Sharing the Holidays that is happening around the world lets me expand Charlie’s lessons for Homeschool. One thing Charlie has always wanted to learn is cursive writing and January 23rd is National Handwriting Day which gives us the perfect opportunity to practice our handwriting. Would you like to join us for a handwriting lesson?
National Handwriting Day is observed on January 23, the birthday of John Hancock — the first man to sign the Declaration of Independence. John Hancock’s autograph became so famous that we use ‘John Hancock’ as another term for ‘signature.’
HISTORY OF NATIONAL HANDWRITING DAY
Writing, is the element that separates prehistory from history, a key skill that elevates human civilization and allows us to communicate and trade on a large scale. Writing not only lets us record our thoughts and feelings but, more crucially, for the development of early societies, writing gives us a way to record transactions, count items, and pass on information to future users.
The true origins of writing are murky, but we know writing arose independently in several regions of the ancient world, from Meso-America to China, India, and Mesopotamia, starting around 3400 B.C. The earliest-known writings come from present-day Iraq, where pictorial signs were later replaced with a complex system of characters based on the sounds of the Sumerian language known as cuneiform.
Writing systems differ in their construction. Some writing rely on pictorial symbolism, others combine characters to form new meanings, and some use grammatical structures to create full sentences and depth of meaning. Alphabet-based writing systems use symbols to represent consonants, vowels, or syllable sounds, while semanto-phonetic writing systems have symbols that represent both sounds and meanings.
Handwriting has many purposes in utility and record-keeping, correspondence, literature, and art. Calligraphy, the art of decorative lettering, elevates writing to an exquisite art form. Examples of traditional calligraphy include ancient Chinese bronze ware, Mayan hieroglyphs, Western European illuminated manuscripts, and Islamic mosque inscriptions.
Although in today’s digital world we tend to record everything on electronic devices, research shows that writing things down by hand has benefits that typing does not. Writing by hand can improve focus, reduce stress, and aid with memory. Not to mention, a handwritten note or letter carries more weight than typed or emailed correspondence. Try writing a letter, a diary entry, or a to-do list by hand and notice the difference for yourself!
HANDWRITING DAY ACTIVITIES
- Have you ever tried to create calligraphy art, or used a fountain pen? Look up an online tutorial or sign up for a calligraphy class to try your hand at this hobby.
- Communication happens lightning fast nowadays. Take a few minutes to write a handwritten note to a friend or family member. Send the letter to them the old-fashioned way through the mail.
NOTEWORTHY FACTS ABOUT HANDWRITING
- People who write notes by hand tend to be more selective in what they write down, focusing on the most important concepts and organizing their notes more effectively.
- When you write by hand away from the computer, you’re less likely to get distracted by social media, email, or the internet.
- Studies show that those who write down their goals, especially by hand, are more likely to achieve them. Writing things down can help you clarify your goals and hold yourself accountable.
WHY PEOPLE LOVE NATIONAL HANDWRITING DAY
- Handwriting forces our brain to slow down to the pace of our pen, letting us take more time with our thoughts and reduce anxiety and overthinking.
- A beautiful piece of calligraphy can be a lovely decoration.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
