for teaching italic: should the parent learn too?

[serendipitous journey]

... we're going to be switching Button to italics in a week or so, starting very gently with Getty-Dubay A. My handwriting is NOT italic, but is quite legible. Ought I get the book for adults to learn italics? learn with DS? not fret about it? -- it's not like there's a lot of extra time 'round here ;) and I have a tendency to overschedule myself ...

[boscopup]

I got the adult book (Write Now), and I'm really happy that I did. Now I can easily demonstrate for DS how to do it, and I know how to do the various joins and such (when you get to cursive). For print, it wouldn't matter, as the letters are mostly the same as regular print, except the tail on the 't'. But for cursive, it is definitely different.

 

I now write in cursive italics and am not afraid to use cursive for writing notes to people! I previously wrote notes in print because my regular cursive was too embarrassing. :tongue_smilie:

 

It didn't take very long to go through the book. I just worked on it a little bit here and there. Within a week or two, I was up and running with cursive italics. :)

[serendipitous journey]

I got the adult book (Write Now), and I'm really happy that I did. ...

It didn't take very long to go through the book. I just worked on it a little bit here and there. Within a week or two, I was up and running with cursive italics. :)

 

thanks. That's encouraging; and doing the book myself would help me feel like a Good Mother :)

[boscopup]

thanks. That's encouraging; and doing the book myself would help me feel like a Good Mother :)

 

I did feel a little crazy that I was excited to do copywork. :lol:

[Momling]

I did feel a little crazy that I was excited to do copywork. :lol:

We're not doing italics, but I have begun to *love* working on the Spencerian copybook with my daughter. We have matching fountain pens and it's just a fun time. Plus, I can kind of explain how to form the letter since there's not a lot of intstruction.

[eloquacious]

Sometimes it works in reverse, too. I was going to have my son learn Cursive First style cursive (based on clock face letters like Spalding) but I myself will be working with Peterson Directed Handwriting, and that made me realize that I should just use that with him, too. I became convinced that there is nothing inherently easier in a circle than other strokes, and since we'll be doing it large motor at first anyways (in the air, on a chalkboard in 1-2 ft letters, etc.) I don't see how it matters. Both systems are similar in that they rely on verbalizing strokes rather than doing copywork/tracing.

 

So yes, I think doing the same thing as your child is fantastic - a great way to show that learning is for life. In my case, as I decided that Peterson cursive is a more adult hand than the rounded letters of Cursive First, I figured why teach one way first, then expect him to switch?

[skueppers]

All last school year while my daughter was learning printing, I sat with her and learned the style of cursive she wanted to study. She needed me sitting with her anyway, and I was able to model the process of evaluating handwriting on my own work.

 

Now that she has learned to form all of the cursive letters, I am able to write out models for her copywork.

 

I thought it was time well spent, and I'm sure it aided her learning process to have me doing it with her.

[Amy Jo]

I would - easier to model for them. I had to brush up on my cursive last year. I recommend Penny Gardener's Italic ebook - one price and covers regular and cursive italic.