It’s World Calligraphy Day on Wednesday 16th August. The aim of this day is to get more people interested in the ancient and beautiful art of calligraphy!
Calligraphy dates back thousands of years, and it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly where it started. In ancient Egypt, hieroglyphics were a form of early calligraphy, dating back to around 3000 BC. China and the Middle East also have evidence of skilled brushwork dating back centuries.
Here in the UK, calligraphy gained prominence in the Middle Ages when scribes and monks skillfully adorned manuscripts and religious texts. It’s a form of artistic expression and communication that continues to be popular today.
So, why might your children want to learn calligraphy? Let’s talk about the skills calligraphy develops and how you can encourage your child to get started.
Why learn calligraphy?
There are lots of reasons to learn calligraphy. Here are just a few:
Artistic expression
Calligraphy is a way for children to express themselves creatively. With a wide range of styles and techniques, they can develop a unique writing style and create visually stunning pieces.
Mindfulness and relaxation
Practising calligraphy can be a meditative and calming activity. Focusing on precise strokes and letterforms can help children clear their minds, and it reduces stress and promotes relaxation.
Handwriting and fine motor skills
Careful attention to forming letters and making consistent brush strokes can improve handwriting and develop fine motor skills. Having good fine motor skills is fundamental for performing everyday tasks. Plus, it’s important for playing musical instruments, drawing, painting and more
Attention to detail
Calligraphy demands precision and attention to detail. These are life skills that people need to succeed in most careers, whether it’s manufacturing, engineering, healthcare or another profession. In many roles, even small errors can lead to significant consequences.
Patience and discipline
Achieving mastery in calligraphy takes time and patience, which develops discipline, persistence, and the ability to stay with a task even when it’s difficult.
Creative expression
In a digital age, hand-lettered calligraphy brings a unique touch and makes gifts, cards and invitations more meaningful. With calligraphy skills children can create personalised journals, beautiful, handcrafted gifts and bring an artistic touch to their projects.
Career opportunities
Calligraphy skills can open up opportunities in various fields such as graphic design, typography, wedding and event planning and freelance artistry.
Cultural and historical appreciation
Learning calligraphy makes children part of an ancient tradition. They can look into the history of different writing systems and gain insight into diverse cultures and artistic heritages.
What materials do you need to get started?
You don’t need any special calligraphy tools to celebrate World Calligraphy Day.
Your child can use pencils and ballpoint pens for faux calligraphy, brush pens and Crayola markers for modern calligraphy, pointed pens and broad-edge pens for traditional calligraphy, or even an Apple pencil for digital lettering.
There’s no need to buy special inks and nibs unless you want to!
Activities for World Calligraphy Day
Here are some easy activities for beginners:
- Practise hand lettering
Technically hand lettering isn’t calligraphy, but it is about creating beautiful letters. All your child needs is paper and a pen or pencil. Watch this tutorial for instructions.
- Try a free online class
Here’s a free one-week calligraphy course from Teachable with easy-to-follow instructions. If your child is more interested in Ipad calligraphy, this beginner’s course is perfect!
- Create embossed lettering
This activity does require special tools, and it’s only suitable for older children with adult supervision. The effects children can create are stunning though. Here’s how to get started with basic embossing.
- Have a go at ribbon lettering
Ribbon lettering is great fun and all you’ll need is a marker and a ballpoint pen. Check out this ribbon lettering tutorial.
- Create stretchy letters
This is a fun activity involving stretching parts of letters to create artistic effects. All your child needs is a pen!
Here’s how they can create their own stretchy letters.
Take it further by experimenting with different types of calligraphy
If your child enjoys these activities, they may want to take their interest further.
There are three different types of calligraphy they can explore – Western, Eastern and Arabic or Islamic. Each one has distinct characteristics and uses different tools.
Western calligraphy is the mysterious, dark writing you see on treasure maps. Eastern calligraphy is the beautiful strokes that make up Chinese writing, and Arabic calligraphy brings to mind the Arabian Nights.
Every style of calligraphy conjures its own magic. Your child can experiment with calligraphy that captures their imagination to create their own unique artwork.
TutorMyKids – dedicated to inspiring your child
We hope these activities for World Calligraphy Day keep your child busy, especially on wet days during the long school holiday. For more ideas to keep your child occupied, see 10 equipment free outdoor games for summer family fun.
At TutorMyKids we are committed to teaching children knowledge and skills through immersive, enjoyable activities. We offer tutoring in English, maths, science and humanities to children in Cambridgeshire.
Would you like to find out more? Please contact hello@tutormykids.co.uk