Is your child struggling with messy handwriting? You’re not alone—and it’s not something to panic about. Handwriting develops at different rates for each child, and with a little support at home, most children can improve with time, patience, and the right resources.
Strong handwriting is important not only for neat schoolwork but also for helping children express their ideas clearly, build confidence, and stay focused in class. If your child finds handwriting difficult, there are simple and fun things you can do at home to help.
Why Some Children Struggle with Handwriting
There are many reasons why handwriting may be a challenge:
- Fine motor skills are still developing
- The child holds the pencil awkwardly
- They rush or feel frustrated
- They haven’t had enough guided practice
- They’re unsure of letter formation or spacing
Fortunately, all of these issues can be addressed with small daily activities and plenty of encouragement.
Simple Things You Can Do at Home
Here are some tried-and-tested ways to help your child improve their handwriting:
1. Strengthen Fine Motor Skills
Before children can write well, they need to build the muscles in their hands and fingers.
Try:
- Squeezing playdough or stress balls
- Cutting with child-safe scissors
- Stringing beads or threading activities
- Pegging clothes or playing with building blocks.
2. Practice Pencil Grip
Show your child how to hold a pencil correctly. Use triangular pencils or grips if needed. A good grip helps with control and reduces hand fatigue.
3. Set Up a Comfortable Writing Space
Ensure they have a flat surface, a comfortable chair, and good lighting. Keep distractions to a minimum.
4. Use Short, Focused Practice Sessions
Rather than long writing drills, aim for 5–10 minutes of focused practice each day. This keeps your child engaged and reduces frustration.
5. Encourage Letter Formation Practice
Start with individual letters, then move on to words and sentences. Twinkl’s handwriting resources are specially designed for South African learners, covering both Foundation Phase print and South African cursive.
These resources include:
✅ Letter formation posters and cards
✅ Tracing worksheets for letters, words, and sentences
✅ Fine motor control practice sheets
✅ Join-the-dots activities
✅ Cursive handwriting guides
✅ Seasonal and themed handwriting practice (perfect for holidays or fun weekends!)
Whether your child is just starting in Grade R or is in a higher grade needing extra support, these printable and digital resources can make practice easy and engaging.
How to Get Started
Visit www.twinkl.co.za and search for “South Africa handwriting.” You’ll find a range of free and premium resources suitable for different ages and handwriting styles. Many families start with a free trial to explore everything available.
A Little Practice Goes a Long Way
Improving handwriting takes time, but it’s a journey worth taking. With a mix of fun activities, positive feedback, and the right tools, your child can build confidence and take pride in their writing. Your encouragement makes all the difference—and with Twinkl South Africa’s support, you’re never doing it alone.
The company provides high quality, online learning materials and services, which are all teacher-created and checked.
Twinkl offers over 1 million resources, with new content added daily. This ranges from schemes of work and assessments to augmented reality games and much more.
Twinkl is used and trusted by schools and educators in over 200 countries and regions, including primary and secondary school teachers, nursery workers and parents.
Twinkl has over 1400 team members based in its two Sheffield offices and remotely around the globe, including a large team in South Africa.
More information can be found at twinkl.co.za
Our story:
The idea for Twinkl came to Jonathan and Susie Seaton when Susie was working as an Early Years teacher and couldn’t find the materials she needed for her lessons online. As a result, Susie was working evenings and weekends to make resources from scratch.
Speaking to colleagues and friends, the couple found that Susie was not alone in her situation. So, to help other teachers, they began creating and publishing educational resources online from their spare bedroom.
The business grew quickly and organically as educators embraced the high-quality materials. The team grew quickly too, with current and former teachers, as well as experts in content and design soon joining Jonathan and Susie in their mission 'to help those who teach.'
Jonathan and Susie are delighted that Twinkl is now taking this mission across the world, returning time and energy to educators that is better spent in the classroom with their pupils or on themselves at home.
