Why handwriting still holds on to its appeal

One cannot ignore the mental and physical benefits of the physical act of writing in longhand, using pen or pencil on paper

This year marks the second academic year for students continuing to attend virtual classes and submit digital assignments. Every year, at the start of April, students would rush to buy new school supplies like pens, pencils, notebooks and school bags as they moved into a higher grade at school. With the pandemic making digital learning the norm, have students been cut off from the charm of pen and paper? Tablets have replaced notebooks and note-making, with a stylus on a screen becoming the norm, and yet one cannot ignore the benefits that the physical act of writing in longhand bring with it.

A pen to a writer is what a paintbrush is to a painter. Writing on a blank piece of paper allows a free flow of ideas without the distractions of the digital world, especially during creative writing. Today, speech-to-text software and apps have replaced the traditional scribbling of notes during a lecture. There’s no denying that it’s a time-saver but writing by hand has been proven important for the cognitive and creative development of a child.