Learning Cursive: A Skill That Sparkles (and Has Hidden Benefits)
Kids love the idea of writing in a “secret code” – that’s part of the magic of cursive! Now’s the perfect time to let them try it with fun, free worksheets.
Read some of the comments below from parents and teachers on when kids should learn cursive and check out some the great resources we’ve found from a number of different sites across the web.
There seems to be a debate on the right time to teach cursive, and many schools have decided to stop teaching cursive altogether.
Parents are left confused not knowing what to do, if they should do anything and when is the best time to do it.
Many teachers feel, from their vast experience in education that young kids don’t have the fine motor control to learn cursive without getting frustrated.
Teachers are concerned that it will also confuse kids who are just learning basic handwriting strokes. “Don’t teach cursive yet. If their handwriting isn’t good, they needs to practice writing basic letters.”
The Cursive Debate: Should My Child Learn?
You’re not alone in wondering when (and if) to introduce cursive. Some schools skip it, but there are surprising reasons to consider it:
- Brain Booster: Research shows handwriting, especially cursive, activates unique brain areas.
- Fine Motor Magic: Cursive’s flow may help kids who struggle with fine motor skills.
- Historical Connection: How cool is it to read original documents and old letters!
Other teachers have said, parents should discuss whether learning cursive is currently appropriate for your child with their teacher. They feel that they first need good letter formation securely in place before moving into cursive.
It can apparently create bad habits and then teachers get upset trying to reteach instead of introducing letter formations.
It’s interesting though that many countries still teach cursive first. One mom said, it’s actually easier for some children to learn lower case cursive with 1 starting point than print with 8 starting points. Cursive can actually be very helpful when kids struggle with fine motor skills.
Several curriculum companies and private schools actually teach cursive first.
Why Teach Cursive First
https://blog.logicofenglish.com/why-teach-cursive-first
At Logic of English we strongly recommend beginning with cursive. Cursive has six primary advantages over manuscript:
- It is less fine-motor skill intensive.
- All the lowercase letters begin in the same place on the baseline.
- Spacing within and between words is controlled.
- By lifting the pencil between words, the beginning and ending of words is emphasized.
- It is difficult to reverse letters such as b’s and d’s.
- The muscle memory that is mastered first will last a lifetime.
Cursive writing: more than just good penmanship
Handwriting is at a crossroads, with many schools dropping it from their core curriculum at the same time that various new research is showing how handwriting trains the brain. Benefits of good handwriting practice include…
https://www.k5learning.com/cursive-writing-worksheets
Make it Fun (and Easy!)
The right resources are key! Here are some favorites:
- 15Worksheets – Cursive Worksheets: A fantastic site with tons of free, printable worksheets to guide practice (Cursive Letters Worksheets – 15 Worksheets.com )
- Logic of English: Why Cursive First? Explores the benefits of teaching cursive before print. (https://blog.logicofenglish.com/why-teach-cursive-first )
- Cursive Handwriting Workbooks: Make it special and fun with cursive workbooks.
Let Progress (Not Perfection) Be the Goal
Cursive is a journey! Celebrate small wins and let your child’s interest be your guide. They might just discover a lifelong love of beautiful writing.
Let me know how those worksheets work out!
Cursive Writing Worksheets
Cursive: Lowercase - Alphabet Animation
It's great to have all these worksheets for practicing but first you have to know the order and direction of the strokes.
Cursive Writing Worksheets
I really like the way these worksheets are actually presented not in alphabetical order, but in an order that makes it easier for kids to learn. The letters are presented in groups that are formed in a similar manner. Where many other websites present the worksheets in alphabetical order, these worksheets build on one another so it's best to do them in order.
Cursive Alphabet Worksheets
Trace and write lowercase and uppercase letters.
Alphabet Practice Writing Worksheets
Cursive Letter Joins
Once a student has mastered writing the individual letters in cursive writing, the next step is figuring out how they link together. These pages provide worksheets for practicing top and bottom letter joins.
Cursive Words Worksheets
Each worksheet has several words beginning with the given letter.
Dnealian style Handwriting Practice Worksheet
Create your own custom Dnealian handwriting worksheet. This is great because you can create cursive text that is more interesting to your child. You also have the option to select the same or different content on each line of the worksheet.
Create Custom Cursive Handwriting PDFs
Another awesome site for creating custom cursive handwriting sheets.
Tracing Cursive Handwriting
This is creates great practice sheets for kids who have just learned the letters and combining letters. Before you move on to having your kids copy cursive writing, have them first trace these custom cursive worksheets.
Jan Brett's Alphabet Line Bulletin Board Set
Use letters together as an alphabet line or separately as flash cards.
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