Teach Your Child How to Write Cursive

Children begin to learn how to write in cursive during the third grade, and use it regularly in the fourth. Using cursive writing is allowing the flow of the word to remain connected without having your pencil or pen leave the paper. This is actually a more natural flow for children than the regular print format.

Samuel L, Blumenfeld, author of How Should We Teach Our Children to Write? Cursive First, Print Later!, states that it is better to teach children how to write in cursive first, then to teach them how to print. “By the time children are introduced to cursive in the third grade, their writing habits are so fixed that they resent having to learn an entirely new way of writing. The teachers do not have the time to supervise the development of a good cursive script, and the students are usually unwilling to take the time and do the practice needed to develop a good cursive handwriting, Estates Mr. Blumenfeld.

Mr. Blumenfeld himself was taught to first use cursive and was then taught to write in print, “We were all taught cursive right off the bat, and the result is that people of my generation generally have better handwriting than those of recent generations.”

Therefore, we have provided information and resources on teaching your child how to write in cursive for preschool up to third grade. As the majority of children outside of third grade have already been taught cursive handwriting.

Preschool – 3rd Grade
The basic concept of cursive writing is to keep your pencil or pen on the paper flowing with the written content. For beginning writers allow them to let their pen flow on the paper, to scribble without taking their pen off the paper. Without even knowing it they will be learning the core of cursive writing.
This will enforce the flow of cursive writing concept to young children. This is fun for children to do anyway.

Print out the entire alphabet, from A to Z, separately for them to trace. Have them practice tracing the letters daily.

Printing Tip
You can take the printed worksheets (or email them) to a printing shop to have them laminated and bound together so your child can practice as often as they like and reuse the tracing paper. This is a great idea if you have more than one child. Make sure to use a marker or pen that is not permanent so they can wipe them off properly.

Main points to address:

• At first teach them the core concept of writing; ask them to make scribbles without ever taking their pen off the paper.
• Have them trace the alphabet and words from worksheets you can print out.

Resources
Resources that can help you in your venture include:

Worksheets
(The following web sites have a large collection of worksheets you can print out for your child to practice cursive writing)

• ESL Writing Wizard – http://www.writingwizard.longcountdown.com
• Writing Workbooks – http://www.writingworkbooks.com
• ABC Teach – http://abcteach.com & http://www.abcteach.com
• Handwriting for Kids – http://www.handwritingforkids.com/
• Kids Zone – http://www.kidzone.ws/cursive/index.htm

Information

• Samuel L, Blumenfeld – http://www.howtotutor.com

Posted in Education.

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