Teaching children how to write takes time. And according to a new study, it is well worth your time to teach them proper handwriting skills.

A new study from Florida International University (FIU) finds learning to write better earlier can impact overall academic performance later on in life.

At REM Learning Center in South Miami-Dade, teaching 4 and 5-year-olds to write is a priority. The Children's Trust funded a study that finds how well these children learn to write will have a significant impact on their school grades later on.

FIU researchers analyzed information from 3,000 Miami-Dade public school student, first when they were in preschool and then in second grade. "We found that kids who had higher scores on the fine motor writing test in pre-K had better grades and better Stanford Achievement Test scores in second grade both in reading and math," said Laura Dinehart, an FIU Writing Study researcher.

Pre-k students with good grades in writing had B averages in second grade math and reading. Pre-K students who did poorly in writing had C averages. Researchers are still looking into why. "We think it could be attention," Dinehart said. "We think kids that have greater attention skills could also have greater writing skills because they're able to focus and they're able to copy."

The results have researchers encouraging parents now to work on writing with their kids. "But now I'm realizing I probably should focus a little bit more on it," said Maryanne Mullery, a mother. "I never really sat down with them. I provide them materials and let them access it as they want to."

Drawing helps too, but now the proof is in penmanship and its impact on academic performance.

Do you think writing has had an impact on your children later on? Will this make you more likely to work with them on their writings skills when they're young? Leave your thoughts below.

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Information courtesy of NBC News.