Handwriting Day: Media reports on the importance of handwriting

23 January 2018

Handwriting Day: Media reports on the importance of handwriting

23 January is Handwriting Day. The handwritten signature of John Hancock (1737 –1793) on the American Declaration of Independence is particularly striking because of its size. The birthday of the first signatory of this document is celebrated every year in the USA as National Handwriting Day to commemorate the importance of handwriting.

In Germany this day is also taken as an opportunity to review the problematic handwriting situation: More and more children – as made clear in representative parent and teacher surveys in Germany – are having problems developing “legible, fluid handwriting” over the course of their literacy lessons in primary school, as required under the national education standard. This topic is very important to parents and teachers.

Ergonomics expert and Institute Director Dr. Marianela Diaz Meyer and scientific advisor Dr. Christian Marquardt explain in various media reports and radio interviews the importance of writing by hand: