At a Glance
- A new study from the University of the Basque Country found that handwriting is more effective than typing for young children learning letters and words.
- Children aged 5 to 6 who practiced handwriting performed better in letter recognition, word writing, and decoding than those who typed.
- Forming letters by hand engages graphomotor skills, helping children internalize letter shapes more effectively than pressing keys on a keyboard.
- Freehand writing without tracing guides led to better learning outcomes, indicating that movement variability supports cognitive development in early writing skills.
- Researchers recommend prioritizing handwriting in early education while using digital tools only as a supplement to enhance learning.
In today’s digital world, it is common for children to learn using computers, especially in subjects like reading and writing. Many educational programs are designed for digital devices, where children primarily use keyboards to practice their skills. However, a new study from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) suggests that writing by hand may be more beneficial for young learners. The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, compares how manual writing versus typing affects children’s ability to learn letters and words.
The research focused on 5 to 6-year-old children, when many are beginning to learn how to read and write. The study involved teaching the children nine new letters from the Georgian and Armenian alphabets, along with 16 pseudowords (made-up words). The children were divided into two groups: one group practiced writing the letters by hand, and the other typed them on a computer. The results showed that the children who practiced by hand performed better across various tasks, including letter recognition, word writing, and word decoding.
The study also explored how hand movement, known as “graphomotor function,” helps children understand letter and word structures. When writing by hand, children trace the shape of the letters, which helps them learn how to form and recognize them. On the other hand, typing involves pressing keys, which do not engage the same hand movements, leading to less learning of the shape and structure of letters. This difference in how children use their hands when writing was a key factor in their performance, with those who used pencils performing better.
Interestingly, the study also examined how variability in writing techniques influenced learning. Some children were asked to trace letters with guides, while others wrote freely. Those who wrote without guides, allowing for more movement and flexibility, performed the best. This suggests that as children become more comfortable with writing, allowing them to write freely can enhance their learning. The researchers concluded that handwriting should be prioritized in early learning, with digital devices used only to complement manual practice.
References
- University of the Basque Country. (2025, April 30). Children’s reading and writing develop better when they are trained in handwriting, study finds. Phys.Org; University of the Basque Country. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-children.html
- Ibaibarriaga, G., Acha, J., & Perea, M. (2025). The impact of handwriting and typing practice in children’s letter and word learning: Implications for literacy development. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 253, 106195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2025.106195
