The Case for Cursive

December 4, 2018March 5, 2019 Eva Goldstein-Meola Blog, Writing cursive, dysgraphia, handwriting

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Tonight, sitting at our dining room table, two friends were talking with Jonathan and I about what is currently taught (or not taught, as the case may be) in public school. I mentioned that most schools have dropped handwriting and cursive writing from their curriculum. With this said, there are many studies that show that teaching cursive to a child has numerous benefits.

Jake Weidmann on the importance of penmanship… in the 21st century & beyond (TEDx)

First, teaching cursive trains your hand to relax. Yes, relax. If cursive is taught before printed handwriting, students realize that cursive is less taxing.

Additionally, it helps with dysgraphia. Because all lowercase cursive letters begin in the same spot, it eliminates letter reversals. By learning cursive first, the pesky problem of letter reversals are eliminated right from the start.

Writing in cursive helps a child learn letter spacing. A child who learns to print first has widely varied spacing. One word can sprawl across the page and crash into the next word. Cursive eliminates this issue because each letter in the word is connected.

Finally, the best benefit of learning how to write cursive is you will learn how to read cursive. This helps you when reading grandparent’s handwritten letters.

Unfortunately, with the increased use of technology learning cursive handwriting is becoming a lost art form. I would encourage you to end this cycle. It is never too late to learn the art of cursive! There are a host of benefits that awaits you and your children!

Eva Goldstein-Meola is not only co-founder of Open Tent Academy, but an instructor as well as a former homeschooling mother. She has lived in New Jersey, Florida, Western Massachusetts, Northern Virginia and now resides just outside of Jerusalem. Eva holds a Master’s Degree as a Consulting Teacher of Reading and Writing, IEW certification and a Bachelor’s Degree as an Elementary Teacher. She has also been involved in education since 1986 as a Private Tutor, Teacher, Reading Specialist, Homeschooling Mother, Homeschooling Teacher and Business Owner of an Online Education Consortium.