Term 2, Week 10, 2026

Our new curriculum has strong, clear objectives for handwriting with emphasis on practice everyday. Handwriting is absolutely fundamental to progress with writing and reading and is the key to lifting literacy. At our school, learners at every year level do daily handwriting which includes explicit instruction on the correct formation of letters and practising for fluency.

Why?

1. It Links the Brain’s “Reading” and “Writing” Circuits

When children write a letter by hand, they aren’t just drawing; they are using a specific motor movement. Research shows that physically forming a letter creates a strong pathway in the brain.

• The Connection: Moving the hand to form the letter “b” helps the brain memorize its shape much better than just looking at it on a flashcard or pressing a key on a keyboard.
• The Result: Better letter recognition, which directly leads to faster, smoother reading.

2. It Frees Up Mental Working Memory

• When handwriting becomes automatic through daily practice, it frees up a child’s working memory.
• Because they don’t have to think about how to write, they can focus all their energy on what to write (vocabulary, sentence structure, and expressing their ideas) and how to spell words

To have a look at the way we teach writing – use this link to see the New Zealand Handwriting Curriculum.

To find out more about the importance of handwriting have a look at this helpful video clip.