a tactile sensory experience, but with fine motor benefits like tool use, scooping sorting, fine motor precision, dexterity, manipulation skills, coordination, and so much more. Add sight words and high-frequency words, or math manipulatives to use these rainbow sensory bins in multi-sensory learning opportunities.
Rainbow Xylophone– Kids can explore sound, STEAM concepts, and motor skills in this auditory processing activity.
Rainbow Crafts to develop skills
These rainbow crafts are powerful ways to work on fine motor skills, manipulation of tools, dexterity, strength, motor planning skills, handwriting, and more.
Rainbow binoculars craft– Kids can make this rainbow binoculars craft and work on scissor skills, bilateral coordination motor planning, and precision. Then, use this rainbow craft to encourage visual scanning, visual perceptual skills, and more. Can you use this in a color scavenger hunt?
Egg carton rainbows– Use a recycled egg carton and kids can paint in this process art activity that develops grasp, precision, eye-hand coordination, and sensory experiences.
Rainbow Snacks
When children are active in the kitchen, they develop so many fine motor skills, executive functioning skills. The kitchen is a prime location for developing working memory, attention, direction following, as well as offering learning opportunities, as well. Fine motor skills in the kitchen are just some of the benefits of cooking with kids!
Try these rainbow recipes that kids can make and are a perfect addition to a rainbow theme.
Rainbow Snacks– These rainbow snack cups are perfect snacks for preschool. When kids help to make them, they can work on cutting foods, sorting, visual scanning, and fine motor skills, too!
Color Snack– Pair kitchen activities with a popular children’s book to explore colors and developing skills in the kitchen with kids.
Rainbow Handwriting Kit– This resource pack includes handwriting sheets, write the room cards, color worksheets, visual motor activities, and so much more. The handwriting kit includes:
Write the Room, Color Names: Lowercase Letters
Write the Room, Color Names: Uppercase Letters
Write the Room, Color Names: Cursive Writing
Copy/Draw/Color/Cut Color Worksheets
Colors Roll & Write Page
Color Names Letter Size Puzzle Pages
Flip and Fill A-Z Letter Pages
Colors Pre-Writing Lines Pencil Control Mazes
This handwriting kit now includes a bonus pack of pencil control worksheets, 1-10 fine motor clip cards, visual discrimination maze for directionality, handwriting sheets, and working memory/direction following sheet! Valued at $5, this bonus kit triples the goal areas you can work on in each therapy session or home program.
For more rainbow crafts and ideas to support development of skills, check out the Spring themed activities in our Spring Crafts library. There are fun ways to use a paper plate to create a rainbow while working on scissor skills…and just so many other Spring tools for supporting the development of kids of all ages.
Free Printable List of Rainbow Activities
One tool we have in The OT Toolbox membership club is therapy themes. Rainbow themed activities is one of them! We’ve put together a list of rainbow activities that can be used in therapy sessions to build skills and created a printable therapy lesson plan.
This resource is a hit with therapy providers because they can pull out the sheet and plan their week of therapy sessions with just a handful of activities. This printable is inside The Membership Club but you can grab a copy here as well. Enter your email address into the form below and we’ll send it to you.
Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.
Occupational therapists work on many aspects of handwriting to ensure that legible writing is a functional means of communication for children and students. One aspect of that is addressing the margins in handwriting. When margins are omitted or neglected, handwriting moves from functional to difficult to read.
Poor use of margins when copying written material is a handwriting problem that looks like different things. When using margins is difficult in handwriting, it leads to illegibility and trouble copying written work.
Margins in handwriting
One thing that comes up frequently in school based OT, is the use of margins when writing. I’ve worked with many students that struggle with knowing to move their pencil to the next line when writing. Other students cram letters into the right margin of the page and then move to the next line only to slightly move over a bit. This means that the left margin slowly creeps across the page.
You’ve seen it before. A child is writing a journal entry or a writing response on a piece of paper and each line of the paragraph creeps in toward the center of the page.
The margins in their handwriting are just all over the place! By the end of the passage, the left margin is half way across the page. You might see them start halfway across the page and try to squash letters in by the time they get to the right side of the page.
It’s hard to read and even the kiddo has trouble reading back over their work. The thing is, the student may not even be aware they are writing like this…
When a child has poor use of margins when writing, there is typically a problem with spatial organization and page orientation.
Decreased spatial awareness can happen due to trouble with visual perceptual awareness.
It may carry over to handwriting that appears very messy with words that are squashed up against one another or spaced with very large spaces between letters.
what are margins in writing
Margins are the edges of the paper. When we write, we move our pencil up to the edge of the right side of the paper, but we stop before we move to the next line to continue writing.
The right margin on a page is where the student will stop writing, but so often, I’ve seen students that cram words right up to the edge of the paper because they can’t conceptualize how much space is needed to fit the word onto that line of the paper. They might end up cramming the whole word so the letters are very small or squished up to the edge of the page.
The left margin is the edge of the page where the next line begins on the paper. I’ve also seen many students who write or copy a list of words, or are writing a paragraph on lined paper. When they move to the next line, the move their pencil over just slightly because they are aligning the word with the written material on the line above. Eventually, you see a margin that creeps across the page toward the middle of the page.
Why kids struggle with margins in handwriting
So, why do we see those handwriting samples where the lines of written work slowly creep over to the middle of the page? With each line that the student writes, they start writing just a bit more away from the margin?
There could be a few different things going on here that impact margin use:
1. There could be a visual perception difficulty going on.Visual perceptual skills could lead to trouble with margin use. Specifically, it could be a problem with visual spatial relations. Spatial relations, or poor spatial awareness difficulties shows up frequently in handwriting.
This presents as poor spacing between letters and words, poor use of margins, or written work that drifts in toward the center of the page. Kids may struggle with knowing when to stop writing on the end of a line of the page and try to squash the material in rather than stopping to move to the next line.
Left to right use of paper or writing spaces on worksheets can be a problem. Other size aspects of handwriting including letter size, placement of letter “parts”, and consistency in sizing can be difficult for the child with visual spatial concerns.
Visual spatial relations can also impact placement of objects or the child’s body parts in relation to other objects, other people, or in movement. This can show up as poor coordination, poor balance, poor self-awareness, poor self-confidence, and even impaired social emotional relations.
Spatial awareness is the ability to perceive the world around one’s self and position themselves or objects accordingly. Awareness of space relates a lot to the proprioceptive and vestibular systems as well as the visual system.
A child who demonstrates poor spatial awareness in handwriting tasks most likely shows some variances of difficulty with gross motor movement, understanding directions, abstract concepts, and language.
2. There could be an oculomotor component. The movement of the eyes in activities is complex! When we see issues with margins, there could be a couple of oculomotor issues happening. At a basic level, the eyes move to take in information and process that information for use.
One oculomotor skill that may be in play with margin trouble are visual saccades/visual scanning. Saccades are the ability to visually scan information. Saccades require the ability to fixate on information in the visual fields.
Saccadic movement, or more commonly known as visual saccades, is the ability of the eyes to move in synchrony from point A to point B rapidly WITHOUT deviating from the path. When kids move their eyes to the next line of a paper, they jump to the nearest anchor (which will be the letter above on the last line of text they just wrote.) They will then scoot their pencil over and under that letter, resulting in written work that drifts in toward the middle of the page. Here is more information on visual saccades and learning.
We cover more about oculomotor skills and how they result in functional issues in reading, writing, and daily activities in the free Visual Processing Lab here on The OT Toolbox.
3. It might be developmental. In this case, kids just need more experience with writing paragraphs of text. They place their written material anywhere on the page or drift over on the line when starting to write. Visual and verbal cues…and more practice can help.
Even children without visual perception difficulties may tend to drift their handwriting in toward the middle of the page as they write paragraphs. This is especially apparent in free writing, journal writing, or writing prompts. You will see that children who are developing their ability to form thoughts in paragraph form. As they write, it is common to see the lines start to drift toward the middle of the page. Here is more information on development of eye-hand coordination.
3. It might be speed of writing or visual inattention. Basically, you might see a kiddo who just isn’t paying attention when they are writing. In this case, students might be writing so quickly that they are focusing on the content of the writing versus the layout of the page and where they are placing their written work.
This happens when kids are taking notes and trying to quickly get the information on the page. You may also see the lines of text drifting over during free writing or timed writing tasks. In these cases, a visual cue can help but it might just take a verbal prompt. Point out how the margins are creeping over and see if that helps. Here is more information on visual attention.
4. Look at reflexes. One thing that might be contributing to margin use is a retained ATNR reflex. Check out our resource on retained primitive reflexes. Here is information on primitive reflexes in general and how these movement reflexes impact function.
5. Look at midline crossing. Delays with crossing midline can impact movement across the page as the student writes. Read about midline and then try some of these midline activities. In this case, bringing attention to the margin can help. Use the strategies we have listed at the bottom of the page.
This visual processing checklist can be a helpful tool in screening for visual processing difficulties prior to a full evaluation. It can be a way to collect qualitative information to include in assessment write-ups as well.
Tips for Handwriting Margins
Today, I’ve got some tips for helping with spatial awareness in handwriting, including how to help with margins when writing. These tips can help kids with writing on the paper and using handwriting that is legible so they can come back and read what they’ve written. (And so the teacher or parent can read that handwriting too!)
Visual perceptual skills are needed for so many functional skills. You’ll find easy and fun ways to work on visual perceptual skills through play here. These are creative ways to work on the underlying issues that might be playing into trouble with margin use in handwriting as a result of spatial awareness difficulties.
This post contains affiliate links.
QUICK tips for improving spatial awareness:
For some of the issues mentioned above, such as an underlying visual perceptual or oculomotor problems, further help and interventions will be needed. Seek out assessment from an occupational therapist for individualized treatment and intervention plans. Use of our visual processing checklist to help to identify a specific area related to visual processing needs.
The strategies that I’ve listed below are tools for helping students use margins when writing and copying onto paper. I love using some of the visual prompts because it helps to draw visual attention toward the prompt. Some of the strategies below are fun for kids and unexpected, so that visual prompt helps them to remember where to start or stop their pencil along the margins.
Try some of these strategies to help with margins:
There are ways to accommodate for difficulties with spatial awareness. One quick tip is to use a highlighted left margin. This is a great way for those kids whose writing drifts over to the middle of the page as they write or kids who start in the middle of the page.
Use stickers placed along the right margin of to cue the student that they are nearing the edge of paper when writing.
Draw a line down the left margin for a starting point. Then use a different color to draw a vertical line down the right margin.
Place a thin piece of tape along the left margin. This can serve as a visual and physical cue as the place to start writing. It’s a visual anchor that helps with visual scanning.
Draw boxes for words on worksheets for them to write within.
Place small green dots on each line along the left margin. These are the “green lights” so students know where to start writing. Place small red dots on each line along the right margin. These are “red lights” so students know where to stop writing.
Take a look at the ATNR. This could also be an issue impacting margin use.
This activity is part of our month-long handwriting series where we are sharing creative and easy ways to address common handwriting issues in our 30 Easy Quick Fixes for Better Handwriting series.
Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.
The Handwriting Book is a comprehensive resource created by experienced pediatric OTs and PTs.
The Handwriting Book covers everything you need to know about handwriting, guided by development and focused on function. This digital resource is is the ultimate resource for tips, strategies, suggestions, and information to support handwriting development in kids.
The Handwriting Book breaks down the functional skill of handwriting into developmental areas. These include developmental progression of pre-writing strokes, fine motor skills, gross motor development, sensory considerations, and visual perceptual skills. Each section includes strategies and tips to improve these underlying areas.
Strategies to address letter and number formation and reversals
Ideas for combining handwriting and play
Activities to practice handwriting skills at home
Tips and strategies for the reluctant writer
Tips to improve pencil grip
Tips for sizing, spacing, and alignment with overall improved legibility
If you are looking for answers to common handwriting problems in kids, then this is the place to start for handwriting help, activities to help kids improve the skills they need for legible written work, and success when writing with a pencil. Handwriting problems are common for kids of all ages. There are many reasons for this (read more below) but the good news is that there are ways to address the underlying developmental need and to accommodate or modify to promote improved legibility. You can find all of our handwriting on the tab at the top of the site, but this is a headquarters for specific legibility problem areas.
Do you know a child with handwriting struggles? Handwriting issues typically show up around kindergarten, and the school based OT might tell you that there are underlying skills that are missing: the student can’t form pre-writing lines like diagonals, or have trouble with fine motor skills.
For older students, we see writing trouble show up in the way of letter reversals, poorly formed letters, letters crammed into a writing space, and many other factors that lead to illegible writing.
Does that sound familiar?
A parent might see their child battle the pencil every day as they try to write letters, erase completely, and read the homework they wrote down in school just an hour earlier. The see struggles with writing that lead to missed problems.
A teacher might see several students in OT sessions that reverse letters, write with little regard to the lines, uses a strange pencil grasp, or can not keep up with the rest of the class because of handwriting issues. Here are some important things that therapists wish parents and teachers knew about pencil grasp.
School based OTs and OTAs will work with kids one-on-one to meet handwriting goals and then cringe to see that same child not carrying over skills he’s seemed to master. You might be looking for ways to meet handwriting goals so that your clients can achieve success in the classroom.
Are you a homeschooling parent who knows their smart child isn’t learning as they should be because of handwriting issues?
Common Handwriting Problems
As any school based occupational therapy practitioner knows, handwriting is a functional skill that is needed throughout the school day to complete daily tasks. It contributes greatly to learning, even with the increased use of screens and technology in recent years.
Handwriting struggles are not a new thing. Kids have been writing with a sloppy John Hancock since the very first handwriting tool!
What is new, (and those of us working in schools can say this is true) is that there seem to be more and more occupational therapy referrals for handwriting issues. What might be causing handwriting struggles in students?
Some of the culprits might be less time for handwriting instruction in classrooms, more computer use in the classroom, more kids who come into the school lacking fine motor skills, more awareness of underlying skill areas like visual processing abilities, and higher expectations on our kids in school, after school activity schedules, and faster-paced national classroom standards.
Causes of Handwriting Problems
Most of us occupational therapy practitioners can come up with a list of reasons why handwriting problems are challenging written work legibility. The thing is that many of these issues won’t go away on their own…
Schools have handwriting curriculum in place, but limited time to truly focus on this aspect of learning.
Kids start writing before they’ve developed the underlying skills. We see this all the time, especially in preschool when young children are asked to write before they are ready.
Screens are not going away.
Whether it’s one of these issues that leads to challenges or another reason, we just know that handwriting problems result.
You’ve probably seen the student with pencil grasp issues. The “tight” or “too hard” grip that leads to hyperextension is a compensatory strategy to increase motor control and dexterity within the task. Due to the variety of pencil grips that children display, it is important to assess the functionality of the grip before attempting to change it.
Where we see the issues at work is when students miss problems on assignments because the teacher can’t read the writing. Or a student can’t read their own writing.
These are the functional problems that impact learning and classroom participation because of handwriting difficulties.
This is where we’ll see the “why” behind a reason for a student’s referral to occupational therapy. We’ll include these skill areas in our handwriting analysis because it’s the function that drives our OT goals.
School based OT practitioners- This list is the “functional handwriting” aspect that we talk about; it’s how handwriting is a daily life skill, or an occupation that our client or student needs to do during their day at school.
Some of the functional writing problems that we see include:
Missing spelling words due to letters resembling different letters.
Difficulty reading homework assignments.
Poor comprehension of learning materials due to illegible writing.
Frustration and decreased motivation to write.
Misinterpretation of a child’s understanding or abilities by teachers.
Incomplete or inaccurate assessment of academic performance.
Reduced confidence in academic abilities.
Increased reliance on verbal communication over written expression.
Difficulty organizing thoughts and ideas on paper.
Struggles with completing written assignments within allotted timeframes.
Limited participation in classroom activities requiring written output.
Challenges with note-taking and study skills.
Negative impact on overall academic achievement.
Increased stress and anxiety related to written tasks.
Reduced independence in completing written tasks.
Let’s take a look at some of the handwriting problems that we might see in written work. These can be the things we see that lead to occupational therapy referrals.
Poor letter formation
Poor diagonals in writing, like in letters A, K, V, W, etc. (a pre-writing skill)
Difficulty copying written work from a near point or a far point (such as the chalkboard or Smart board)
Slow writing speed
Heavy pencil pressure
Inaccurate margin use
Trouble writing across the page left-to-right pattern
Reversal of letters
Number reversals
Inconsistency with upper case/lower case letter use
Trouble carrying over handwriting practice
Sloppy writing during creative writing tasks
Trouble erasing completely
Difficulty paying attention when writing
Lack of awareness of pencil pressure
Writes in the wrong order (Left to right)
Messy writing
Poor use of margins on the paper
Cramming letters and words into a given space on worksheets or writing areas
Filling a given writing space with very large letters (sometimes seen in writing by Autistic individuals)
Writing over letters (another issue that comes up with Autistic individuals when writing. You might see the individual write a very large letter that fills the given writing space and then they write each following letter on top of the previous letters.)
Illegible handwriting can make it challenging for both the child and others to understand what has been written.
Children may skip or omit certain letters within words, leading to incomplete or unintelligible writing. This can occur when a child struggles with letter recognition or sequencing.
Some children may have difficulty maintaining consistent letter size and spacing, resulting in uneven or crowded writing. This can impact readability and overall presentation of written work.
If any (or many!) of these problem areas sound familiar, then you are in the right place. This is a place where I can lead you toward tips, strategies, and tools for better handwriting.
Be sure to bookmark this page because I will be sharing more ways to develop the skills needed for consistent, legible handwriting and preparing go-to resources so that you can find all of these handwriting strategies, tips, and tricks in one place.
Looking for more handwriting ideas? The Handwriting Book is a complete guide to everything handwriting. This is a resource by 10 Occupational Therapists and Physical Therapists that describes the underlying developmental areas related to handwriting and strategies, tips, and ideas to help.
How to address handwriting problems
There are many things we can do and try to target handwriting problems. Trying some handwriting accommodations can be done at home or in the classroom, and it doesn’t mean you need the involvement of an occupational therapy provider. We have many tips for legible writing here on the site, so check out those ideas, too.
Once you try some of these things and you still have struggles with writing, then it might make sense to reach out for OT interventions.
Try some of these strategies to support handwriting issues.
Try paper with bold top and bottom line and a dotted midline
Teach students about why we use each line in the writing space, including how “tall” letters reach from top to bottom line & small letters reach from dotted line to bottom line.
Try using bold lined paper. You can just trace over the baseline with a marker.
Try using standard wide-ruled notebook paper, have student write on every other line.
Try using graph paper, with one letter or space per box.
Tape a visual model of the upper and lower case alphabets to top of desk.
Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.
This blog post on creative cursive practice was originally written August 27, 2015. It was updated with more creative cursive writing solutions as of February 27, 2024.
One thing I wanted to share as a school-based occupational therapist is the use of creative cursive strategies to support cursive writing. So often, OT practitioners hear from parents and teachers that a student can’t write their name in cursive, when this is the only functional form of cursive writing they’ve had to retain. I’ve seen time and time again, where students are taught cursive letter formation one time, and then they are expected to use and retain that formation. One summer break (or even a weekend) and the formation pattern for the cursive letter is lost. Or, a student struggles with handwriting in general and cursive is a back up plan used as a handwriting accommodation. While this is completely appropriate for some students, if you don’t use it and practice it, you definitely lose it.
Using creative writing strategies to support letter learning is key to letter formation. This creative cursive journal fits the bill for practicing cursive in different and fun ways. These strategies are just some of the cursive writing tips we have on the site.
Creative Cursive
If you are starting to consider how to teach cursive writing, then having a toolbox of strategies in your mind is helpful. Creative cursive activities supports the motor plan needed to form cursive letters in handwriting automatically.
Learn to write cursive letters and words with this free cursive writing journal and creative cursive handwriting activities.
My daughter has made herself a goal for her second grade school year.
She wants to learn how to learn to write in cursive. Teaching cursive letters is a challenge, because you can learn it once, but if you don’t practice, it’s a skill that’s lost.
We’ve done a few cursive handwriting activities this summer, but have a long way to go as she learns to write letters in cursive, connect cursive lines, and write upper case letters.
Then there is reading cursive handwriting which can be a difficult processing task for some kids. Forming letters on lines with smooth pencil strokes and re-trace of lines requires practice.
I’ve got some fun and creative ways to learn and practice cursive handwriting to share with you.
Today’s Cursive Handwriting Daily Journal is a creative way to practice letter formation and use learned letters in daily journaling.
Learn to Write Cursive with a Cursive Writing Journal
We made this Cursive Handwriting Journal to practice cursive letter formation on a daily basis. Using creative handwriting ideas are a fun way to practice letter formation.
These worksheets are great for practicing cursive letter formation in a variety of ways. (Try a new creative cursive technique each day!) They also have an area to use what your child has learned in a daily journal entry. You can print off the journal along with a tips and tools sheet for creative cursive handwriting.
We used our journal worksheets to form a few new letters with pipe cleaners. Write the letter in the large space at the top of the page. Use a pipe cleaner to form the letter.
Encourage your child to use the written letter as a guide to correctly form the pipe cleaner letter.
You can create a permanently formed fuzzy letter by adding a dab of glue at the connecting parts of the pipe cleaner letters.
Then, trace the pipe cleaner with your finger to further practice cursive letter formation.
This is a hands-on way to practice and learn to write cursive letters.
4. Next, practice writing the letter on the lines below. Encourage your child to write a few words using the letter and letters they’ve already learned. You can write a model word for them to copy.
You can then use the journal sheets to write sentences using the words that they’ve practiced and learned in cursive.
Creative Cursive Tips and Tools for Learning Cursive Handwriting
When I worked in a variety of upper elementary and middle school settings, cursive writing came up a lot. Some practice activities work well for some students and others work for other students. Having a variety of tools in mind is nice because I’ve found that you can try things once that don’t work for learning cursive takes a lot of work…and practice.
1. Cursive Writing Apps- Use tablets or touchscreen devices equipped with stylus pens for interactive cursive practice apps. These apps often provide engaging activities and games to make learning cursive more enjoyable for children. An example is “Cursive Writing Wizard” available on both iOS and Android platforms. Here is my list of favorite occupational therapy apps, which includes handwriting apps.
2. Cursive Art – Combine cursive practice with art by incorporating calligraphy techniques. Encourage learners to create artistic pieces using cursive writing, such as writing quotes or poems in cursive and decorating them with illustrations or borders. I love this handwriting art activity, and kids do too.
3. Multi-Sensory Cursive- Engage multiple senses by practicing cursive writing in different mediums, such as sand trays, shaving cream, or finger paint. This tactile experience can enhance muscle memory and retention. These multisensory letter mats are printed version, but a similar activity could be done with cursive.
4. Outdoor Writing Activities- Take cursive practice outdoors by using sidewalk chalk to write letters and words on pavement or by tracing letters in the sand at the beach or in a sandbox. This change of environment can make the learning experience more enjoyable and memorable.
5. Music and Movement– Integrate music and movement into cursive practice by playing instrumental music in the background and encouraging learners to write cursive letters in rhythm with the music. You can also incorporate gross motor movements, such as writing large cursive letters with arm movements in the air.
6. Cursive Handwriting Games– Create games that involve cursive writing, such as scavenger hunts where participants search for objects with cursive words written on them or relay races where teams write cursive letters or words on a whiteboard or chalkboard. I also love to use handwriting games to practice specific letter formations.
7. Letter Building– Provide materials like wooden blocks or clay and challenge learners to build cursive letters with them. The Handwriting Without Tears program offers This hands-on activity helps reinforce letter shapes and spatial awareness.
8. Storytelling– Kids love fun stories! If you do a writing prompt where students build on one another’s ideas. We love using this strategy for working on cursive because they can read their peer’s cursive. This not only provides practice and letter recognition skills with cursive writing. It also fosters creativity and narrative skills when writing in cursive.
9. Pen Pal Program– Pair learners with pen pals who communicate through handwritten letters in cursive. This real-world application of cursive writing can motivate learners to practice and improve their skills.
10. Collaborative Projects– Initiate collaborative cursive writing projects, such as creating a class mural or poster where each student contributes a cursive letter or word. This fosters teamwork and a sense of accomplishment. Our middle school journal prompts are a good place to start.
These out-of-the-box cursive practice ideas aim to make learning engaging, enjoyable, and effective for learners of all ages.
This blog post on creative writing practice was originally written December 16, 2016 and was updated February 26, 2024.
Today, we’ve got creative writing practice activities for supporting handwriting needs, both as fun ways to teach handwriting components, but also a multisensory learning tool for establishing a motor plan for handwriting. The automaticity that comes with writing speed is essential for written work, and using creative writing ideas with kids is key!
Creative writing Practice
I’ve pulled out a few of these motivating handwriting activities with my own kids! Here are more irresistibly creative ways to encourage handwriting in seriously fun ways.
I love to share creative handwriting activities. My own kids have varying levels of love when it comes to writing. Currently, my four year old is writing down everything she can think of. She’s still practicing letter formation but is often heard calling from the other room, “how do you spell…?” that she simply must write at that moment. My older kids write when they have to, sometimes a little more legibly than other times.
Read also these strategies for name practice for kindergarten to support underlying skills needed for handwriting at the beginning level. The creative writing ideas you find below are great for fun writing practice for kindergarten and all grades!
My own kids love to do all of the activities that I’ve shared for handwriting help, because honestly, the tips and tricks that I’ve shared here are geared more toward the underlying skills needed for handwriting instead of just plain old ways to practice handwriting. Improve those underlying skills in ways that can’t be beat!
Creative writing practice can look like sensory handwriting! Using a variety of writing tools and sensory mediums support formation skills.
Handwriting Activities for Kids Who Hate to Write
I wanted to come up with a collection of unbeatable handwriting activities for kids who hate to write because let’s face it; Kids will complain and resist handwriting practice when they really just hate to practice written work!
Try these activities that I’ve found makes kids see the fun over the challenge to practice handwriting:
The great thing about using sensory trays in handwriting practice is that they really encourage sensory handwriting experiences. For more sensory handwriting experiences, try these creative writing activities below.
What are your favorite ways to make handwriting less of a chore and more of an irresistible handwriting activity?
Turn handwriting from being a chore to being fun with other sensory based writing activities. Adding a few creative writing practice ideas like the ones listed below can make kids smile when working on handwriting skills.
One tool in your handwriting toolbox is creative tracing strategies. Typically, we see tracing letter formation worksheets, or young kids tracing letters over and over again. However, there is more to tracing than just writing over the letter. Use these creative tracing activities to support the motor plan to form letters.
Practice letter formation by tracing over letters with these creative ideas:
Use a roll of masking tape or painters tape to create large letters on the wall or floor. Drive cars along the tape. If using this activity on the floor, place objects like craft pom poms on the tape letters.
In The Handwriting Book, you’ll find creative writing strategies based on development and the underlying skills needed in functional writing. A group of pediatric occupational therapists and physical therapists address handwriting tips, strategies, and tools that are used in occupational therapy to work on handwriting needs.
The Handwriting Book is a comprehensive resource created by experienced pediatric OTs and PTs.
The Handwriting Book covers everything you need to know about handwriting, guided by development and focused on function. This digital resource is is the ultimate resource for tips, strategies, suggestions, and information to support handwriting development in kids.
The Handwriting Book breaks down the functional skill of handwriting into developmental areas. These include developmental progression of pre-writing strokes, fine motor skills, gross motor development, sensory considerations, and visual perceptual skills. Each section includes strategies and tips to improve these underlying areas.
Strategies to address letter and number formation and reversals
Ideas for combining handwriting and play
Activities to practice handwriting skills at home
Tips and strategies for the reluctant writer
Tips to improve pencil grip
Tips for sizing, spacing, and alignment with overall improved legibility
Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.
This blog post was originally written in February 2023. We’ve updated the post February 2024 to target messy handwriting with a specific guide to move from sloppy handwriting to neat and legible written work.
School-based occupational therapy practitioners often hear about students with bad handwriting. Similarly, pediatric OTs and OTAs in outpatient may hear that a new client has messy handwriting that impacts learning and the ability to read their own written work. Fixing handwriting is more than just writing drills, however. And, while we love all of the creative writing practice, it’s wonderful to know what’s really happening behind messy writing. Through occupational therapy interventions, OT professionals uncover what’s really happening behind the sloppy, illegible handwriting that we see from the surface.
So what’s really going on behind handwriting challenges? Let’s take a deeper look…
There are many things at play with messy handwriting: letter formation, placement of the letters on the paper, copying skills, speed, pencil grasp and pencil control, executive functioning, and more.
What is Messy Handwriting?
You might think one student has messy handwriting…but then you see another student’s written material that is completely illegible. When written output is illegible, we see many things that impact learning. Messy handwriting can look like:
Inability to read own writing: Students may struggle to decipher their own handwriting, leading to frustration and hindering their ability to review and study their notes effectively.
Difficulty for others to read: Classmates, teachers, or anyone else reviewing the student’s work may have difficulty deciphering the text, resulting in misunderstandings or delays in providing feedback.
Spelling errors due to messy writing: Teachers may mark spelling words or answers wrong due to illegible handwriting, even if the content is correct, impacting the student’s academic performance and confidence.
Misinterpretation of instructions: Messy handwriting can cause students to misinterpret instructions or miss important details written on the board or in handouts, leading to errors in completing assignments or assessments.
Incomplete or inaccurate notes: Students may struggle to keep up with note-taking during lectures or class discussions because of the speed of their writing or inability to form letters with automaticity, resulting in incomplete or inaccurate notes due to messy handwriting causing them to miss key points or details.
Trouble reading their own notes: Students may take notes in a lesson and not be able to read their work afterwards when they are studying because of the state of their writing. This can lead to missed questions on a test.
Difficulty with organizational skills: Illegible handwriting can contribute to difficulties in organizing thoughts and information on paper, leading to disorganized assignments, messy outlines, and challenges in structuring written work effectively.
Impact on peer collaboration: During group work or peer review activities, messy handwriting can impede effective communication and collaboration among students, leading to misunderstandings and inefficiencies in the collaborative process.
Low self-esteem and confidence: Students with consistently messy handwriting may experience lower self-esteem and confidence in their academic abilities, affecting their motivation and willingness to engage in written tasks.
Increased reliance on technology: Students may become overly reliant on technology for written communication (e.g., typing on a computer or using speech-to-text software) as a workaround for their handwriting difficulties, potentially limiting their development of handwriting skills and manual dexterity. Technology is a great handwriting accommodation, but there is a case for handwriting as well.
Social implications: In addition to academic challenges, messy handwriting can also have social implications, such as embarrassment or teasing from peers, further impacting the student’s overall well-being and classroom experience.
Illegible letter formations: Letters may be poorly formed, making it difficult to distinguish between similar letters such as ‘b’, ‘d’, ‘p’, and ‘q’.
Inconsistent sizing: Words may vary in size and proportion, with some letters being disproportionately large or small compared to others, leading to inconsistency in readability.
Crowded or cramped writing: Words and letters may be squeezed together, making it challenging to discern where one word ends and another begins.
Irregular spacing: Uneven spacing between words or letters can disrupt the flow of reading and comprehension.
Poor alignment: Lines of writing may not be straight or properly aligned with one another, causing difficulty in tracking text.
Poor use of margins: words may run over the edge of the paper where you see the student squishing letters together as they get to the edge of the paper. Or, you may see the student moving the letters over space by space at the new line, so that the left margin gets bigger and bigger as they go down the page.
Inaccurate baseline: The baseline, where the bottom of the letters should align, may be inconsistent, leading to a disjointed appearance and difficulty in maintaining horizontal alignment.
Overlapping letters or words: Letters or entire words may overlap, obscuring the text and making it difficult to decipher.
Sloppy or jagged strokes: Letters may be formed with shaky or jagged lines, resulting in unclear and messy handwriting.
Smudging or blotting: Excessive smudging or ink blotting can obscure letters and words, further complicating readability.
Difficulty with cursive or joined writing: Some students may struggle with connecting letters in cursive writing, leading to messy and illegible script.
The thing is that messy writing is so different and can look different depending on the individual or the task at hand.
Why do some kids have Bad Handwriting?
“OT’s are just handwriting teachers!” As an OT, this sentence totally irks me. Handwriting is an important occupation in childhood, so it is definitely something we focus on in OT. But as therapists, we know there is so much more to it than just “teaching handwriting!” Uncovering the culprits behind poor handwriting is part of the job of an OT practitioner. We start by targeting a diagnosis (or lack of diagnoses) and address the underlying considerations that lead to what we see: messy handwriting.
Some diagnoses that go hand-in-hand with sloppy penmanship may include:
Non-diagnosis (meaning there does not need to be a diagnosis in place for handwriting challenges to exist!)
There is more to it than just a diagnosis, however. There are many children (and adults…) that struggle with the fine motor movements required for dexterity in written work.
And the poor motor skills required for a functional grip is a whole other story!
There are many others that are limited in the visual motor skills required to form letters or place letters on the lines when writing. Any number of considerations can lead to what we see on the surface: bad handwriting.
That’s not to say that sloppy handwriting is the end of the world! Those in the medical field are used to deciphering illegible scripts written by the hurried physician. Somehow nurses, therapists, pharmacists, and other health care providers are able to decipher the chicken scratch the must teach in medical school!
However, when bad habits with written work leads to bad handwriting it can impact learning, educational performance in the classroom, and non-functional levels of written work (or bad grades as a result of illegible handwriting).
This is when we see a need to hone in on what’s really happening under the surface of written work.
Bad Handwriting Habits
Another part of the big picture of moving from illegible writing to good handwriting skills, is considering the age and grade expectations. There may be habits that are in place that lead to messy handwriting. These sloppy writing habits can begin even in good intentions. Writing curriculum and grade level expectations in schools, I’m looking at you!
Here are some things to consider about how bad handwriting might be established. This is all part of the bigger picture, so it’s important to cover these considerations:
Therapy providers take into consideration the development of the student based on age and other considerations. For example, in third grade, a student is expected to write on single rule lined paper, but they may not have the skills under their belt to form lowercase letters accurately in the given space with line awareness, spatial awareness, and letter size. This can mean a whole journal page is illegible because there are missing pieces in their writing experience.
Similarly, a kindergarten student may be expected to write sentences when developmentally, they are not ready for that. However, school and grade expectations don’t take this into consideration and you have a situation where the school curriculum zooms through handwriting instruction. The child forms bad habits and the muscle memory from practicing skills before they are developmentally ready.
Other things to consider in this realm of thinking:
Cursive handwriting is another monster- In schools, cursive letter formation is covered over the course of a few months. Depending on the curriculum, a teacher might spend one day teaching a letter. Then the student has practice pages to complete cursive practice in repetition. This is a huge area of forming a muscle memory for poor formations. They practice the letter in the classroom while copying from the board. Then one mistake on a writing worksheet leads to rows of improperly formed letters. Then, that letter is expected to be “learned” even when there is a lack of form in the practice!
Similarly, in most situations, cursive writing isn’t required so it’s not likely that the student loses the ability to form that letter. Cursive is essentially lost after that semester of practice one time in the second grade! This is especially true for uppercase cursive letters of the alphabet.
Preschool…Oh we can talk a lot about preschool and pre-writing that is used by preschool educators. In a word, prewriting should not be done in the preschool setting. That includes tracing, name writing, and pencil tasks of any kind. Preschool educators that are touting a writing or even a pre-writing curriculum are leading whole classrooms to a future of bad writing by establishing bad habits before the child is developmentally ready. Focus on play, coloring with crayons, and more play at this stage!
Finally, we know that handwriting is not an easy skill to teach because it is so complex. A child’s teacher is limited to a short period in the classroom to teach actual letter stroke formation and so the other components like line use, word spacing letter spacing, size awareness, rhythm of writing, are covered only when there is a problem. The child is expected to fix mistakes on their own, or self-check rather than practice these components from the start.
What Causes Messy Handwriting?
Messy handwriting can stem from various factors, both physical and cognitive, that influence the control and coordination of hand movements required for effective penmanship.
Here are some common underlying causes of sloppy writing:
Poor fine motor skills: Difficulties in fine motor skill, including fine motor control, which involve the precise coordination of small muscles in the hands and fingers, can result in irregular and messy handwriting. Children with underdeveloped fine motor skills may struggle to manipulate writing utensils with precision, leading to messy letter formations and inconsistent strokes.
Weak hand muscles: Weakness in the muscles of the hands and fingers can make it challenging for individuals to maintain a consistent grip on writing utensils and control the pressure exerted during writing. Students lacking finger dexterity as a result of hand weakness can result in shaky or uneven lines, smudging, and difficulty forming clear letters. Because of the development of skills and the fine motor milestones that children progress through, we can see handwriting issues when kids are asked to write before they are developmentally ready.
Visual-motor integration deficits: Visual-motor integration refers to the ability to coordinate visual information with motor actions, such as copying shapes or letters accurately. Difficulties in this area can manifest as poor spatial awareness and difficulty maintaining proper letter sizing, spacing, and alignment on the page.
Poor proprioception: Proprioception is the sense of the position and movement of the body and its parts. Individuals with poor proprioceptive awareness may struggle to control the force and direction of their writing movements, leading to inconsistent letter formations and difficulty maintaining a steady hand while writing.
Cognitive processing difficulties: Some individuals may experience challenges in cognitive processes such as attention, memory, and sequencing, which can impact their ability to organize thoughts and translate them into written form. This can result in disorganized and messy handwriting, as well as difficulties in spelling and grammar.
Lack of exposure or practice: Insufficient exposure to handwriting practice or inadequate instruction in proper letter formation techniques can contribute to messy handwriting. Without regular practice and feedback, students may develop inefficient writing habits that persist over time.
Emotional factors: Emotional factors such as stress, anxiety, or low self-esteem can also affect handwriting quality. Tense or anxious individuals may experience muscle tension and difficulty maintaining a relaxed grip on writing utensils, leading to increased hand fatigue and messy handwriting.
Developmental delays or disabilities: Children with developmental delays or disabilities, such as dysgraphia or developmental coordination disorder (DCD), may exhibit persistent difficulties with handwriting despite interventions and accommodations. These conditions can impact various aspects of handwriting, including letter formation, spacing, and legibility.
There are more components that play a role in messy writing. Any one or combination of these underlying skills may lead to sloppy, messy written work.
Others may not always realize the “behind the scenes” stuff going on with handwriting, or realize that a particular activity was chosen because it has many layers to it. But this is one of the reasons why I love being an OT – it’s in our nature to see the big picture!
Now, sometimes it can be tricky to find handwriting activities that meet these criteria, but don’t feel like just another writing task. Luckily, my “Fix the Mistakes” handwriting activity checks ALL these boxes!
Addressing messy handwriting requires a comprehensive approach that addresses underlying motor, sensory, and cognitive factors through targeted interventions, accommodations, and practice-based strategies.
Pediatric OTs and OTAs take all of the underlying areas into consideration when planning therapy intervention activities. They focus on the underlying areas, but also function.
How to Fix Bad Handwriting habits
When it comes to fixing bad handwriting habits, we take a look at the underlying skills, the development of the individual, and individualized needs. We can assess what is “missing” or what bad habits might be used in written work.
Then, using specific strategies based on the needs of the child along with adaptations, modifications, and targeting specific goals can help to move from bad writing habits to functional and legible written work.
A huge part of that is self-awareness and self-correction.
Working on meaningful writing tasks and then self-correcting mistakes (or fixing mistakes) is often times the missing link in the classroom setting.
WHAT IS “FIX THE MISTAKES”?
“Fix the mistakes” is exactly as it sounds – the activity provides kiddos with handwriting mistakes, which they have to fix! Students will evaluate handwriting samples that do not adhere to handwriting rules (line placement, size, spacing & letter case). Students then rewrite the sample to fix the mistakes. So, how does it meet the above criteria?
• Students hone visual perceptual skills by focusing on differences in handwriting components and attending to spatial relationships.
• Students need to use their fine motor skills to put pencil to paper and fix the handwriting mistakes.
• Students utilize executive functioning to problem solve, sequence, and utilize working memory, just to name a few.
In order for students to know what proper handwriting looks like, it is important to explicitly teach handwriting rules (such as letter formation, letter size, spacing, line placement). This activity packet includes a visual “handwriting rules” guide to assist educators with this task.
There are several different themes and bundles of writing sheets to support various interests and to help make handwriting practice engaging and motivating.
Kids LOVE pointing out mistakes and being able to play the role of teacher. Not only do students enjoy it, but the concepts are more easily mastered when the kiddo is able to identify and point out the errors themselves.
Fixing handwriting mistakes at different levels
One thing therapy providers do is focus on functional, better handwriting at different levels. We can do this in various ways using the strengths of the student as well as by focusing on individualized needs. Supports like use graph paper, a slant board, or using special pens and pencils can support individual needs.
The Fix the Mistakes bundles allow the therapy provider to use one bundle with a whole caseload of students because it includes writing lines for each level.
As OT’s, we know that every student has different needs. Ranging from copying individual words to copying higher-level sentences, “Fix the Mistakes” activities support that differentiation so the activity can be easily tailored to the needs of each student.
In addition to different levels, handwriting lines can be a major difference. Personally, I have found that some students respond best to 3-lines, others work very well with 2-lines, while some do best with a simple single-lined piece of paper! Every level of “fix the mistakes” has a copy of each line style – all you have to do is choose the best worksheet for your student, then print and go. Easy peasy!
In the school setting, near point copying skills is a visual motor skill that enables students to copy written material from a book, workbook, or information source onto a paper. Copying material is a part of every grade. This is an area of functional handwriting that is covered in occupational therapy sessions through play because copying material at various levels is part of the educational process. In this blog post we are covering everything you need to know about near point copy skills.
Near Point Copying
Near point copying refers to the ability to write down and copy written material from a close point such as a desk surface. Close copy is a graded skill on the continuum of copying from a far point. Writing from a source is an essential stepping stone to far point copy.
Near point copying involves imitating or replicating what is seen in close proximity.
Far point copying, on the other hand, might involve copying from the board. Far point copying is more difficult than near point, because of the increase in working memory, visual attention, short term memory, visual saccades, and visual closure are involved.
Handwriting is a complex process and copying skills are just one step of the process.
Whether copying from a given space on a desk surface such as a book or notebook, there can be areas of breakdown that impact handwriting legibility:
This skill starts in kindergarten when young children copy words as in “write the room” activities. The ability to copy from a workbook, book onto a writing page develops with refined motor skills in older grades. In first grade or second grade, the copying skills move to workbook pages and lined paper. This skill becomes more efficient and fluent in middle school and high school, and then to college.
The ability to copy written material onto paper doesn’t stop there.
Copying from one point to another is a functional task used throughout the lifespan when copying words, lists, phone numbers, or other information onto a writing surface.
New skill acquisition has to start somewhere. It often begins with copying or mimicking. Babies smile in response to the smile of others. Children learn to catch by demonstration. Written expression starts by imitation, specifically near point copying.
copying from the board and occupational therapy
One functional area that an occupational therapy practitioner may address is copying from the board. In OT, this might mean working on progressively more challenging visual motor tasks so that the student can copy notes, homework lists, important information, etc. from a far point.
Copying from the board occupational therapy activities might include:
Assessing where challenges are stemming from (visual perception, visual shift, visual attention, working memory, etc.)
Targeting specific underlying skills
Progressive training to copy smaller chunks of information
Self-checking and self-assessment strategies
Tools for tackling the copying task
Practice with various tools and strategies
Copying from the board occupational therapy accommodations might look like:
Boxes drawn around the information on the board to draw attention to the information that needs to be copied
Different colored dry erase markers or chalk used for copying from the Smartboard or chalk board
More space between the information
A handwriting rubric can be a useful strategy used in occupational therapy to help identify where the copying skill is breaking down.
Skills needed for near point copying
As always, occupational therapy practitioners refer to the underlying skill components that play a role in functional tasks. In the task of copying handwriting material onto paper, there are specific skills that impact functional performance.
The following skills are necessary for near and far point copying:
Language skills – If a child has to copy letter by letter because he doesn’t know how to spell well enough, it takes a lot more time for him than for other students.
Working memory – A student with poor working memory may not be able to hold the information in his head long enough to get it down on paper. Read about working memory skills)
Pencil grasp – a learner with poor pencil grasp may take longer to write, fatigue easier, be inefficient, or spend extra mental energy trying to hold the writing tool
Coordination – coordination is necessary to write, hold the paper, sit in a chair, and shift the head and eyes to focus at different distances. Read about eye-hand coordination.
Muscle weakness – often leads to writing fatigue, inefficient grasping pattern, poor sitting tolerance, and difficulty with letter formation. Read about hand strengthening.
Vision – difficulty scanning and shifting focus from the board to paper, or top to bottom of the paper, convergence and divergence of the eyes as they focus on relevant information. Rule out possible visual acuity issues first like convergence insufficiency
Visual perception – a student who can not “see” what is written in front of them will have difficulty copying it correctly. Rule out visual perceptual difficulties by doing a motor free visual perception screener before addressing writing difficulties. Read about visual perceptual skills.
Visual motor skills- copying letter forms and letters require eye movements and the visual motor integration to copy letters and words. It’s a step up from copying shapes that we often use as a tool in occupational therapy sessions. Read about visual motor skills.
A word about near point copying
Near point copying is a stepping stone to independent writing. Copying is an excellent way to learn to draw and write, while focusing directly on visual and fine motor skills. It is important to understand and be confident at the basics before adding higher level cognitive skills such as spelling, remembering the formation of letters, and sentence generation. This is the same thought process that learners understand numbers and addition/subtraction, before heading on to fractions and multiplication.
In order for copying to be meaningful and lead to success, the learner needs to understand what they are copying. A learner who does not know their letters, will essentially be copying balls and sticks, rather than understanding the written word. This is why copying is a stepping stone that should eventually move forward to writing from dictation, memory, or original thoughts.
Near Point Copying Red Flags
Some of the areas you may see a when near point copying skills are a challenge:
Maladaptive behavior during handwriting. Frustration, fatigue, distraction
An awkward pencil grasp
Messy writing compared to their peers
Challenges with directionality
No awareness of the lines on the paper or borders during writing or coloring
Poor knowledge of the letters/shapes/numbers
They rush through their writing
They can not form the upper or lowercase letters
Reversals of letters and numbers frequently (this is common for young learners and not always a sign of dysfunction)
Do they avoid writing altogether?
Poor fine motor skills such as cutting, drawing, tying shoelaces, or stringing beads
Not all learners with poor or delayed handwriting have a learning disability or other disorder. Sometimes they need extra help because they never received appropriate teaching of letters and numbers. Other times they just fell behind, did not get enough high quality practice, or lack confidence in their skills.
How to develop Near Point Copying Skills
These intervention strategies can support near point copying skills:
If your learner is not ready to copy into these grids, try working on copying using a dry erase board, magnadoodle, their finger in the air, a table full of shaving cream, or a cookie sheet with salt
Vary the writing utensils to add to success.
Trialing various forms of adaptive paper can support visual scanning needs, particularly when transferring written information from a source onto paper. As the vision shifts from the material to be copied back to the paper, the eyes can “jump” around to find the place where material is to be written. Various forms of visual prompts such as highlighted lines, margin lines, etc. can bring awareness to the writing lines and support this need.
Use puzzles to complete a picture. Place puzzle pieces on a desk surface and place the box lid with a picture of the completed puzzle on the table surface. The student can then complete the puzzle using the picture as a visual guide.
Mazes are a tool for addressing pencil control while visually scanning on the page. This is a way to work on the visual motor integration needed for copying words or letters from a near point.
Use visuals to complete sequencing activities. Cut out pictures or use word labels and ask the student to put the words or visuals in order to match a picture or create a sequence for an end result.
Work on visual perceptual skills identifying same/different, hidden pictures, visual memory, and scanning
Memory board games- This is a great way to work on visual memory, visual attention, working memory, and other skills
Use a crayon or marker to copy coloring forms. One way to do this is using color by number activities.
Use a paper placed on the desk surface with letters of the alphabet. The student can point to letters with their index finger and name the letters. A letter-naming activity like this is a progression toward visual memory and recall to support writing the letter form.
Consider using a slant board to elevate the writing surface or the writing stimuli. A slant board can also be used for copying from a far point.
Check writing posture. When slouching or laying across a table surface, the visual motor skills are not able to copy accurately, relating to inconsistent use of letter size, line use, and copying without omissions or adding extra letters.
Teach letters and shapes through use of books, flashcards, manipulatives, games, or other tools
Have your learner practice remembering more than one letter at a time when copying from the board. They can start this by learning to retain information in near point copying as they do not have to retain the information as long.
Practice vision skills such as saccades needed for copying
Start by going back to the basics, re-teaching these skills, and putting in the practice to develop basic handwriting skills before moving on to higher level work. A learner who simply needs to have practice and confidence will learn very quickly. Someone who has a learning disorder or other diagnosis will take much longer to acquire these skills. Whatever the reason for the delay; practice, using effective tools such as the near point copying bundle, making writing fun, and using varied resources will help.
near point copying worksheets
Near point copying worksheets can be as simple as copying letters from the top of the page to the bottom of the page. It can also look like copying a sentence from a prompt at the top of the page.
There are graded progressions, too. These can be more functional and things that we do in everyday tasks:
Copying a list of information from one source to another side by side
Copying words to fill in blanks from a book to a worksheet
Copying dates and times onto a paper planner or calendar
Copying long form numbers from a computer screen to an accounting worksheet (checkbook or other tracker)
Copying from a near vertical position, requiring vertical shift as well as lateral shift
These skills can look like a wide variety of examples. Using near point copying worksheets is a nice way to work on this progression as well as practicing the functional task that the individual needs to improve upon.
With a near point copying worksheet, you can collect data and include modifications or grade the activity.
NEAR POINT COPYING Printable Packet
The OT Toolbox has a great tool for learning and practicing near point copying. The Near Point Copy Skills Pack addresses visual memory skills, visual attention, and visual motor integration skills so learners can copy material without missing information.
This essential handwriting skill can be a challenge for many, and leads to difficulties with copying written material from a distance, or with visual shift. It is full of printable worksheets for copying letters, shapes, words, cursive, and sentences. It also includes black worksheets and a data collection page. This Near Point Copying bundle is a great resource to add to your library. It is available HERE in the shop, or free as a level 2 member!
How to use the near point copying worksheets in the printable pack:
Start with the largest boxes first. New learners do not have the intrinsic musculature to draw in small spaces
Basic shapes and lines are important pre-writing skills
Change the sort order of copying tasks to limit memorization
Start at different points each time if your learner can not do all of the page in one sitting. This way they do not always fatigue at letter j, never finishing to z
Laminate for use with wipe off markers. Reusable tasks are more eco-friendly
Project onto a smart board to include written examples, far point copying, and working in a different perspective
And the next step is copying from a chalkboard for far point copying!
Victoria Wood, OTR/L is a contributor to The OT Toolbox and has been providing Occupational Therapy treatment in pediatrics for more than 25 years. She has practiced in hospital settings (inpatient, outpatient, NICU, PICU), school systems, and outpatient clinics in several states. She has treated hundreds of children with various sensory processing dysfunction in the areas of behavior, gross/fine motor skills, social skills and self-care. Ms. Wood has also been a featured speaker at seminars, webinars, and school staff development training. She is the author of Seeing your Home and Community with Sensory Eyes.
This packet of near point copy exercises includes data collection areas on each page, allowing users to identify needs in copying speed of written work and letter copying issues, as well as handwriting and letter formation needs.
This packet includes copying materials for:
Pre-Writing Shapes
Printed Letters
Cursive Letters
Upper case and lower case letters
Words
Sentences
Cursive Words
Cursive Sentences
Various grades of writing paper sizes
Data Collection Sheets
Use this printable packet to work on copying skills and visual processing integration from grades Kindergarten-through High School (and beyond).
