In an increasingly digital world, a new study from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) is shining a light on the lasting value of handwriting. According to the research, young children who learn to write by hand show stronger reading and writing skills than those who use keyboards—especially when learning unfamiliar letters and words.
Published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, the study focused on children aged 5 to 6, a crucial stage for literacy development. The researchers set out to understand how different learning methods—handwriting versus typing—impact a child’s ability to grasp new language concepts.
Why Handwriting Still Matters
In today’s classrooms, digital devices are common tools for early literacy. Yet this study suggests they might not be the most effective when it comes to teaching foundational reading and writing skills.
To test this, researchers taught 50 children unfamiliar letters from Georgian and Armenian alphabets and introduced them to made-up “pseudowords.” Half the children used pencil and paper, while the others typed on a keyboard. Despite equal instruction time, the handwriting group outperformed the keyboard users in letter recognition, pronunciation, and memory.
Movement Aids Memory
One of the study’s key insights is the importance of graphomotor function—the physical process of writing. When children use a pencil, they actively trace each shape and letter, reinforcing memory through movement. In contrast, keyboard typing involves less physical interaction, which may lead to weaker retention.
Freehand Writing Yields Better Results
The research also explored different handwriting styles. Some students traced letters using dotted lines, while others copied them freely. The freehand writers performed better overall, suggesting that freedom in movement—adjusting pressure, shape, and stroke—deepens understanding and boosts learning.
Even when children were exposed to multiple fonts on screens, the effectiveness of keyboard-based learning didn’t match that of handwriting.
Implications for Classrooms
While digital learning has many advantages, this study underscores that technology shouldn’t replace handwriting during early literacy development. Writing by hand appears to offer deeper cognitive engagement, helping children better internalise new words and letter patterns.
