Cursive Writing

To teach it or not to teach it. That has been the question!

For YEARS have put off doing cursive writing. I'm not sure why, I knew I always wanted my kids to learn it, to read it, to write it. I just kept putting it off. At first it was because I felt they were not ready for it, then it was because I couldn't find resources like I liked, then it was because they were older and the resources were geared for younger kids.

I decided that at 13/12 years of age, 8th/7th grade, that there was no need to keep waiting on it. I could no longer keep putting it on the back burner. I had to address it! If we were going to do it it was going to be now or never.

So last week I borrowed resources from the library, because libraries are awesome, and we dived right in.  We are working through the workbooks I borrowed, but I also printed off a sheet with all the letters and have told the kids to just start writing in cursive and if they didn't know how to make the letters to use the sheet with all the letters as the guide.

Over all it has been going good. My husband after 3 days of writing in cursive is impressed with their penmanship. I am impressed with their penmanship. Yes we started late, but truly it hasn't been bad and their penmanship looks just as good to me as their peers that have been writing in cursive for years.  There is some minor errors they are making with connecting letters, but I'm able critique the writing and tell the kids where and how to do better.

It's a good thing to see them write in cursive. It's a good thing to see that over all their penmanship is good and they understand the mistakes they are making and able to correct them easily. It's a relief to know that even though we started cursive writing late in the game the kids are just as good at it as their peers that have been doing it for a long time. -- or at least compared to the hand writing I have seen from their homeschooled an non-homeschooled peers.  Do you teach your kids to write in cursive?

As a side note it was also a good thing to get a pat on the back from the librarian. When I was returning some the materials I borrowed she asked me how I liked them. I told her it was good, but not for us, seeing the kids are a little older. I openly admitted to her that I kept putting it off, but it was time to address it.  She said well at least you are doing it. So many schools don't even teach it now!