Download: Tools to help with handwriting

Does your child have messy handwriting? These tools can help kids develop the skills needed for writing by hand (called fine motor skills).

• If your child doesn’t leave enough space in between words when writing, try the “spacekid.”

• Bold line paper can help your child practice staying in the lines. Remind your child that smaller letters, like the lowercase c, or the loop of a b, should fit between the bottom and middle lines.

• Textured line paper can give your child even more support. To make it, print out the bold line paper. Then trace the top and bottom lines on the paper with fabric paint or glue. Once it dries, your child’s pencil will “bump” into the lines during writing.

• Tracing shapes and maze-like paths can help your child build fine motor skills. Print out these sheets to give your child practice. You can use them over and over if you put the printed pages in plastic page protectors and use a dry-erase marker to trace.

You can also reach out to your child’s school for more ideas on how to help your child with handwriting.