In our household, we practice handwriting everyday.
And we aren’t practicing because we want “prettier” writing or better spelling or a perfect cursive letter “S”.
We practice handwriting because it centers our hearts and souls.
In our house, we have one family member who suffers from depression, one that suffers from anxiety, one that needs to remind himself of all the good that happens in a day, and one that has a hard time shutting down her brain so she can go to sleep at night.
So when I was contacted to be part of BIC’s® “Fight For Your Write” campaign, I jumped at the chance. Not only does our family have an office supply addiction, but we also believe in the power of journaling and writing down our thoughts on a regular basis.
Why Kids & Adults Need To Practice Handwriting
Kids and adults need to practice handwriting (the act of writing down you thoughts on paper) because of the numerous emotional and cognitive benefits.
There is a special magic that happens when you transfer your thoughts to paper through the act of handwriting and drawing. Handwriring promotes critical thinking, reading comprehension, fine motor skills, creativity and self-confidence.
Seriously, handwriting engages 14 DIFFERENT abilities!
- Visual focusing.
- Mental attention.
- Organized physical movements.
- Receptive language.
- Inner-expressive language.
- Memory recall.
- Concentration with awareness.
- Spatial perception.
- Organization.
- Integration.
- Eye-hand coordination.
- Motor planning.
- Tactile input.
- Crossing midline.
Pretty amazing stuff for just “writing” on a piece of paper.
Since school is starting next week, I spent some time with my daughter and asked her a couple of questions. She was allowed to respond anyway she wanted…there were no right or wrong answers. I didn’t check for spelling. I just allowed her express her thoughts on paper.
My first question was…“What would you do if you were principal for a day?”
As you can see…there was a LOT of thought going into this answer.
And NO SURPRISE, her answer was pretty typical for a 5th grader.
(You can ask your kids the same question and get rewarded in return! Take a picture of your kiddo’s handwritten response to “What Would You Do If You Were Principal For A Day?” and enter it at BICfightforyourwrite.com for a chance to win a $10,000 scholarship. See official rules here – Ends 8/15/16.)
Next, I asked her… “Why do you like math and science?”
Her answers were a little more surprising…she talked about animals and figuring out positive and negative energy. While I knew about her love of animals, I didn’t know about her interest in positive/negative energy…so that allowed us to have a discussion about it and what she had learned so far.
(PS: I loved that she misspelled “science” … just like her mom … a typo queen.)
As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, our family is office supply addicts. We love a fresh notebook. A new set of pens (especially when they are colored). Or a newly-sharpened pencil.
In my humble opinion, a fresh and fun supply of writing utensils makes handwriting and journaling FUN. Who doesn’t like using a purple pen? Or a fine-tip highlighter?
So in my effort to keep you abreast of the “latest” in office supply technology, here are my reviews of BIC’s new products for Back To School.
- BIC ® Cristal ® Xtra Precision Ball Pen. These were my favorites!! I’m a Cristal pen devotee (nothing like a classic), so I was STOKED to get my favorite pen in eight FUN colors.
- BIC ® XTRA-Fun #2 Pencils with Stripes. These pencils are super colorful and write smooth. Perfect for an elementary school kiddo.
- BIC ® Velocity ® Side Clic™ Mechanical Pencil. This was the favorite of my middle schooler. In fact, he took the whole package and claimed it as his own.
- BIC ® Atlantis ® Bold. These were my daughter’s second favorite item. She loved that they didn’t make a “click” noise and the ink came out perfect every time.
- BIC ® 4-Color Stylus and Pen. A classic with a STYLUS. I was skeptical of the stylus, BUT I watched my daughter use it on her iPad and it was GREAT. This would be the perfect pen to put in your “mama purse”…avoid using a GERM-Y store stylus, plus have colors on demand for long waits with kiddos.
- BIC ® Brite Liner ® FlexTip™ Highlighter. This was daughter’s favorite item. She loved the flexible tip…so she could make highlighting fine or thick point.
As you are putting your back-to-school schedules together, I want to encourage you to carve out 5 – 10 minutes a day for the family activity of handwriting and journaling.
It can be as easy as taking a piece of paper and writing things you are thankful or anxious about. For older kids, you may want to pass a journal back and forth, expressing yours (and their) thoughts and frustrations. Or it can be as simple as writing down quick prayers or thoughts before you go to sleep.
And before long, I bet you will notice a calmer, more focused and centered family. And all it takes is a pen and a piece of paper.
Do you practice handwriting and journaling as a family? If so leave me a comment and let me know. I love learning new ways!
Disclosure: I’m THRILLED to be partnering with BIC and The Motherhood in a sponsored capacity on this post. With that being said, the written remarks and opinions, along with my LOVE of office supplies are entirely my own. Want more information – check out my full disclosure statement.
