
Improving handwriting with fun, game based activities
Hello, I'm Sheilagh. I'm the founder of Help with Handwriting. I'm the 'go-to' person for helping kids with handwriting.
Let me tell you about myself and my fabulous team. And, how occupational therapy will be the key to your child's writing success.
About Sheilagh and Help with Handwriting
We’re here to demystify handwriting. Turning it into bite-sized achievable steps whilst keeping it fun.
There is more than one way to teach handwriting. Teaching everyone in the same way is like fitting into a box; it does not work. (Similar to how I couldn’t fit into the cupboard!) We need to find out what style of handwriting instruction works for your child.
We began in 2016. I was frustrated that children weren’t getting the help they needed to write. So, I created a place where they would get the best help. We now work with kids worldwide, helping hundreds of kids from 6 to 16 year olds. As much as our parents do ask us, sorry we don’t work with adults.ย
Two of my greatest joys are seeing the relief on parents’ faces when they realise their child’s handwriting won’t hold them back. And when the kids try to hide their smiles when looking at their improved handwriting.

Why Choose an Occupational Therapist?
As occupational therapists, we can help your child like no one else. Here's why choosing an OT over a traditional handwriting tutor can help:
1. We see the bigger picture
We can assess fine motor skills, visual perception, posture, and writing mechanics. Our training allows it.
2. Specialist knowledge
Unlike teachers who use school handwriting schemes, we have a medical background in physical and mental ill health. As well as a wealth of specialist knowledge.
3. Individualised approach
We focus on one-on-one work. We use methods suited to each child’s needs. It is never about a one-size-fits-all classroom approach.
4. Motivation through play
We use fun games to help kids with their handwriting.
5. Problem solving experts
A key skill of an occupational therapist is to solve problems. Then, teach the solution in small, achievable tasks.
6. Building independence
We want more than better handwriting. We want to give your child the tools to self-review and improve their work without us around.
7. No cookie-cutter lessons
Each session is tailored to your child’s needs. It ensures they get the exact support they require.

An occupational therapist is more than a handwriting tutor
You’ll get a skilled professional. Who knows about writing complexities. Who will help your child build the skills and confidence for success.
Meet the Team
Sheilagh

I’m the founder, handwriting expert and OT. I’ve published two books on handwriting and I’m the handwriting expert for the Peppa Pig series. I create all our courses and see students for lessons and in the club.
Helen

Helen is our coordinator, Duke of Edinburgh Award assessor and OT. She is behind the scenes making sure that all the courses run efficiently. She helps plan any launch dates and promotions.ย
Laura

Laura manages the support desk, she is invaluable. If you need to change a lesson or have a question she is the best person to help you. Often being able to answer everything quicker than the rest of us.
Read our latest reviews
We help children from the UK and worldwide including America, Australia, Asia, South Africa, and Europe.ย

After just 6 lessons, his writing has significantly improved and is now legible ๐ Furthermore, he understands what he needs to do to continue to improve his writing and believes that he can achieve this.
Most importantly, Sheilagh personalised every lesson, making them enjoyable and engaging for my son. He gained confidence and belief that he could โcrackโ handwriting and felt motivated to practice between lessons. Who knew that handwriting could be so much fun!
Thank you! C&A
After 6 lessons with Sheilagh (fewer actually) he is a changed boy. He writes much faster, his handwriting is legible and -more important of all- he is now much much more relaxed about writing. This has helped him at school and made him a much happier person.
Not only the lessons were incredibly effective, but our son enjoyed them (something that used to be unthinkable for any task involving writing) and has even asked me to set up a booster session before the next school year.
I have been recommending Sheilagh to everyone I know because she has really made a massive difference in our son’s writing and more importantly in his relationship with writing, school and himself.
Sheilagh not only has the expertise to assess where the difficulties may stem from, but also the skills to make the sessions fun and engaging. My son has gone from dreading handwriting as something he is “bad” at to feeling much more confident that he can produce written work to feel proud of.
I also appreciated that Sheilagh was able to help my son with the style of handwriting taught at his school, rather than having him start from scratch (which he did NOT want to do!).
I would not hesitate to recommend Help with Handwriting to anyone looking for handwriting support.
I would definitely recommend these lessons ๐
When my ten-year-old daughter confessed that handwriting really hurt her hand, I wasnโt sure what to do. Her handwriting had always been an issue, and now I understood why. Yet school wasnโt particularly helpful on how to address it, so I went online looking for a solution, and thatโs when I came across Sheilagh Blyth and Help with Handwriting.
Within one session, Sheilagh significantly improved my daughterโs handwriting and isolated the cause of her pain. I was an instant convert!
Over the course of their one2one lessons, my daughterโs confidence increased as her handwriting became downright gorgeous. Sheilagh also worked like a detective to find the best pen-holding posture for my daughter โฆ one which relieved the pain but that was โcustomisedโ to her so her good pen-holding habits would stick. My daughter also learned to write legibly at speed, which will be of huge value as she reaches the exam school years. Sheilagh was fun and engaging; my daughter always looked forward to her handwriting lessons as she loved the games Sheilagh played with herโSheilagh is truly masterful at making kids feel at ease. If you are considering getting help for your childโs handwriting, I cannot recommend Help with Handwriting enough!
Sheilagh also helped us a parents. Itโs always such a worry when your child is unhappy and struggling but knowing we had that support there has helped no end. Would recommend to anyone who is struggling or just needs a bit of help. Worth every penny!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sheilagh identified key areas to focus on that made a real difference to legibility. For example, ‘You need to make your letters a consistent width and make sure they do not fly off the line’ rather than calls to ‘be neater’ or ‘just practise’ which do not help anyone. He now has a personalised checklist of what to look out for in his writing and the confidence to use it correctly to keep his writing improving. I would definitely recommend Help with Handwriting to anyone who feels that their child is losing confidence at school due to their handwriting, especially if they cannot really figure out why. We had already tried lots of extra practice at home with special handwriting paper, workbooks and letter formation to no avail. I only wish we’d gone to the expert sooner!
The help with Handwriting website is excellent, both visually and the ability to book appointments on line was extremely helpful over the busy summer/end of term period.
Sheilagh had a brilliant approach with my teenage son and kept him engaged for 95% of the time – something I can only aspire to do! His handwriting has improved with her practical help and support. Highly recommend!
Her ability to help their confidence and handwriting while keeping them entertained is brilliant.
Neither of them ever moaned about their session, they both enjoyed them.
Having the one on one help to work on the areas they were struggling with was a life saver rather than just sitting copying line which is what school provided. Thank you Sheilagh!
My son age 14 has been told his entire school career that his handwriting was poor with very little intervention from the school. I was informed it was too late to improve his handwriting.
I did some research and came across Sheilagh.
Sheilagh has not only significantly improved my sonโs handwriting but also helped to build his confidence.
He is not a natural scholar and Sheilagh had gone the extra mile to research his hobbies to keep him engaged.
Sheilagh was always very patient, understanding, and was able to understand my sons needs very quickly.
Sheilagh was able to help transform my sons writing to now been legible and now being complimented at school.
I canโt thank Sheilagh enough for the help and support sheโs given our family.
After the trial lesson Sheilagh gave fundamental advice in terms of positioning, the pen and pen grip, and heโd found the lesson so engaging we decided to continue with a block of sessions.
After lesson five we felt there was a significant change in his attitude to writing and a marked improvement. We hadnโt expected the difference to be so pronounced so quickly.
Through a warm and fun approach Sheilagh gave him the confidence to try joined up writing at school and tips to make his cursive writing more legible. The school even commented that heโd made significant improvement and was almost where he needed to be. Weโd highly recommend Sheilagh and wish weโd intervened sooner.
My son said
โI really liked the lessons with Sheilagh because of the different fun games she plays. Sheilagh is a good teacher and explains everything clearly, like letter joins and letter sizing.โ
Ready to see your child's handwriting go to the next level?
Game based learning gives children the confidence to try and write. Matched with our occupational therapy skills you’ll be onto a winner.ย