Can you improve your handwriting without the usual endless writing practice? Yes! Hold onto your pens because here at TCT we have created something to enhance handwriting skills while having fun! We are excited to launch our 6 for 6 handwriting programme that's so much more than just putting pen on paper. ✍🏻
Here is how 6 for 6 makes it possible to improve the skills needed for handwriting without practising handwriting.
Background
As all good physiotherapists and occupational therapists will agree, practicing and securing gross motor skills (the big movements of the body) is vital before fine motor skills (small movements of the hands and fingers) are at their most efficient and can be transferrable to other skills for function and learning.
Working hard on big body movements, makes refining and improving small movements much easier to achieve. When less physical effort for handwriting is required, the body fatigues less and muscles don’t ache as much. Therefore, it is possible to improve the skills needed for handwriting without practising handwriting.
6 for 6 is designed for young people who present with any or all of the following:
Those who have messy/illegible writing.
Those who have disorganised work on a page.
Those that complain of muscle fatigue/aching in their hands.
Those who are always slower than their peers to finish written work.
Those who present with joints that are a little more bendy or flexible than their peers.
Those who struggle to sit still and have a tendency to fidget.
Those who will often sit at a desk propping on their elbows/slumping on the table/hooking their feet around the chair legs, to help with stability whilst writing.
Key Components
Being able to write easily and clearly is a bit like making a cake, if you have all the right things in place like good quality ingredients, the right equipment and a good technique then the ‘end product’ will be good. As movement specialists, we as therapists look at the ‘ingredients and technique’ as a set of physical abilities. If they are all of good quality and in place, they can improve the ‘end product’ in this case, handwriting.
How does it work?
There is a quick and easy task at the beginning of the programme that can repeated at the end for comparison. The programme can then be started.
The young person will be asked to follow the programme for 6 days out of 7, for 6 weeks (6 for 6).
Each day they will do the 6 specific tasks on the programme.
Each week has a new programme.
At the end of 6 weeks, having completed the whole programme, the initial task they did at the beginning will be repeated.
You can then compare the results.
The programme can be repeated for further improvement -taking 2 weeks off before starting again is advised.
Other positive effects that may be seen once the programme has been completed, are improvements in general fitness, increased strength, better stamina, less fatigue, hand aching and improved co-ordination.
Who is 6 for 6 designed for?
The programme is suitable for Year 6 aged students, right through to young adults at university! 6 for 6 is suitable to use at home or in an educational setting.
Using 6 for 6 in Schools
We often hear from school and teachers that they have students who are struggling with messy, illegible, slow and/or a dislike of handwriting. 6 for 6 is designed for school to recommend for parents and students but also lends itself really well to running as a group within school. Its clear easy to follow format gives the school all it needs to implement the programme and show a before and after result. Not only will this benefit the students but the ‘evidence’ produced can also be used when planning any SEN, onward referrals or additional input for students.
The 6 for 6 authors
TCT is where you will find two of our physios who lead a double life!! As well as working as part of the TCT team, Wendy Joy and Jane Reynolds are known as the Storycises Physios. They are committed to sharing their fun ideas and helping children build the physical skills essential for success in the classroom and beyond, so created 6 for 6, an innovative way to improve handwriting without writing.
How can I buy 6 for 6?
To order copies of 6 for 6 please contact TCT using the online enquiry form here
Alternatively, email info@totalchildrenstherapy.com or call the TCT Office on 01202 743674.
Thank you to all the young people who have tested out the 6 for 6 programme. they showed us and themselves that when they committed to it for six weeks, not only did it have a positive impact on their handwriting, but they saw other improvements physically too.
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