2026-08-16 08:57
Author: Wang Haiyong (Associate Professor at the School of Calligraphy, Central Academy of Fine Arts)
During summer vacation, many parents take their children to practice calligraphy, which reflects the improvement of parents' awareness of children's aesthetic education. A stroke by stroke writing training can not only improve children's writing skills, but also enhance their concentration, aesthetic ability, depth of thinking, and learning confidence, which are exactly what children should cultivate during their teenage years.
At present, the aesthetic education curriculum in primary and secondary schools is constantly improving, and calligraphy education has also been included as a compulsory aesthetic education content. However, in educational guidance, calligraphy education is often emphasized as content related to writing norms, scoring points on paper, and other aspects, while functions such as improving focus, thinking leap, shaping mentality, and cultivating self-confidence are often overlooked. Calligraphy art education focuses on "cultivating the mind", calming emotions and relieving stress through focused writing, thereby achieving inner peace. Writing with brush and ink is not just a skill training for standardizing Chinese characters, but also involves immediate development of focus, aesthetic perception, and mental cultivation. Valuing daily calligraphy practice, balancing the fast-paced and shallow cognition brought by digital tools, and making calligraphy art education a "vivid" part of children's lives, is a very important part of improving youth art education and mental health education.
Slow down writing enhances focus and self-control
In the current era where screen media permeates daily life comprehensively, fragmented information flow envelops each and every one of us, with shallow browsing and fast jumping becoming the norm for receiving information, which also affects the growth of children and adolescents. Psychological research shows that children who are exposed to fragmented digital content for a long time are more likely to experience problems such as inattention, lack of patience, and impatience in doing things. Some parents are confused that their children can stare at the screen for an hour without moving, but they are easily distracted when doing homework. This is the difference between active attention and passive attention. Unlike shallow reading on the screen, writing is precisely a training of active attention, which is in line with the "flow" theory proposed by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. The generation of "flow" requires three conditions: clear goals, immediate feedback, and adaptation to one's own abilities: accurate writing of the copied object and clear goals; After finishing each word, instant visual feedback can be formed, allowing for a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses; Practice should go from simple to complex, matching the child's gradual writing ability. During the process of "slowing down" writing, children can enhance their ability to actively focus, alleviate the restless mentality caused by fragmented attention, and improve their concentration and self-control. The most precious focus and patience of the screen age are hidden in the daily desk writing.
In the process of writing training, the first step is to observe which radicals are higher and which ones are lower, which strokes are dominant and which strokes are secondary, and how much distance should be left between points and horizontal lines. This is the training of visual resolution; Then delve into it and anticipate the stroke order and structure in your mind, allowing your thoughts to take the lead; Then move the pen, fix your gaze on the tip of the pen, and the whole world is left with only this stroke; Finally, facing imperfections, starting over from scratch, not getting angry or giving up. In informationized classrooms, electronic recording has become a common choice, while mechanical word for word transcription mostly stays at recording the surface meaning of words. Although handwriting has a slow pace, it objectively "forces" students to engage in deep information processing. Learners will actively screen core content, extract key sentences, independently integrate logic, and transform knowledge into their own cognitive reserves. From the perspective of memory mechanisms, hand writing movements can activate motor nerves to form muscle memory and enhance memory effects. Slow writing is the process of digestion, induction, and reflection. When the writing speed slows down, the depth of thinking actually extends. So, the internal logic of improving concentration through handwriting and deep learning is similar: both require abandoning impatience, slowly polishing, and in this process, understanding becomes more transparent. Handwriting is not an inefficient learning method, but a scientific practice path that adapts to the cognitive laws of the human brain and helps with deep learning.
Focus is nurtured, and the accumulation of concentration is like dripping water through a stone, relying on day after day, not overnight. Writing stroke by stroke is not just a training for the opponent, but also a tempering of the "eyes" and "heart". In the Tang Dynasty's "Shupu" by Sun Guoting, it is said: "Those who observe are still refined, while those who imitate are precious." Calligraphy emphasizes "reading and pasting", and carefully observes the relationships between the density, virtuality, lightness, and opening and closing of characters, which can greatly enhance observation ability. When observing the structure, it is necessary to analyze the proportional relationship between dots and drawings; When observing the use of a pen, it is necessary to grasp the movement and rhythm of the pen. The "micro observation" ability cultivated in calligraphy practice can help children establish the thinking habit of "grasping the essence and finding patterns", enabling them to learn to capture with their eyes and analyze with their brains. Sharp observation skills can also provide deeper ways of thinking, allowing children not only to "see" the surface, but also to "think" about the inside. Refining one's perspective on observing the world with every inch of their brush, this insight will become the most valuable ability for children on the path of learning and growth.
Persistently writing, exercising perseverance and resilience
The so-called 'characters are like people' is often understood as calligraphy reflecting the character and morality of the calligrapher. However, rather than saying that characters resemble people, it is more accurate to say that the process of writing involves shaping one's personality. For children, it is quietly polished and reshaped by writing. Accurate handwriting requires them to respect the law and pay attention to details, while proper layout teaches them balance and tolerance. Moreover, every Chinese character that carries the wisdom of ancient Chinese character creation is a miniature artwork that combines aesthetic beauty and cultural connotation. It is a traditional artistic treasure condensed from the natural and cosmic views of our ancestors. The process of children writing is a direct encounter with the ancient wisdom and aesthetic traditions of character creation, which subtly cultivates their character traits of seriousness, rigor, humility, tolerance, integrity, and self-discipline.
Calligraphy practice requires repeated copying and correction, and the process of "accepting imperfection" and "repeatedly rewriting" is also a form of life practice that can cultivate resilience and a peaceful mindset against setbacks. Writing "is not only a skill, but also a deep level exercise of" cultivating the mind "and" educating people ". Confidence is the internal driving force that supports children's long-term progress. Children who lack confidence are prone to developing fear of difficulties, self doubt when faced with setbacks, and loss of learning initiative. Therefore, children's learning confidence needs to be nurtured by successful experiences. Psychologist Albert Bandura's theory of self-efficacy states: "The most reliable way to build confidence is through personal experience of success, not praise or reward, but through the genuine experience of 'I did it myself.' Calligraphy practice has a ladder like growth system and is highly likely to consistently produce positive experiences of success. In the initial stage, starting from basic strokes, practicing horizontally and vertically repeatedly, the originally skewed and out of control lines gradually become more regular; Further practice the structure, gradually creating loose and scattered shapes that are symmetrical and harmonious; Writing complete works, participating in classroom presentations, writing competitions, and other activities further amplify the sense of achievement brought by hard work. The true feeling of relying on one's own persistence to make progress will be transformed into stable confidence, which is easier to build children's sense of self-identity in the long run.
Mr. Ye Shengtao proposed that 'education is about cultivating habits'. There is no shortcut to learning calligraphy, the key lies in persevering day after day. This kind of persistent writing exercises children's perseverance and resilience, and greatly hones their willpower. Slowly, children learn to resist their laziness, find breakthroughs in seemingly dull repetition, and also understand that success is not achieved overnight, but built on small accumulations and unremitting persistence.
Calligraphy is the externalization of one's inner character and aspirations, and the art of brush and ink is not about exquisite techniques, but about cultivating students with a calm mind. As stated in Liu Xizai's "Art Concept" during the Qing Dynasty, "The Yangtze takes books as their heart painting, so books are also the essence of learning. Writers write their aspirations." Adhering to daily writing practice, children can cultivate patience and wisdom between each stroke and painting, and find a spiritual fertile ground to maintain inner peace and steady growth in the fast-paced modern life.
Guangming Daily (August 16, 2026, 12th edition)
