National Handwriting Day (January 23rd)

Have you ever wondered if you have good handwriting? Have you looked at your friend’s handwriting with envy? Practicing your handwriting is important now more than ever, especially in a world where it is so rarely used as a form of communication. With computer keyboards as the new writing method, we often forget the good old pen and paper method. This day encourages you to put pen to paper, and show off your skills!

There is no official reason to celebrate National Handwriting Day, but it is there so that people can appreciate the art of handwriting. Getting the chance to be your individual, and having a day where you can sit back and appreciate the art of handwriting is what this day is all about. In a generation of computers and electronics, it is important not to forget the importance of handwriting and how much we would be relying on this form of communication should technology cease to work!

Whether you are an adult or a child, this day gives you the chance to practice your handwriting skills, and you could even have a competition among the people you know about who have the best handwriting. It might sound a bit crazy, but you never know how fun it could be until you give it a go!

History Of National Handwriting Day

National Handwriting Day was invented in 1977 when educators began to feel that the art of handwriting was getting lost as a skill. The Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association (WIMA) decided to do something about this, and that is how National Handwriting Day came about. While not everyone celebrates this day, it is taking more prominence now, and more people than ever are taking part.

According to historians, the art of handwriting was invented in 3400 BC in Mesopotamia where they would write cuneiform on a clay tablet. From there, the art of writing spread to Egypt, then Rome, and then the rest of Europe. As handwriting spread throughout Europe, good writing skills became a sign of status, as royal families were the only ones taught to write properly. In the 1700s the world’s first handwriting and penmanship schools were formed to train scribes.

More About Handwriting Styles

While there are many styles of handwriting, there are three major categories. These are cursive, print writing, and D’Nealian. Print is standard penmanship, while cursive is a fancier signature-style font. D’Nealian handwriting is a common way to teach cursive. If you remember writing your letters out one by one on the large lined paper, then you’ve also practiced D’Nealian writing!

To have “quality” handwriting, researchers say that there are twelve distinct characteristics to follow. These properties of writing are line quality, spacing, size consistency, pen lifts, connecting strokes, complete letters, cursive vs. print, pen pressure, slant, baselines, embellishments, and placements. Many people do not follow these principles strictly, but they are used in handwriting studies! 

While your handwriting may be better with your dominant hand, you can learn to perfect your non-dominant hand by forcing yourself to write with it. Scientists say there is no way to determine whether a person is left-handed or right-handed by their handwriting. Instead, handwriting is often determined by several physical factors. These may include bone structure in the hands, eye coordination, muscle memory, and mental abilities. No, bad handwriting is not genetic! However, certain genes can determine how well you’ll write.

Today, handwriting is becoming less and less important than it used to be. No longer seen as a status symbol, handwriting has lost its allure. With the digital age and technology all around us, many choose to type on a keyboard rather than write by hand.

How To Celebrate National Handwriting Day

There are a number of things that you can do to celebrate National Handwriting Day. One of the first things that you can do is think about all of the important documents in the world that have been handwritten. For example, you could think of the Declaration of Independence, poems, the Bill of Rights, wedding vows, and so many more.

You can also look at other people’s handwriting on this day. If you think about it, handwriting is as unique to a person as a fingerprint, so you could look at some samples of the handwriting of the people you know, and try to figure out which writing belongs to who.

The study of handwriting is so common, it is actually a career path! The people that study handwriting are called graphologists. Graphologists study handwriting to determine the accuracy of historical documents, or to evaluate personality or mental traits. While many think this isn’t true science, others argue that we can learn a lot about someone by their writing.

Something else that you can do is take a look at your own handwriting. Some people think that theirs is too sloppy or too messy, so you could take time to work on improving your handwriting. Or, you could even go a little further and help teach someone to write. Not everyone has access to the same Education that you might have had or a parent to teach them to write, so you could fill this gap in their life. Consider how your muscle memory, hand structure, or eye coordination could play into your handwriting! Do you wear glasses or have weak hands? This could all affect your handwriting skills!

You could even learn about all the different fonts than you can learn to write in. Take a break from your computer, and try your hand at trying different styles of writing. For example, you can try writing bubble letters, draw 3D letters, or try drawing ancient letters.

Hopefully, after reading this article, you know more about National Handwriting Day, how it originated, and ways that you can celebrate it. Don’t worry if you think your handwriting is “bad.” Instead, celebrate the day by studying other handwriting or getting creative with your own new fonts!