​​Recent research supports the importance of movement, music, and affective connections in enhancing learning.  Handwriting practice leads to improvements in cognition, motor skills, and reading comprehension.  Other benefits include increased brain activation, positive impacts on performance across all academic subjects, provision of a foundation for higher-order skills, and influences on reading, writing, language, and critical thinking.  

Check out our references: 

Handwriting & Literacy
Beringer, V.W., Abbott, R.D., Abbott, S. P., Graham, S., & Richards, T. (2002). Writing and reading: Connections between language by hand and language by eye. Journal of Learning Disabilities. Vol 35. No. 1, pp 39-56
Beringer, V.W., Abbott, R.D., Jones, J., Wolf, B.J., Gould, L., Anderson-Youngstrom, M., Shimada, S., & Apel,K. (2006). Early development of language by hand: composing, reading, listening, and speaking connections; three letter-writing modes; and fast mapping in spelling. Dev Neuropsychology. Vol 29 (1), 61-92.
Berninger, V. W., & Amtmann, D. (2003). Preventing written expression disabilities through early and continuing assessment and intervention for handwriting and/or spelling problems. Research into practice. In H. L. Swanson, K. Harris, & S. Graham (Eds.), Handbook of learning disabilities. New York: Guilford.
Berninger, V. W., Vaughan, K. B., Abbott, R. D., Rogan, L. W., Brooks, A., Reed, E., et al. (1997). Treatment of handwriting problems in beginning writers: Transfer from handwriting to composition. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 652–666.
Christensen, C. A. (2005). The role of orthographic-motor integration in the production of creative and well-structured written text for students in secondary school. Educational Psychology, 25(5), 441-453. doi: 10.1080/01443410500042076
Case-Smith, J. (2002). Effectiveness of school-based occupational therapy intervention on handwriting. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 56, 17–25. doi:10.5014/ajot.56.1.17
Edwards, Lana. (Mar/Apr 2003). Writing Instruction in kindergarten: Examining an emerging area of research for children with writing and reading difficulties. Journal of Learning Disabilities 36.2: 136-48; discussion 149-50.
Graham, S., & Hebert, M. (2011). Writing to read: A meta-analysis of the impact of writing and writing instruction on reading. Harvard Educational Review, 81(4), 710-744.
Graham, S., Berninger, V. W., Abbott, R., Abbott, S., & Whitaker, D. (1997). Role of mechanics in composting of elementary school students: A new methodological approach. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89(1), 170-182.
Haney, M.R., Bissonnette, V., & Behnken, K.L. (2003). The relationship among name writing and early literacy skills in kindergarten children. Child Study Journal. Vol 33. No.2 pp99-115.
James, K.H. & Engelhardt, L. (2012). The effects of handwriting experience on functional brain development in pre-literate children. Trends in neuroscience and education. Vol 1, pp 32-42.
James, K. H. (2009). Sensori-motor experience leads to changes in visual processing in the developing brain. Developmental Science, 13, 279–288.
Longcamp, M., Zerbato-Poudou, M. T., & Velay, J. L. (2005). The influence of writing practice on letter recognition in preschool children: A comparison between handwriting and typing. Acta Psychologica, 119, 67–79.
Levy, B. A., Gong, Z., Hessels, S., Evans, M. A., & Jared, D. (2006). Understanding print: Early reading development and the contribution of home literacy experiences. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 93, 63-93.
Richards, T. L., Berninger, V. W., Stock, P., Altemeier, L., Trivedi, P., & Maravilla, K. (2011). Differences between good and poor child writers on fMRI contrasts for writing newly taught and highly practiced letter forms. Reading and Writing, 24, 493-516. doi: 10.1007/s11145-009-9217- 3
Ritchey, K. D. (2008). The building blocks of writing: Learning to write letters and spell words. Reading and Writing, 21, 27-47. doi: 10.1007/s11145-007-9063-0
Links to Evidence-based Outcomes
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110119095458.htm
http://ldatschool.ca/literacy/literacy-skills-handwriting/
http://www.educationupdate.com/archives/2009/SEP/html/spec-learning.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/science/whats-lost-as-handwriting-fades.html
http://news.fiu.edu/2012/01/good-handwriting-and-good-grades-fiu-researcher-finds-new- link/34934
Movement & Learning
Cochin, S., Barhelemy, C., Roux, S., & Martineau, J. (1999). Observation and execution of movement: Similarities demonstrated by quantified electroencephalography. European Journal of Neuroscience, 11, 1839-1842.
Cahill, S. (2009). “Where Does Handwriting Fit in? Strategies to Support Academic Achievement.” Intervention in School and Clinic, 44:4, p. 223.
Case-Smith, J., Holland, T., Lane, A., White, S. (2012). Effect of Coteaching Handwriting Program for First Graders: One-Group Pretest-Posttest Design. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 66(4), 396-405.
Denton, P. L., Cope, S., & Moser, C. (2006) The effects of sensorimotor-based intervention versus therapeutic practice on improving handwriting performance in 6- to 11-year-old children. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 60, 16-27.
Fadiga, L., Fogassi, L., Pavesi, G., & Rizzolatti, G. (1995). Motor facilitation during active observation: A magnetic stimulation study. Journal of Neurophysiology, 73, 2608-2611.
Hari, R., Forss, N., Avikainen, S., Kirveskari, E., Salenius, S., & Rizzolati, G. (1998). Activation of human primary motor cortex during action observation: A neuromagnetic study, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 95, 15061-15065.
Jongmans, M., Linthorst-Bakker, E., Westenberg, Y., & Smits-Engelsman, B. C. M. (2003) Use of a task-oriented self-instruction method to support children in primary school with poor handwriting quality and speed. Human Movement Science, 22, 549-566.
Lust, C. A., & Donica, D. K. (2011). Research Scholars Initiative—Effectiveness of a handwriting readiness program in Head Start: A two-group controlled trial. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65, 560–568. doi:10.5014/ajot2011.000612
Smits-Engelsman, B. C. M., Van Galen, G. P., & Schoemaker, M. M. 1997). Theory-based diagnosis and subclassification in developmental coordination disorder. In J. Rispens, T. Van Yperen, & W. Yule Eds.), Perspectives on the classification of specific developmental disorders. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Vander Hart, N., Fitzpatrick, P., & Cortesa, C. (2010). In-depth analysis of
handwriting curriculum and instruction in four kindergarten classrooms. Reading and Writing, 23, 673-699. doi: 10.1007/s11145-009-9178-6
Van Galen, G. P., Portier, S. J., Smits-Engelsman, B. C. M., & Schomaker, L. R. B. 1993). Neuromotor noise and deviant movement strategies as an explanatory ground for poor handwriting in children. Acta Psychologica, 82, 161±178.
Wulf, G., Shea, C., & Lewthwaite, R. (2010) Motor skill learning and performance: a review of influential factors. Medical Education, 44, 75-84.
Music & Learning
Bengtsson S. L., Ullén F., Ehrsson H. H., Hashimoto T., Kito T., Naito E., et al. (2009). Listening to rhythms activates motor and premotor cortices. Cortex 45, 62–7110.1016/j.cortex.2008.07.002
Burger, B., Thompson, M.R., Luck, G., Saarikallio, S., Toivianinen. (2013). Influences of Rhythm- and Timbre-Related Musical Features on Characteristics of Music-Induced Movement. Frontiers in Psychology. 4, 183. Doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00183.
Chen J. L., Penhune V. B., Zatorre R. J. (2009). The role of auditory and premotor cortex in sensorimotor transformations. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1169, 15–3410.1111/j.1749- 6632.2009.04556.x
Godøy R. I., Haga E., Jensenius A. R. (2006). “Playing ‘Air instruments’: mimicry of sound- producing gestures by novices and experts,” in Gesture in Human-Computer Interaction and Simulation, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 3881, eds Gibet S., Courty N., Kamp J.-F., editors. (Berlin: Springer; ), 256–267
Grahn J. A., Brett M. (2007). Rhythm and beat perception in motor areas of the brain. J. Cogn. Neurosci. 19, 893–90610.1162/jocn.2007.19.5.893
Grahn J. A., Rowe J. B. (2009). Feeling the beat: premotor and striatal interactions in musicians and nonmusicians during beat perception. J. Neurosci. 29, 7540–754810.1523/JNEUROSCI.2018- 08.2009
Hart, C., Burts, D., & Charlesworth, R. (1997). Integrated curriculum and developmentally appropriate practice. Birth to age eight. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Kolb, G. (1996). Read with a beat: Developing literacy through music and song. The Reading Teacher, 50(1), 76-79.
Leman M., Godøy R. I. (2010). “Why Study Musical Gesture?” in Musical Gestures. Sound, Movement, and Meaning, eds Godøy R. I., Leman M., editors. (New York, NY: Routledge; ), 3–11
Madison G., Gouyon F., Ullén F., Hörnström K. (2011). Modeling the tendency for music to induce movement in humans: first correlations with low-level audio descriptors across music genres. J. Exp. Psychol. Hum. Percept. Perform. 37, 1578–159410.1037/a0024323
Phillips-Silver, J. & Trainer, L.J. (2005). Feeling the Beat: Movement Influences Infant Rhythm Perception. Science, vol 308(3).
Register, D. (2001). The effects of an early intervention music curriculum on prereading/writing. Journal Of Music Therapy, 38(3), 239-248. doi:10.1093/jmt/38.3.239
Schoemaker, M. M., Schellekens, J. M. H., & Kalverboer, A. F. 1994). Effects of short-term physiotherapy on the handwriting proficiency of clumsy children. In C. Faure, P. Kews, G. Lorette, & A. Vinter Eds.), Advances in handwriting and drawing: A multidisciplinary approach. Europia, Paris.
Thaut, M.H., & Abiru, M. (2010). Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation in Rehabilitation of Movement Disorders: A Review of Current Research. Music Perception. 27(4), 263-269.
Van Galen, G. P., Portier, S. J., Smits-Engelsman, B. C. M., & Schomaker, L. R. B. 1993). Neuromotor noise and deviant movement strategies as an explanatory ground for poor handwriting in children. Acta Psychologica, 82, 161±178.
Zentner M., Eerola T. (2010). Rhythmic engagement with music in infancy. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 107, 5768–577310.1073/pnas.1000121107 

​