Move Write – A Whole-body Sensorimotor Approach to Handwriting is FINALLY ready to go! Below is a very brief synopsis of how Move Write was developed.

The Move Write programme began (quite some time ago!), as The Sensorimotor Handwriting Programme, as part of my PhD research study. My initial interest in the area stemmed from my experience as an infant teacher in St Vincent’s infant boys school, where I taught for 11 years. It was during this time that I observed the key role that motor proficiency (fine, gross and visual-motor skills), plays in the development of emergent handwriting skills. I was interested to find out if the apparent decline that I was noticing in relation to infant motor development was confined to my own context, or if it was a more universal issue. This led to the development of my first research questions – what is the baseline motor proficiency of junior infant children upon entry into school?

I subsequently measured the motor proficiency of 178 Junior Infant children upon entry into school (2018-2019). A standardised motor test of proficiency (the BOT-2) was used to test the fine and gross motor proficiency across six schools in the Dublin area (three DEIS schools, three non-DEIS schools), and ten classrooms. The findings that emerged from this initial testing phase showed that almost 50% (49%), of children from children across the six schools had below average motor proficiency for their age.

Stemming from these findings, the Sensorimotor Handwriting Programme emerged. It was informed by literature in the area (Keller, 2011), and by the findings of the testing phase. The ten participating teachers in the research implemented the programme over a 16-week period, before the standardised test was re-administered. Post-implementation of the programme, all of the participating children improved in relation to their motor proficiency.

The ten teachers were also interviewed post-implementation of the programme. The findings from those interviews further informed the development of Move Write as revisions and amendments were made to the original programme, based on the insightful feedback from teachers. Below is an overview of the Move Write handwriting session.

The Copy Me Flipbook is an easy-to-use and robust resource to support the development of children’s Gross Motor Skills.  The Flipbook is designed to be portable, so that the teacher may choose to use in a whole-class setting, in a small group or one-to-one settling in indoor or outdoor environments. Each A4 page of the Flipbook presents a clear image of a gross motor skill that is key to the development of handwriting skills.  On the back of each page is a set of helpful Teaching Points to aid the teacher in providing clear and accurate instructions, ensuring that the children are enabled to execute the exercise with accuracy. The 30 gross motor skills included in the Flipbook are divided into three easy-to-follow colour coded categories: proprioception, balance & stability and bi-lateral coordination.

Alongside the Flipbook to support Gross Motor development, there are 30 video clips demonstrating each of the exercises being carried out in an easy-to-follow step-by-step manner.  The videos can be used with the Interactive Whiteboard in whole-class or small group sessions to prompt children to carry out the exercises accurately.

A box of 30 Fine Motor activities supports the fine motor development element of the programme. The colourful, A5 cards provide children with a clear photograph of a fine motor skill being practiced, providing a step-by-step visual aid to carry out the activity with accuracy. The 30 activities are divided into three categories: Tongs and Tweezer Activities, Playdoh and Clay Activities and Finger Plat Activities. The Fine Motor Activity box is a portable, robust resource which can be used in a whole-class, small group or one-to-one setting.

Finally, the Move Write Visual Skills Practice Book provides the teacher with an easy-to-use resource to help children to develop and practice visual perceptual skills that foundational to handwriting development. The practice book consists of over 100 pages of engaging tasks that focus on four key areas of visual perception: visual closure, visual discrimination, form and constancy and visual sequencing.

I hope that this programme will bring lots of movement and joy to handwriting lessons, and that it will help those children struggling to engage with the complex process of handwriting to experience success. I truly believe that handwriting is a critical tool in accessing school and society, and that all children should be afforded equal opportunities to develop this important developmental skill.

The Move Write programme includes a number of hands-on and engaging elements to support children’s handwriting development. Firstly, the Teacher Manual provides an overview of the whole programme, and provides an easy-to-follow guide on how children’s handwriting develops. The manual describes each of the foundational skills involved in handwriting development: gross motor skills, fine motor skills and visual perceptual skills and the suggested activities to develop these skills. Also included in the manual are a number of helpful checklists for teachers, and an Emergent Handwriting Assessment that can be carried out pre-and post-implementation of the programme.

A big thank you to the participating teachers and schools – without their willingness to engage with this research study, and their generous sharing of knowledge and experience, Move Write could not have been developed. A thank you to the brilliant children who also so willingly participated and who continue to guide the way, each and every day. And a thank you to all of the teachers and schools who have attended Webinars and Summer Courses and who have not only shown support and encouragement but who have contributed hugely to the refinement of the programme over the last couple pf years.

Finally, to Brian Higgins and Denise Higgins at ABC School Supplies for seeing something in the programme that they believed was worth pursuing – and who showed exemplary patience along the way!

Find out more at: https://www.abcschoolsupplies.ie/product/move-write-complete-kit