Handwriting and Cognitive Development: Why Handwriting in the Digital Age Still Makes Sense

Handwriting in the age of artificial intelligence? Does it still make sense? But above all, what is its effect, if any, on the cognitive development of the youngest who today find themselves having to deal with a technological acceleration never experienced before, divided between the use and very often abuse of devices? Many scientific studies agree in highlighting the value of graphic and calligraphic exercise , even and above all in a completely digitalized era, maintaining that it can positively influence some abilities such as learning, fine motor skills, memory and organization.

Daniela Moretto , graphic designer and president of Smed - Scrivere a mano nell'era digitale , thinks the same way. The association, which has supported and promoted the project “Scrittura Corsiva” since 2015 with the aim of spreading it in schools and education, is at the festival of Internazionale Kids , the first journalism festival for children, from 9 to 11 May in Reggio Emilia. “Disegnare scrivere” and “Abecedario” will be the two free workshops that will be held on Sunday 11 May, dedicated to girls and boys aged 7 to 13.

Moretto, what do we lose by abandoning handwriting on a cognitive level but also, more generally, on a cultural level?

“Handwriting is at the origin of our need to express ourselves directly, it stimulates imagination and creativity and allows us to leave a unique personal mark, meaningful for ourselves and for those who will read us. Only with practice can we realize how precious it is in every phase of life. For this reason it is important to stimulate the use of writing in the laboratory and artistic context beyond the lines of the notebook”.

How much does this abandonment affect children by designing a different learning path for them?

“Research in this area clearly indicates that learning to write by hand can positively influence the early acquisition of reading and writing skills. Writing letters in early childhood improves the ability to recognize them, as shown by brain imaging studies. And teaching writing improves reading, as shown by educational studies. Studies of young adults show that taking notes with a pen can help people remember concepts and information longer.”

How to practice handwriting daily?

“At home, let's make room for handwriting by setting up pads, boards, and writing and drawing tools. We write to plan, remember, communicate. This practice ensures us a moment of concentration, reflection, peace, and makes us an example for those around us. If, in front of children and teenagers, we adults spend more time on computers, tablets, or smartphones than on books, notebooks, or drawing paper, the example we give will certainly not encourage them to take the path of books, paper, and pen.”

There are many devices, I'm thinking of the Apple Pencil for Apple's iPad, that bring the experience of writing and drawing to the digital world: are they useful tools or does something change in any case?

“Writing and drawing by hand with a stylus on a tablet is a grapho-motor experience comparable to the analog one, even if the latter remains inimitable for the load of tactile, olfactory and auditory sensations that it brings with it. In any case, barring exceptional circumstances, the use of similar (expensive) digital tools should not take place at the beginning of the learning process but rather later, to complete the analog experience”.