Hand grip development from birth

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Handwriting is a skill that involves the brain, eyes, ears and whole body. This can be read about in my article Motor Skills and Handwriting , along with suggested strategies to promote strength and ability in these areas.

What many do not appreciate is that the skills needed for handwriting develop from birth. For instance, visual newborns can detect changes in brightness, tell the difference between stationary and moving objects and follow moving objects within their field of vision (although this is 12-25 times smaller than an adult). Depth perception establishes itself around 6-14 months and is often rapidly increased when a child starts to crawl. The pattern of bruises on the forehead of a very new crawler is well-known, as the baby establishes the fact that their forehead juts forward of their arms when crawling, and infants who are just starting to walk unsupported often bruise their forehead, nose, centre of their chin or back of the head.

There are many elements of handwriting that need to develop to establish a fluent, effortless script. The elements of the sensory system start developing from newborn to 2 months – a baby learns about its surroundings through lifting its head, listening to sounds, looking around and putting things in its mouth (see chronological progression of gross motor development below). Holding objects builds tactile and proprioception skills; these are needed to enable a child write with appropriate pressure on paper.