Which handwriting style to teach?

[three4me]

I've just been teaching DD(4) to write regular 'ol letters. Straight lines, pretty simple stuff. But now I keep reading about other handwriting styles. What do most people teach? What do some of you recommend? Are there advantages/disadvantages to any of them? DD loves writing and has pretty good control, so I'm wondering if we should just keep up what we're doing or if we should consider some other styles?

[Mimmy]

I like Getty dubay italic because the cursive is so similar to the print. I like the idea of an easy transition to cursive. It also looks more like my handwriting than the other styles I've seen. I figured that would make it easier for me to teach.

 

I don't think it matters all that much...

[arliemaria]

I learned a very pretty cursive and want to teach something similar to my children. I have been looking at Peterson Directed Handwriting. They have print and cursive.

[arliemaria]

I wanted to add, I've already purchased the Spencerian books (like 10 books or so) and have looked back and forth at Palmer because I could use the StartWrite program to make my own worksheets for copywork. Such a hard decision. I really dislike Handwriting without Tears and don't particularly like italics, but that is my opinion.

[Tanikit]

I am also using normal ball and stick style writing with my DD (4.5) - I know if she does start school next year that she will have to learn what I think is a form of D'Nealian but I don't think it will be much of a jump to get there. If we decide to homeschool then I will look again before teaching cursive.

[Mrs Twain]

I recommend doing a simple font. HWOT is good in my experience, both with print and cursive.

 

My eldest child learned D'Nealian in public school, and it was a huge disaster for him. A bunch of his letters were badly formed (i.e. his lower case "l" looked like a "c", etc.). It took us more than a year to correct that mess. IMO it is good to avoid D'Nealian.

[mmpmelmack]

HWOT is really awesome for getting started, I still use most of their "language"when talking about letters. This year we switched to Getty dubay italics, I really just hate HWOT's cursive, and so that made us switch, I will start all my kids in the prek and k levels of HWOT and then make the switch again! Good luck!

[nansk]

You'll probably get as many answers as there are members here. :)

 

If you can get it, I would suggest you borrow the Getty-Dubay Handwriting Teachers' Manual or their adult handwriting book called Write Now from the library and read the info on handwriting in them.

[raceNzanesmom]

We love HWT!!! My 2nd grader will move to cursive in the fall, now my day care boys are using the wooden pieces. Excellent program! -and one of the few programs our public school system uses that I like.

[Crimson Wife]

I learned a very pretty cursive and want to teach something similar to my children. I have been looking at Peterson Directed Handwriting. They have print and cursive.

 

Peterson Directed is the prettiest cursive IMHO that is still easily legible (I love Spenserian but it isn't easy to read).

 

However, my oldest DD (who is normally a pretty compliant student) had meltdowns over Peterson Directed. She complained that it was "too slanted" and "too loopy". After a year of repeatedly pulling it out and shelving it, I finally broke down and switched her to Memoria Press' New American Cursive. The look of it makes me :ack2: but DD mastered it within 3 weeks with no more meltdowns.

 

DS is now learning NAC.

[Hunter]

After decades of using and trying almost everything on the market, I have happily, and I believe forever, settled on the too-good-to-be-true instructions in WRTR. I love the cursive even more than the manuscript. The cursive instructions in the new 6th editions are much better than the 4th and 5th, but the manuscript instructions are about the same in all 3 versions.

 

WRTR teaches precise scripts for each letter, instead of LOOKING at a picture of a letter and INFERRING how to draw a similar letter, the child listens and REPEATS a script of how to draw the letter. If the letter doesn't look right, the teacher can explain to the child EXACTLY why it doesn't look right and how to make the next one better.

 

There are no worksheets and no need for them. Copywork can be done straight from a regular text, because the child has no need to look at a model. The scripts have all been memorized.

 

The scripts are quickly learned because the letters are made of the most simple strokes that are named and repeated exactly in all the letters. Students are taught to see the patterns in similar letters.

 

One of my students does her "b"s better than some similar letters. I have her draw a "b" before attempting to practice the other similar letters.

[three4me]

After decades of using and trying almost everything on the market, I have happily, and I believe forever, settled on the too-good-to-be-true instructions in WRTR. I love the cursive even more than the manuscript. The cursive instructions in the new 6th editions are much better than the 4th and 5th, but the manuscript instructions are about the same in all 3 versions.

 

WRTR teaches precise scripts for each letter, instead of LOOKING at a picture of a letter and INFERRING how to draw a similar letter, the child listens and REPEATS a script of how to draw the letter. If the letter doesn't look right, the teacher can explain to the child EXACTLY why it doesn't look right and how to make the next one better.

 

There are no worksheets and no need for them. Copywork can be done straight from a regular text, because the child has no need to look at a model. The scripts have all been memorized.

 

The scripts are quickly learned because the letters are made of the most simple strokes that are named and repeated exactly in all the letters. Students are taught to see the patterns in similar letters.

 

One of my students does her "b"s better than some similar letters. I have her draw a "b" before attempting to practice the other similar letters.

 

Thanks everyone! What is WRTR?

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

Why I would do traditional cursive as found in Pentime which can be bought on Rainbow Respurces:D

 

Cursive is easier to teach than print and is much better to know IMO. Cursive was also taught first 100 years ago;)

[Aspasia]

I started out teaching dd italics for all the reasons a pp mentioned, but I recently switched to a traditional, Zaner-Bloser type don't. I switched because dd was having a hard time with a couple letters and I decided to try teaching her in a more straightforward way (the way I was taught). Problems solved. I also switched because there are sooooooo many more materials in the traditional style, not to mention the fact that most non-handwriting materials use a more traditional font as well (ETC comes to mind).

 

FWIW, I bought StartWrite so that I could make all my own italics worksheets (remember the fewer materials issue?), and now the thought of making ALL of my own worksheets for it just exhausts me. I don't find StartWrite to be very user-friendly. Making a worksheet here or there is fine, but making a bunch would drive me up the wall. I would rather be able to buy a flippin' workbook and be done with it.

 

I would never do d'nealian because of the little tails on all the letters. I could see from just looking at it that a kid would have a hard time forming recognizable letters. Other than that kind of thing, I don't really think font matters that much. I personally believe that handwriting is largely inherited. Everyone in my family was taught differently but we all have very similar handwriting. The differences are the result of personalities (ie, the really intense person presses down harder, I tend to write really fast and you can see that, my mom's is much less controlled so it's a bit more loopy, etc.)

Edited April 17, 2012 by infomom

[Hunter]

Thanks everyone! What is WRTR?

 

Writing Road to Reading

[Mrs. Lilac]

The Penny Gardner e-book "Italic Handwriting" is my favorite thing I've ever bought for handwriting, not to mention the cheapest. ($10!) It covers both print and cursive, and you can print as many pages as you need for your family. It's simple and straightforward. I'm using it for my K'ers and my 3rd grader. My older is FINALLY getting cursive thanks to this book. I would have saved myself a lot of headaches if I had gotten it sooner! Can't recommend enough.

 

http://www.pennygardner.com/italicsbk.html