Old Ways May Be Better

It turns out old fashioned handwriting may be better for your brain than all of those new techno-gadgets. Studies show that learning the shape of letters helps the brain develop cognitive skills and expression. It's suggested that it may even be a good cognitive exercise for seniors to help them maintain mental awareness. Learning a new language with handwriting may have even more benefits for seniors.

There are new computer programs to help kids learn to write by hand (does anyone else see the irony in this?). The act of learning to write helps develop their brains and the games make it seem like they're playing, not learning.

For those parents who think that learning handwriting is a waste of time in this digital age, remember, handwriting does still matter. Not only is it a more intimate way of communicating but in the essay portion of the SAT college-entrance test poor handwriting can still earn a score of 0 if it's illegible.