Cool. Also, journaling by hand … and if you like to write stories, poetry, etc, get a notebook to writes notes and drafts. I still use a spiral-bound notebook and I am in my forties.
After you have learned the basics of forming letters and connecting them into words, you might consider buying actual calligraphy pens. Not the expensive ones that you use with an inkwell, but the felt chisel-tip pens. Those would help you keep the pen stable in your hands. We were not permitted to use ball point pens in our writing classes because they rolled around; of course, those were the first ball points available in the U.S.
This is definitely the place to start but at the same time don't push it if it really, really doesn't work for you. I do teach children to hold pencils correctly as a starting point but I also know people (myself included) who do not have proper pencil grip and have beautiful handwriting. Proper pencil grip will generally be better for your hands and give you more stamina so it's definitely good to start there. Just, like, don't lose hope if it seems impossible? There are other ways.
Yup. Back in the early fifties, when I was learning cursive, we had at least a half hour of practice every day. And we had workbooks, so the teacher could see how we formed our letters one by one. We practiced individual letters and lower and upper case, and we practiced letter connections. And we did shapes as well, as in calligraphy. From second through fifth grades. Every day.
This is my biggest writing insecurity. I suffered a wrist injury a few years back and can't hold a pen properly anymore. My handwriting still looks fine but I hold the pen in my fist.
I'm not a teacher but I had horrible writing at your age and I fixed it.
For me, what worked was writing out the alphabet and looking at how each letter looked when I wrote it, then working on how I wanted each one to look.
Once I'd essentially created my own font, I made myself pay attention whenever I wrote to shaping the letters into that specific font.
It took a while, and a lot of writing out my notes, but I got to where I had very clear handwriting - and I could write it very quickly as well.
Of course, that was before I even had a desktop computer, much less laptops and smartphones, so...
I have dysgraphia. I practiced. It might seem dumb but really consider how you write each letter and how they fit together. My students have noticed I write several letters in a couple of different ways. But that’s because I tried out a couple of styles and liked how they all felt but moving from one kind of e to an a is different to an r. Also try out writing cursive or in really tiny print just to try it out. I did all of this as a child and then again as an adult. Family members are astounded by the change in my handwriting. But I also started writing a lot. I would hand write my essays before typing them up and write chapters by hand as well. Practice, practice, practice.
My handwriting improved as an adult, considerably, when I taught kindergarten and had to write everyone's first and last names on handwriting lines in yellow highlighter for them to trace.
All twenty students. Five times each. Every week.
Each letter had to be formed exactly as it was in the handwriting journal. That meant the lowercase 'e' begins with a perfectly straight line that connects to a perfect 'c.' Lowercase 'a,' 'd', and 'g' all begin with a perfect 'c' shape, then lift your pencil up to start at the dotted line and pull down. No more relaxed loops and approximations of letters. Each one had to be exact.
Repeat, repeat, repeat.
I suggest getting a [handwriting journal](https://www.amazon.com/Print-Handwriting-Workbook-Teens-handwriting/dp/B08BDSDWLH?ref_=ast_slp_dp) or two and practicing every day.
Yes!! Everyone in college kind of rolled their eyes when the professor passed out regular handwriting and cursive handwriting worksheets for us to do as homework!
But all that practice came in handy when I got a job teaching kindergarten, and had to write everyone’s name many, many times!
As others have said, OP, focus on each letter at first—make sure you are forming them correctly, making the circles the correct direction, starting at the top, etc. Take your time, and you’ll have beautiful handwriting before you know it. I was actually writing my F’s wrong (started at the bottom) so I fixed that from my professor’s handwriting exercises.
You might want to see an occupational therapist to make sure you have the right hand strength, coordination, etc. And don't be afraid to use technology.
Get a journal and just start practicing.
Especially practice writing slowly, correctly, and big. The more you slowly recreate the letters, the more your brain will get them wired. Then over time you will be able to recreate those letters quickly in a neat and legible manner.
Plus, if you journal, you'll get all those benefits too. Quadruple returns if you read for at least 20 minutes each day *and* then journal about what you read.
The type of pen/pencil you use can make a big difference. For example, you may write better with a mechanical pencil that has lead of a particular size or a pen with gel ink of particular thickness.
Think of handwriting as you would drawing pictures since it’s essentially the same thing. Practice repeatedly. That’s how you get better at both of those things.
The fact you want to improve means you have a chance. I would suggest an ergonomic pencil grip because chances are your hand doesn't have the stamina to write for a long time. The grip will help finger positioning and keep your hand from getting as tired as fast. It will also make it more comfortable to hold and you won't get calluses.
First, you need to decide what style you wish to write with. Few people can do more than one very well. I recommend Palmer. Very common in the U.S., not as cool as Spencerian, but faster and easier. One you decide on a style, there are any number of resources, books, videos, with which to practice.
After that, it's just like anything else...practice. Different styles use different muscles, so practice practice practice.
The other thing, which has been mentioned, is get some good quality paper and writing implements. I tend to prefer paper made in Vietnam or France, or Brazil, and for pencils, I like General Cedar Pointe. I'm less picky about pens, generally just use one of several Jinhao fountain pens. It's like anything else, the gear alone won't make it good, but it always helps to work with good gear.
There are the actual handwriting practice books and pages, and you should be able to download some of you don't want to pay for the physical books.
Keep track of your progress. This will be easier if you're using something like a journal or spiral. But looking back at your first attempts and seeing how much you've progressed can be encouraging when you're struggling with motivation.
Use good materials to practice with. Cheap, crappy materials that break or tear often and interrupt your flow can be demotivating.
Practice with a variety of texts. First, copying the same thing over and over again gets boring. Second, you'll need to practice a variety of combinations of letters and lengths of letter strings to maintain/improve dexterity.
Figure out a reward system for yourself. I would recommend upgrading your writing utensils and paper. Or buy some formal stationary to show off your skills by sending handwritten notes to people. A handwritten thank you note is a statement in itself!
My 14yo is trying and his tutor recommended a calligraphy pen. It helps to recalibrate the tactile interaction between pen and hand. Also, writing paper with lines specifically made for penmanship.
Not a teacher, but two things helped me; and one lead to discovering the other. I started learning calligraphy, and I learned how much pen weight and nib resistance can make a difference.
I now use weighted, fountain pens or rollerball pens when I need to write anything more important than a grocery list.
In France, before learning letters, children practice shapes. Drawing straight lines, practicing loops, etc. Maybe go back to the basics? Work on some basic geometric shapes to start
Practice. When I was in school, cliques tended to have similar handwriting to each other because it's what they saw and emulated. Kids now don't seem interested in passing secret notes, so they're missing out. There's also not as much practice since a lot is done on Chromebook.
The only way to get better at anything is to practice. Copy paragraphs from a book that you're reading. Write a letter to your friend instead of an email. Take any opportunity you can to physically write stuff out. There's no magic wand, unfortunately. There's only time and practice.
When my mom was told I needed to practice my handwriting, she bought me a journal and told me I had to write at least one page every day over the summer. It definitely improved my handwriting and I think it really helped me with self-awareness, sorting out my thoughts and feelings on paper.
Just like... make sure you can read it. I can't tell you how many kids (and I teach seniors) tell me they can't read their own writing. If I can't read it and *you* can't read it, I can't give credit.
My son decided around age 16 or 17 he didn't like his handwriting. (Developmental delays meant his writing was much like that of a much younger kid.) So he sat himself down at the table and wrote until his hand hurt every day. He chose to write MLK's "I have a dream" speech over and over. In fact, at this point he's 24 and can still recite it from memory.
Maybe a kid could write something they find inspiring. Or perhaps start a penpal thing with a class in another state or country? Maybe partner with a local retirement home to be penpals if postage is an issue? Write letters to the troops - even a short one every day or two would really be meaningful for them.
Something like that to make the effort meaningful... no one, except my weird kid, wants to write just for the sake of writing.
The problem with a foreign penpal is that person isn't a native English speaker and will not be able to work through the difficulties you have writing English words.
Habits take 10,000 hours to develop. Muscle memory can take less, or more, depending on your fine motor skills.
It takes practice. Hours and hours and hours of practice.
It is OK to not like coloring. I've had many students over the years that didn't care for it. Just look for other fine motor activities to help increase and improve strength, dexterity, and precision in hands. One activity I would have my students do would be cutting paper. I print out a variety of lines, from straight to completely and wickedly curvy or zigzagged, and they would practice cutting the lines. It's a lot harder than it sounds like. That activity, among others, such as anything requiring intricate use of hand and gingers, always led to improvement in handwriting. Also, using tongs of different formness to transfer small items such as beads, cotton balls or pom pom fluffs from one small container to another smaller container can be rather helpful and even fun.
Also continue to practice, practice, practice handwriting. Maybe focus on a few letters at a time. Choose a group of letters that have similar strokes. For example i, k, l, t,v, w, x, y and z require short straight strokes. J, f, require a straight stroke and a short curved stroke. h, m, n require a longer single stroke that has both straight and curved parts. lowercase a, c, e, o, require loops or curved strokes. B, d, g, p, q require a combination of loops and straight strokes. S, numbers 3 and 5 require the most intricate strokes and dexterity. Work on those last. All letters mentioned are in lowercase form.
I going on memory alone, so I may have missed a letter or two. I've been on summer break for several weeks now. I can look up a more precise and exact order to work on if you would like. You can also search online for fine motor activites. There are a lot of free ideas, workseets, etc available.
Perseverance and practice, practice, practice will accomplish this. Good luck!
Here is the classic on the Palmer method.
[https://archive.org/details/palmermethodofbu00palmrich/mode/2up?view=theater](https://archive.org/details/palmermethodofbu00palmrich/mode/2up?view=theater)
Maybe one of those handwriting workbooks? They may seem juvenile but I have them to my middle schoolers when they needed to practice. Then you can copy things from books or write in a journal to practice more.
I honestly highly recommend forcing yourself to write in boxy Smallcaps font, like the style Goodnotes influencers use on tiktok.
Reason being, my parents both work at a medical center, and they said they both Looovveee my handwriting because there’s literally no ambiguity between letters. They’re so used to receiving forms with- not even chicken scratch- but just slightly ambiguous lettering.
My handwriting is a breeze to read
Hi, not a teacher, my partner is so sometimes I pop in here
I have bad hand writing, but it's improved recently. What helped me is thicker pens/pencils and learning some basic caligraphy. on graph paper also gave me a better sense of spacing/kerning. I also picked up some neography for funsies
My default/casual hand is still kinda bad, but if I'm paying attention it's pretty good.
Pick up a pen, grab some paper, put pen to paper and write.
I know it sucks, but it’s one of those skills that needs to be practice for your muscles to learn how to do it. I’m dyslexic and that was not a fun thing to be in the 90s and 2000s. I was bullied a lot for being “dumb” and “simple” and all kinds of other things by fellow students and teachers alike. I did have a handful of excellent teachers who did in fact help, and this is how. I tell all my students that now
Go buy a kids learn cursive workbook from Amazon or a teaching supply store. It should allow you to trace over letters and give you room to practice. If you want to do Pages over and over, cover the page with a plastic sheet and use a dry erase marker.
Also lots of you tube videos will help
There are various websites where you can create and print handwriting practice worksheets for free if you want to practice tracing letters. You can also download full handwriting books from websites like Teachers Pay Teachers.
Printing or cursive?
Either way, you can buy paperback exercise books with lines in them and examples of how the letters are formed. They're geared toward very young kids who are learning how to write, but it couldn't hurt.
Suggestions:
Slow down.
Find a handwriting style you like and copy it (architect, calligraphy, etc).
Practice.
Try using different things to write with- soft pencils, hard pencils, mechanical pencils, gel pens, ball point pen, felt tipped pen.
Journaling, practicing your abc’s for fun, setting a challenge for yourself to try to write notes and handwritten stuff creatively and smoothly.
Or learn a different language with a different alphabet
Calligraphy and or brush or fancy lettering.
"Lettering"takes a different part of the brain (for me at least) than"writing".
I failed penmanship for years and my coworkers still can't read my notes to self... but miss i intend to share are very fancy.
(This is why my notes in with meetings are always eagerly collected but I'm not allowed to do the minutes:
Notes https://imgur.com/gallery/71FUbUO
)
I teach high school English and have just started to teach this again! So many people struggle with it.
Start with lowercase letter and group them into patterns (similar shapes - aoeuc etc.). Then do upper case. Take your time to fully form every single letter and make it as neat as possible. Then move on to smaller words / more common words.
You can also work on trying to copy fonts - like calligraphy but not necessarily as formal. It can be more fun to make it look nice and play about with things.
Don’t stress if it doesn’t come out as perfect as you want. Just keep going. Small improvement. Better to do a small amount and often than all in one go and never do it again.
It’s not easy to unlearn handwriting habits. Do you print or cursive? You you don’t so cursive it might be worth trying to switch. Easier to learn a new way then correct something you’ve been doing for years. I switched to cursive my sophomore year and my print is still pretty crappy. My cursive however is not bad at all and gets a lot of compliments.
Practice, practice, and practice. You can print free writing practice sheets online. I’ve done that for several students who needed to or wanted to work on their handwriting. There are also lettering kits you can buy to work on different types of lettering. You will practice with whatever style you choose, but eventually what you end up will be a mix of styles that works for you. When I was a teen and anybody wanted to improve their handwriting - they just practiced everyday writing on paper. I know it sounds boring and repetitive, but you’re building muscle memory. Do you play any video games - that can help with hand eye coordination. Here’s an article that gives you some specific things you can do to help. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/activities-to-sharpen-your-eyehand-coordination
Practice meaningfully. For hours. Take your time when writing. Seriously. Pair it with a vocabulary book or write definitions of words. Keep dated notebooks to track progress. Make goals for yourself.
I had a 15 year old student who wrote like a five year old at the start of last school year. He worked really hard every day at it. By the end of the year it was legible - still childish, but you could tell what every letter was. It will take a long time before your handwriting is “pretty” but it will go a long way on a job application if you have to hand write it; I’ve worked for small business owners who wouldn’t call people in for interviews based on their handwriting and spelling.
It’s not hard to do, but you have to do it every day. Start with 5 minutes and go up from there. Start with words and work your way up to sentences up to paragraphs.
Watch some videos about how to hold a pen correctly. Then practice.
Alright, thank you!
I used to have my kid transcribe passages from favorite books into a notebook.
I’ll give both a try, then!
Cool. Also, journaling by hand … and if you like to write stories, poetry, etc, get a notebook to writes notes and drafts. I still use a spiral-bound notebook and I am in my forties.
After you have learned the basics of forming letters and connecting them into words, you might consider buying actual calligraphy pens. Not the expensive ones that you use with an inkwell, but the felt chisel-tip pens. Those would help you keep the pen stable in your hands. We were not permitted to use ball point pens in our writing classes because they rolled around; of course, those were the first ball points available in the U.S.
They make grips to put your fingers in the correct position. They're fairly cheap, and it might be worth trying until you get used to it.
This is definitely the place to start but at the same time don't push it if it really, really doesn't work for you. I do teach children to hold pencils correctly as a starting point but I also know people (myself included) who do not have proper pencil grip and have beautiful handwriting. Proper pencil grip will generally be better for your hands and give you more stamina so it's definitely good to start there. Just, like, don't lose hope if it seems impossible? There are other ways.
Yup. Back in the early fifties, when I was learning cursive, we had at least a half hour of practice every day. And we had workbooks, so the teacher could see how we formed our letters one by one. We practiced individual letters and lower and upper case, and we practiced letter connections. And we did shapes as well, as in calligraphy. From second through fifth grades. Every day.
I wish one could buy those old workbooks or pages that helped you learn to write.
This is my biggest writing insecurity. I suffered a wrist injury a few years back and can't hold a pen properly anymore. My handwriting still looks fine but I hold the pen in my fist.
I'm not a teacher but I had horrible writing at your age and I fixed it. For me, what worked was writing out the alphabet and looking at how each letter looked when I wrote it, then working on how I wanted each one to look. Once I'd essentially created my own font, I made myself pay attention whenever I wrote to shaping the letters into that specific font. It took a while, and a lot of writing out my notes, but I got to where I had very clear handwriting - and I could write it very quickly as well. Of course, that was before I even had a desktop computer, much less laptops and smartphones, so...
I’ve used this method in high school and it helped so much with improving my handwriting!
So. Much. Practice.
I have all summer. Good to know what needs to be done, though. Thank you.
Proud of you for wanting to improve! Best of luck.
I have dysgraphia. I practiced. It might seem dumb but really consider how you write each letter and how they fit together. My students have noticed I write several letters in a couple of different ways. But that’s because I tried out a couple of styles and liked how they all felt but moving from one kind of e to an a is different to an r. Also try out writing cursive or in really tiny print just to try it out. I did all of this as a child and then again as an adult. Family members are astounded by the change in my handwriting. But I also started writing a lot. I would hand write my essays before typing them up and write chapters by hand as well. Practice, practice, practice.
Thanks for sharing this. My daughter has it too and maybe this will help.
So, as an art teacher, I recommend drawing. It sounds nutsy, but there’s a link between handwriting and drawing.
Agree. Also an art teacher.
My handwriting improved as an adult, considerably, when I taught kindergarten and had to write everyone's first and last names on handwriting lines in yellow highlighter for them to trace. All twenty students. Five times each. Every week. Each letter had to be formed exactly as it was in the handwriting journal. That meant the lowercase 'e' begins with a perfectly straight line that connects to a perfect 'c.' Lowercase 'a,' 'd', and 'g' all begin with a perfect 'c' shape, then lift your pencil up to start at the dotted line and pull down. No more relaxed loops and approximations of letters. Each one had to be exact. Repeat, repeat, repeat. I suggest getting a [handwriting journal](https://www.amazon.com/Print-Handwriting-Workbook-Teens-handwriting/dp/B08BDSDWLH?ref_=ast_slp_dp) or two and practicing every day.
Yes!! Everyone in college kind of rolled their eyes when the professor passed out regular handwriting and cursive handwriting worksheets for us to do as homework! But all that practice came in handy when I got a job teaching kindergarten, and had to write everyone’s name many, many times! As others have said, OP, focus on each letter at first—make sure you are forming them correctly, making the circles the correct direction, starting at the top, etc. Take your time, and you’ll have beautiful handwriting before you know it. I was actually writing my F’s wrong (started at the bottom) so I fixed that from my professor’s handwriting exercises.
You might want to see an occupational therapist to make sure you have the right hand strength, coordination, etc. And don't be afraid to use technology.
Get a journal and just start practicing. Especially practice writing slowly, correctly, and big. The more you slowly recreate the letters, the more your brain will get them wired. Then over time you will be able to recreate those letters quickly in a neat and legible manner. Plus, if you journal, you'll get all those benefits too. Quadruple returns if you read for at least 20 minutes each day *and* then journal about what you read.
The type of pen/pencil you use can make a big difference. For example, you may write better with a mechanical pencil that has lead of a particular size or a pen with gel ink of particular thickness.
Think of handwriting as you would drawing pictures since it’s essentially the same thing. Practice repeatedly. That’s how you get better at both of those things.
I got to be very good at drawing by tracing pictures on tracing paper when I was little. It was like magic!
The fact you want to improve means you have a chance. I would suggest an ergonomic pencil grip because chances are your hand doesn't have the stamina to write for a long time. The grip will help finger positioning and keep your hand from getting as tired as fast. It will also make it more comfortable to hold and you won't get calluses.
First, you need to decide what style you wish to write with. Few people can do more than one very well. I recommend Palmer. Very common in the U.S., not as cool as Spencerian, but faster and easier. One you decide on a style, there are any number of resources, books, videos, with which to practice. After that, it's just like anything else...practice. Different styles use different muscles, so practice practice practice. The other thing, which has been mentioned, is get some good quality paper and writing implements. I tend to prefer paper made in Vietnam or France, or Brazil, and for pencils, I like General Cedar Pointe. I'm less picky about pens, generally just use one of several Jinhao fountain pens. It's like anything else, the gear alone won't make it good, but it always helps to work with good gear.
There are the actual handwriting practice books and pages, and you should be able to download some of you don't want to pay for the physical books. Keep track of your progress. This will be easier if you're using something like a journal or spiral. But looking back at your first attempts and seeing how much you've progressed can be encouraging when you're struggling with motivation. Use good materials to practice with. Cheap, crappy materials that break or tear often and interrupt your flow can be demotivating. Practice with a variety of texts. First, copying the same thing over and over again gets boring. Second, you'll need to practice a variety of combinations of letters and lengths of letter strings to maintain/improve dexterity. Figure out a reward system for yourself. I would recommend upgrading your writing utensils and paper. Or buy some formal stationary to show off your skills by sending handwritten notes to people. A handwritten thank you note is a statement in itself!
My 14yo is trying and his tutor recommended a calligraphy pen. It helps to recalibrate the tactile interaction between pen and hand. Also, writing paper with lines specifically made for penmanship.
Keep practicing. Be sure you’ve got a good grip, comfy pen/pencil and just practice.
Not a teacher, but two things helped me; and one lead to discovering the other. I started learning calligraphy, and I learned how much pen weight and nib resistance can make a difference. I now use weighted, fountain pens or rollerball pens when I need to write anything more important than a grocery list.
In France, before learning letters, children practice shapes. Drawing straight lines, practicing loops, etc. Maybe go back to the basics? Work on some basic geometric shapes to start
Practice. When I was in school, cliques tended to have similar handwriting to each other because it's what they saw and emulated. Kids now don't seem interested in passing secret notes, so they're missing out. There's also not as much practice since a lot is done on Chromebook. The only way to get better at anything is to practice. Copy paragraphs from a book that you're reading. Write a letter to your friend instead of an email. Take any opportunity you can to physically write stuff out. There's no magic wand, unfortunately. There's only time and practice.
When my mom was told I needed to practice my handwriting, she bought me a journal and told me I had to write at least one page every day over the summer. It definitely improved my handwriting and I think it really helped me with self-awareness, sorting out my thoughts and feelings on paper.
Just like... make sure you can read it. I can't tell you how many kids (and I teach seniors) tell me they can't read their own writing. If I can't read it and *you* can't read it, I can't give credit.
My son decided around age 16 or 17 he didn't like his handwriting. (Developmental delays meant his writing was much like that of a much younger kid.) So he sat himself down at the table and wrote until his hand hurt every day. He chose to write MLK's "I have a dream" speech over and over. In fact, at this point he's 24 and can still recite it from memory. Maybe a kid could write something they find inspiring. Or perhaps start a penpal thing with a class in another state or country? Maybe partner with a local retirement home to be penpals if postage is an issue? Write letters to the troops - even a short one every day or two would really be meaningful for them. Something like that to make the effort meaningful... no one, except my weird kid, wants to write just for the sake of writing.
The problem with a foreign penpal is that person isn't a native English speaker and will not be able to work through the difficulties you have writing English words.
A good point. Definitely want to pick an English as the first language country.
Write often, and write regularly.
Habits take 10,000 hours to develop. Muscle memory can take less, or more, depending on your fine motor skills. It takes practice. Hours and hours and hours of practice.
Give them the old Bart Simpson treatment. I will not write my words incorrectly 500 times.
The Simpsons are Goated. Nice reference, Mr. Skinner.
It is OK to not like coloring. I've had many students over the years that didn't care for it. Just look for other fine motor activities to help increase and improve strength, dexterity, and precision in hands. One activity I would have my students do would be cutting paper. I print out a variety of lines, from straight to completely and wickedly curvy or zigzagged, and they would practice cutting the lines. It's a lot harder than it sounds like. That activity, among others, such as anything requiring intricate use of hand and gingers, always led to improvement in handwriting. Also, using tongs of different formness to transfer small items such as beads, cotton balls or pom pom fluffs from one small container to another smaller container can be rather helpful and even fun. Also continue to practice, practice, practice handwriting. Maybe focus on a few letters at a time. Choose a group of letters that have similar strokes. For example i, k, l, t,v, w, x, y and z require short straight strokes. J, f, require a straight stroke and a short curved stroke. h, m, n require a longer single stroke that has both straight and curved parts. lowercase a, c, e, o, require loops or curved strokes. B, d, g, p, q require a combination of loops and straight strokes. S, numbers 3 and 5 require the most intricate strokes and dexterity. Work on those last. All letters mentioned are in lowercase form. I going on memory alone, so I may have missed a letter or two. I've been on summer break for several weeks now. I can look up a more precise and exact order to work on if you would like. You can also search online for fine motor activites. There are a lot of free ideas, workseets, etc available. Perseverance and practice, practice, practice will accomplish this. Good luck!
Here is the classic on the Palmer method. [https://archive.org/details/palmermethodofbu00palmrich/mode/2up?view=theater](https://archive.org/details/palmermethodofbu00palmrich/mode/2up?view=theater)
That is really something to gothrough. I had such issues with the capital F! By about fourth grade is was using a Roman F <<
Maybe one of those handwriting workbooks? They may seem juvenile but I have them to my middle schoolers when they needed to practice. Then you can copy things from books or write in a journal to practice more.
practice
Handwriting class
I honestly highly recommend forcing yourself to write in boxy Smallcaps font, like the style Goodnotes influencers use on tiktok. Reason being, my parents both work at a medical center, and they said they both Looovveee my handwriting because there’s literally no ambiguity between letters. They’re so used to receiving forms with- not even chicken scratch- but just slightly ambiguous lettering. My handwriting is a breeze to read
Practicing
Hi, not a teacher, my partner is so sometimes I pop in here I have bad hand writing, but it's improved recently. What helped me is thicker pens/pencils and learning some basic caligraphy. on graph paper also gave me a better sense of spacing/kerning. I also picked up some neography for funsies My default/casual hand is still kinda bad, but if I'm paying attention it's pretty good.
Pick up a pen, grab some paper, put pen to paper and write. I know it sucks, but it’s one of those skills that needs to be practice for your muscles to learn how to do it. I’m dyslexic and that was not a fun thing to be in the 90s and 2000s. I was bullied a lot for being “dumb” and “simple” and all kinds of other things by fellow students and teachers alike. I did have a handful of excellent teachers who did in fact help, and this is how. I tell all my students that now
I took calligraphy classes. It improved my handwriting 1000%.
Loops and Groups handwriting book
Go buy a kids learn cursive workbook from Amazon or a teaching supply store. It should allow you to trace over letters and give you room to practice. If you want to do Pages over and over, cover the page with a plastic sheet and use a dry erase marker. Also lots of you tube videos will help
There are various websites where you can create and print handwriting practice worksheets for free if you want to practice tracing letters. You can also download full handwriting books from websites like Teachers Pay Teachers.
Look online for Fundations letter formation.
Printing or cursive? Either way, you can buy paperback exercise books with lines in them and examples of how the letters are formed. They're geared toward very young kids who are learning how to write, but it couldn't hurt.
Suggestions: Slow down. Find a handwriting style you like and copy it (architect, calligraphy, etc). Practice. Try using different things to write with- soft pencils, hard pencils, mechanical pencils, gel pens, ball point pen, felt tipped pen.
Journaling, practicing your abc’s for fun, setting a challenge for yourself to try to write notes and handwritten stuff creatively and smoothly. Or learn a different language with a different alphabet
Calligraphy and or brush or fancy lettering. "Lettering"takes a different part of the brain (for me at least) than"writing". I failed penmanship for years and my coworkers still can't read my notes to self... but miss i intend to share are very fancy. (This is why my notes in with meetings are always eagerly collected but I'm not allowed to do the minutes: Notes https://imgur.com/gallery/71FUbUO )
I teach high school English and have just started to teach this again! So many people struggle with it. Start with lowercase letter and group them into patterns (similar shapes - aoeuc etc.). Then do upper case. Take your time to fully form every single letter and make it as neat as possible. Then move on to smaller words / more common words. You can also work on trying to copy fonts - like calligraphy but not necessarily as formal. It can be more fun to make it look nice and play about with things. Don’t stress if it doesn’t come out as perfect as you want. Just keep going. Small improvement. Better to do a small amount and often than all in one go and never do it again.
It’s not easy to unlearn handwriting habits. Do you print or cursive? You you don’t so cursive it might be worth trying to switch. Easier to learn a new way then correct something you’ve been doing for years. I switched to cursive my sophomore year and my print is still pretty crappy. My cursive however is not bad at all and gets a lot of compliments.
Practice, practice, and practice. You can print free writing practice sheets online. I’ve done that for several students who needed to or wanted to work on their handwriting. There are also lettering kits you can buy to work on different types of lettering. You will practice with whatever style you choose, but eventually what you end up will be a mix of styles that works for you. When I was a teen and anybody wanted to improve their handwriting - they just practiced everyday writing on paper. I know it sounds boring and repetitive, but you’re building muscle memory. Do you play any video games - that can help with hand eye coordination. Here’s an article that gives you some specific things you can do to help. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/activities-to-sharpen-your-eyehand-coordination
Practice meaningfully. For hours. Take your time when writing. Seriously. Pair it with a vocabulary book or write definitions of words. Keep dated notebooks to track progress. Make goals for yourself. I had a 15 year old student who wrote like a five year old at the start of last school year. He worked really hard every day at it. By the end of the year it was legible - still childish, but you could tell what every letter was. It will take a long time before your handwriting is “pretty” but it will go a long way on a job application if you have to hand write it; I’ve worked for small business owners who wouldn’t call people in for interviews based on their handwriting and spelling. It’s not hard to do, but you have to do it every day. Start with 5 minutes and go up from there. Start with words and work your way up to sentences up to paragraphs.