Jarman Handwriting is based on the work of Christopher Jarman (b. 1934), who is well-known for his book The Development of Handwriting Skills: a Resource Book for Teachers published in 1979. Three years later, he released a series of five copybooks accompanied by an activity book, which were widely used in schools in Great Britain. These were reprinted in 1997 under the new title, Jarman Handwriting. They showcase a model comprising simple and undecorated letters that draw from patterns that children learn during motor development.
Sample pages of Jarman, C., 1979. The development of handwriting skills – a book of resources for teachers. Basil Blackwell, Oxford.
The system presents a progressive model with two alphabets, the first one unconnected and the second one partially joined. It features plain uppercase letters with oval shapes and lowercase ones with short ascenders and descenders. First, students learn simplified print script letters with small exit strokes. This is followed by a second stage where some lowercase letters are joined, while others remain disconnected.
