klhoward42 Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I had a question for you moms about hand writing. I am doing Abeka with my daughter and they teach cursive first, which I am okay with!!! She also wants to learn manuscript too!! I have the books and info to teach both but I am wondering if its too much for her to being doing both. She loves to write and its her favorite part of school but I don't know if its too much for a 4 year old. I know that her cursive is going to take longer because its harder but I don't want to wait until she is 6 to teach her manuscript either. I also don't want to possibly confuse her with doing both!!! My other question is when does Abeka teach manuscript??? So any advice would be appreciated!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 They don't...if you're starting with the cursive program. Assumption being, kids will pick it up on their own. I've done two with cursive first, one with manuscript first, and am doing cursive first, and have a wipe-off book for manuscript for my current 5yo. If it's something your dd wants to learn, set it aside for her to "play" with after other lessons. As long as it is driven by her, doing a little extra now and then isn't an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I only taught cursive to my 5- but they picked up manuscript on their own. I also occasionally had k workbooks from other sources like explode the code and things I picked up at the bookstore, they usually had pages with letters to trace or write- it made for good practice in writing neatly. I used Abeka for our handwriting, I really like their workbooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klhoward42 Posted November 3, 2011 Author Share Posted November 3, 2011 Lisa- did you see any differences in your kids with doing one or the other first?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 IMO, kids who are really good with fine motor skills will do fine with either (or both). If they are more motivated with one vs. another they will do better with the one they are motivated to learn. If they need help, or have difficulty, focusing on one is best... and I chose the one my child was more interested to start. They will all learn cursive at some point. We started with each child where we did, based upon the child. When my oldest started school I planned to do manuscript. He blew a little gasket. He already *knew* how to do those letters (in a rudimentary way, mind you). I didn't feel it was worth fighting over. We did cursive, and he did it happily. The skills will transfer from cursive to print (as in, scale & spacing), but I just have to insist on neatness, and my son can do it. My dd isn't a fair representation of anything, because she is just really talented with her hands. She is ambidextrous, and writes effortlessly with either hand in cursive and print. She can write simultaneously...pretty nifty. My younger ds is dysgraphic... I let him choose, because it was going to be hard, regardless. He chose printing. My younger dd is learning cursive... we are just starting. But, she likes to "do school" and many times needs something to sit down with. The wipe-off books are a nice thing she can do... and they don't look like her other penmanship books. She can copy letters (manuscript) very well. I don't think she'll have any issues. Sorry, wish this could be more helpful. I've just tried to make the best decision for each child, based upon where they were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klhoward42 Posted November 3, 2011 Author Share Posted November 3, 2011 Thank you Lisa- My daughter has always been great with her fine motor skills- she cant hit a ball with a bat or catch a ball well but she can color in the lines and loves to write. That's why I was leaning toward doing both but I needed some feedback from other Moms to make sure I wasn't pushing her too hard!!! Thanks again to you and Hen Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Running the race Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I taught my kids to print at 4yo and then used the cursive starting at K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 My 7 year old really wants to learn cursive. Is it best to just start with the K cursive book? Off the top of my head, I'm not even sure what the options are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I'd probably start with the first grade book. The lines are a bit smaller. It goes through all of the letters a bit more quickly, however if you need extra practice you can get the blank book from Abeka and do extra practice there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Thanks! We'll do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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