For many people, cursive sounds old fashioned and outdated.
In fact, 23 states have taken cursive out of their curriculum all together.
Not having cursive as an option is detrimental for many children who struggle with handwritten work.
I think of cursive as the amazing “do over” for kids who have messy printing.
For children who have been struggling for several years with their printing, learning cursive gives them an opportunity to write neatly with speed.
Trying to teach and reteach printing over and over without improvement is not the way to go.
A child might be able to write slowly with good habits but, most likely, they will revert right back to their old inefficient habits when they have to put their thoughts down on paper in a given timeframe.
Giving up on handwriting all together is not a viable option either as more than 50% of a child’s school day is spent writing.
Second grade is an ideal time to teach cursive as there is typically a high interest level and the workload is not as heavy; allowing time to transition to using cursive as their primary form of writing.
It is important, not only to teach proper formation and connections, but also write with speed while maintaining legibility.
If a child can write the connected cursive alphabet (lowercase), legibly, in 35-40 seconds they are ready to use cursive for classroom assignments and homework.
