Dr Helen Walls talks to Paul Brennan about the Great New Zealand Handwriting Challenge, an initiative she co-founded to restore daily handwriting lessons in schools. She explains how handwriting is essential for reading, writing, and cognitive development, arguing that neglecting it has contributed to New Zealand’s literacy crisis. Walls highlights research showing that strong handwriting skills lead to better academic performance and warns that poor instruction has left many students struggling.

Check out The Great New Zealand Handwriting Challenge

or more from Helen at The Writing Teacher

FB pages: The Writing Teacher FB page The Handwriting Challenge FB group