Handwriting is more than forming letters — it’s a complex skill that requires fine motor control, visual-motor coordination, posture, and sustained attention. While many children develop handwriting naturally, others may face handwriting difficulties that affect school performance, confidence, and motivation.

Early support from a pediatric occupational therapist (OT) can significantly improve handwriting and ease daily school tasks.

Signs Your Child Might Need Handwriting Support

Look out for signs commonly associated with handwriting difficulties in children, including:

• Messy or hard-to-read handwriting
• Unusual pencil grip or poor writing posture
• Hand fatigue or discomfort during writing
• Slow writing speed, excessive erasing, or inconsistent letter formation
• Persistent letter reversals (b/d, p/q) beyond age 7
• Difficulty spacing words or keeping letters aligned
• Avoidance of writing, drawing, or coloring activities

If these challenges persist, a trained occupational therapist in Dubai can assess your child’s fine motor, sensory, and visual-motor skills to identify the root causes.

How Occupational Therapy Helps Improve Handwriting

A pediatric OT focuses on strengthening the underlying foundations needed for fluent, confident handwriting:

• Fine motor development: Strengthening fingers and hands with activities like LEGO, play dough, tweezers, and beads
• Core and hand strength: Better posture, endurance, and pencil control
• Visual-motor coordination: Tracing, mazes, puzzles, and copying shapes
• Sensory processing strategies: Supporting children sensitive to touch, movement, or writing textures
• Pencil grip & ergonomics: Correct grip patterns to increase writing efficiency
• Multisensory handwriting practice: Writing in sand, using air tracing, or forming letters on vertical surfaces
• Handwriting Without Tears techniques: Our OT is trained in HWT protocols to build strong, consistent handwriting skills

With occupational therapy, handwriting becomes easier, faster, and more enjoyable.

Supporting Handwriting at Home

• Encourage coloring, drawing, crafting, and building
• Make writing low-pressure and playful
• Praise effort and progress—not perfection—to build confidence

Tip of the Week: “Start Big Before You Go Small”

Let your child practice forming letters in big movements first — in the air, on a whiteboard, or in sand.
Large motor patterns make handwriting on paper simpler and more automatic.

By: Sally Jishi

Occupational therapist 

AGAYA Healthcare center