Handwriting

Today while writing some notes, I got an idea for a project. I’ve always been interested in how we develop our handwriting. I’ve noticed a lot of elderly people have the same sort of old fashioned looking handwriting style and some adults write only in capitals. The way in which we write is obviously based on our experiences as a child, learning to write, or later in life. Even my Dad writes in full capitals.
As I was growing up I noticed my handwriting was similar in ways to my Mum’s and then it started becoming similar to my teachers’, especially in Year 3 & 4 where I was taught by the same teacher, and developed a very similar handwriting style. A lot of girls who hung around in the same group in school seemed to write with large o’s a’s and e’s etc (forgive me, I don’t know what that part of the letter is called…) with crosses or hearts to dot their i’s. When I’ve looked back at old school books, my writing was terribly neat, compared to now where letters are rarely joined and messy. I was actually handed a folder of my school books from when I was 11 years old  a few months ago… they must have kept them for reference and decided they didn’t need them anymore. I think I threw them away, nevermind. I love looking back through nursery and early year school books, all the drawings and spelling mistakes.

Anyway.

I’d like to research the history of these experiences in life to find out how my handwriting has developed, and other peoples’ handwriting. It’s something that has fascinated me since I was a child, for some peculiar reason. These days I mostly type, and I’m sure it’s the same for a lot of people. Handwriting is a dying medium perhaps? Maybe I will get around to researching this. We’ll have to see.