Do you remember learning cursive? It was challenging, and yet, if done correctly, learning how to write in cursive can be one of the most rewarding occupational therapy activities available to children. Discover how to teach cursive as continuing ed for occupational therapists here.
Why Learn Cursive?
With the advent of digital communication and devices, there are some who object to learning how to write cursive. But it’s important to note that while cursive is still (and will remain) a practical life skill with applications in business and other fields, the ability to write in cursive isn’t the only reason you may want a child to learn how to write in cursive.
When a child learns cursive writing, they develop fine motor skills, improve their ability to read, increase writing speed, and learn more about discipline.
What Is Cursive?
Before a child learns how to write cursive, they should fully understand what it is. A cursive homeschool curriculum is a connected writing style that encourages you to fully write each word before lifting your pencil from the paper. Its letter formation is unique from block writing and challenges learners in new ways. In fact, children with dysgraphia and autism find learning how to write in cursive to be therapeutic and beneficial.
How to Teach Cursive Writing
If you’re wondering how to teach cursive writing at home, we’ve outlined some key components to cover in order to convey both the principles of the cursive alphabet and its benefits. Review our guide before teaching anyone how to write in cursive. You can also benefit from this overview if you are interested in how to learn cursive writing.
Proper Writing Position
If you’re teaching how to write in cursive for beginners, the best place to start is teaching handwriting in the proper writing position.
Proper positioning is particularly crucial because most desks and tables are designed for adults to sit comfortably. This is often something adults gloss over, but providing children with a writing desk and space not sized to them can cause them tension and pain as they attempt to compensate for the poor positioning.
Equally concerning is that inattention to correcting postural, grip, or other setup needs could result in the acquisition of poor or inefficient habits that are harder to change later on. At that point, students may have also acquired a dislike of cursive writing or writing altogether.
So, if you’re teaching a child how to write cursive handwriting, make sure that when they’re in their writing position, they follow these rules:
- Their feet comfortably touch the floor. We call it the 90-90-90 position. Hips are at 90 degrees, knees at 90 degrees, and ankles at 90 degrees.
- They have room to angle their elbow out slightly, as paper is often angled when writing in cursive. This means that the desk height should be at the level of the diaphragm or slightly lower. A higher desk height requires children to elevate their shoulders, a position that can lead to the development of frozen shoulders and neck pain.
- They have a comfortable backrest. In fact, lumbar support is a valuable asset. Anything but a rounded, molded chair! Those chair styles promote poor posture while sitting, which ultimately translates into poor posture while standing.
Keys to Teaching Cursive Font
Remember, to learn cursive should feel like a therapeutic activity for the child. When teaching how to write in cursive, you should:
- Exercise patience
- Place more emphasis on the process than the end goal
- Reward effort over results
- Make it fun!
Instead of plain lines on a page, your child can learn how to write cursive through a kaleidoscope workbook.
Start Teaching the Cursive Alphabet
Just like adults, children get easily overwhelmed when given an entire concept to master at once. Therefore, when teaching a child how to write the cursive alphabet, here are a couple of tips to keep in mind:
1. Encourage flowing movements. Air writing, tracing continuous paths, and sliding one’s forearm across the paper are valuable sensory experiences for wannabe writers.
2. Practice letters with similar lead-in strokes. Model the movement in forming the letter. Then, have the children write that letter over and over again.
3. Focus on big movements first, then let the child hone the smaller details as they get more comfortable with the movements. Use models that start large, then gradually shrink to fit into second or third-grade ruling.
4. Practice! There is no substitute. Research into handwriting has shown that the acquisition of a new motor skill, such as writing, adheres to Motor Learning Theory. Constant and blocked practice is important, followed by random and variable practice.
When learning how to write in cursive, drill work is a must, but you should also include the expectation to actually write in cursive during real-time, meaningful writing assignments. Assign final draft, homework, spelling tests, and more in cursive as part of the learning process.
In the years following cursive instruction, request that the child sign every paper with a cursive signature. Ensure the child is practicing so they can better learn how to write in cursive handwriting.
Lowercase Letters in Cursive
When teaching cursive for beginners, start by teaching the letter “c”. This is a challenge letter that reinforces the retracing stroke, a common feature in many cursive letter formations. Lowercase c, a, d, g, q, and o start with this ‘wave’ movement. In fact, we even refer to them as WAVE letters.
Next, teach the PEAK letters. Those are the ones that appear to climb a mountain… then slide back down again. Lowercase i, u, t, j, p, r, and s are examples of PEAK letters.
SAILS are next. These are letters with big or little loops and no retracing of the lead-in stroke. In the Size Matters Handwriting Program Cursive Kaleidoscope workbook, we minimize the likelihood of the loop becoming a fat circle by abruptly stopping it at a point at the top. How you learn cursive writing starts with drawing a straight slant line back down, forming something that looks like a sail off a mast. Lowercase letters e, l, b, h, k, and f are part of this group.
Lastly, there are the HILL letters. No retracing here either. These letters may have one, two, or three continuous HILLS and include lowercase v, w, y, x, n, m, and z.
The Cursive Kaleidoscope handwriting practice workbook offers lots of practice on pages marked Instruction, Practice, Roll and Review, Sense and Nonsense, and Enrichment. As you teach how to write in cursive, these practice pages will be your guide.
Uppercase Letters in Cursive
When a child is learning how to write cursive, it’s a good idea to make sure they’re comfortable with lowercase before moving them to uppercase. After all, most uppercase letters don’t connect, and as lowercase cursive can be viewed more as a connected writing style, uppercase letters are how you learn cursive writing with standalone letters, which can pose a challenge to a child.
Cursive Writing Tips
Now that you know a little bit more about what it takes to learn cursive, let’s review! Here’s a summary of some great cursive writing tips on how to teach cursive writing.
- Ensure the child is seated in a comfortable writing position.
- When a child starts learning how to write in cursive, let them start by tracing the letters.
- Teach lowercase letters first, and once they have mastered them, start introducing uppercase letters.
- Practice makes perfect! At least 20 minutes a day helps cursive become top-of-mind for children, encouraging rapid improvement.
- Lined adaptive paper usually makes it easier to learn cursive. Use it in lessons and in homework to guide your students.
We Know the Best Way to Learn Cursive
When you’re teaching children how to write in cursive, remember to keep it fun. It can be an incredibly beneficial and therapeutic process, so it’s best if the children enjoy it.
And, if you’re looking for a creative way to make how to learn cursive writing a positive experience, remember to check out our books on cursive handwriting for kids. Explore handwriting practice guides and more here!
