Handwriting Question - if you DON'T do Cursive?

[frugalmama]

If you don't teach cursive, or don't teach it until much later {after 3rd grade} what do you use for handwriting instead?

 

I'm seriously considering not teaching dd cursive at all, and definitely not until she is in at least 4th-5th grade. But it seems like all the handwriting programs go to cursive in 2nd or 3rd grade and never cover printing again. Is there a program for older children to work on neat printing skills?

[boscopup]

Copywork. You don't need a handwriting program at that age.

 

I'm using WRTR's handwriting instructions, so no workbook at all.

[Jess4879]

We use HWOT, and just used a level behind (so grade 2 for grade 3.) They start cursive in Grade 3, but we will just do that level next year, when we are ready for cursive. :) We don't do all the sound effects, etc - DD8 just does the workbook pages. No matter what you use, I think the biggest thing is to sit with them so you can make sure they are forming the letters correctly.

[journey00]

If you don't teach cursive, or don't teach it until much later {after 3rd grade} what do you use for handwriting instead?

 

I'm seriously considering not teaching dd cursive at all, and definitely not until she is in at least 4th-5th grade. But it seems like all the handwriting programs go to cursive in 2nd or 3rd grade and never cover printing again. Is there a program for older children to work on neat printing skills?

 

I'm in the same boat.....I'm seriously considering not teaching cursive at all. I want to concentrate on neater print. :iagree:

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

IMHO I would consider not waiting since the huge advantage of cursive is speed, especially when it comes to taking notes. It only takes about 15 minutes a day. Then once they master the alphabet and have had some practice in cursive, I would switch them over to cursive by having them do all of their work in cursive. I did this for ds at the beginning of 4th grade after having practiced about 15 minutes a day from 2nd grade till 4th grade. At first it took him a long time to write his papers in cursive for several months but now he writes in cursive with a breeze. He writes much quicker and neater with cursive than he did with print and he had a lot of fine motor issues with writing previously.

[boscopup]

IMHO I would consider not waiting since the huge advantage of cursive is speed, especially when it comes to taking notes.

 

But this varies from person to person. I cannot take notes in cursive. After using strictly cursive from sometime around the end of 2nd grade up until 7th or 8th grade, print is still WAAAAAAAAAY faster for me. Actually, a slightly connected print (think italics, but just taking your own print and joining where it makes sense to you) is what I tend to use when writing fast. Cursive makes me have to think too much to make it readable, even though I used it for 100% of my schoolwork for several years.

 

I have never had any issue with taking notes in high school or college using print, neither did any of my friends who also took notes in print.

 

I do use cursive a lot now as an adult, after re-teaching it to myself, but print is still faster for me. I use cursive when speed isn't that important. If I try to speed write cursive, I won't be able to read any of it. :tongue_smilie:

[justLisa]

But this varies from person to person. I cannot take notes in cursive. After using strictly cursive from sometime around the end of 2nd grade up until 7th or 8th grade, print is still WAAAAAAAAAY faster for me. Actually, a slightly connected print (think italics, but just taking your own print and joining where it makes sense to you) is what I tend to use when writing fast. Cursive makes me have to think too much to make it readable, even though I used it for 100% of my schoolwork for several years.

 

I have never had any issue with taking notes in high school or college using print, neither did any of my friends who also took notes in print.

 

I do use cursive a lot now as an adult, after re-teaching it to myself, but print is still faster for me. I use cursive when speed isn't that important. If I try to speed write cursive, I won't be able to read any of it. :tongue_smilie:

 

Same here. I never write in cursive. It is illegible if I try to write fast. Now I could probably type a conversation word for word.

 

The HWOT guide is good. I just do it on the board and have them copy.

[dbmamaz]

the year after I learned cursive in school, my teacher (in a private school) asked me to stop using it . . .

 

I love this free printing practice generator - i used to use jokes, but you could make up your own stuff to copy. I'm hoping to make my son choose lines from his (self-selected living) science books this year for copy work.

[EmilyGF]

Getty Dubay Italics.

 

Faster, easier to write, easier to read.

 

Emily

[She Reads a Lot]

We're in a similar boat: starting third grade but ds' printing/letter recall isn't solid enough for me to be ready to add in cursive. JudoMom suggested Callirobics to me (http://www.callirobics.com/) and I picked up a used copy of the one for ages 4-7 (the older age level is more for cursive shapes) on HS Classifieds this summer.

 

We've only done one school day so far but he seemed to like the writing set to music idea. I copied the pages and put them in his notebook, in case we need to go through the whole 11-week program again, so he has no idea that (gasp!) he's 8 but using a program for 4-7 year olds :001_huh:.

 

So far, so good!

Christina

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

But this varies from person to person. I cannot take notes in cursive. After using strictly cursive from sometime around the end of 2nd grade up until 7th or 8th grade, print is still WAAAAAAAAAY faster for me. Actually, a slightly connected print (think italics, but just taking your own print and joining where it makes sense to you) is what I tend to use when writing fast. Cursive makes me have to think too much to make it readable, even though I used it for 100% of my schoolwork for several years.

 

I have never had any issue with taking notes in high school or college using print, neither did any of my friends who also took notes in print.

 

I do use cursive a lot now as an adult, after re-teaching it to myself, but print is still faster for me. I use cursive when speed isn't that important. If I try to speed write cursive, I won't be able to read any of it. :tongue_smilie:

 

I can see that but I would still encourage everyone to give a go:)

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

the year after I learned cursive in school, my teacher (in a private school) asked me to stop using it . . .

 

I love this free printing practice generator - i used to use jokes, but you could make up your own stuff to copy. I'm hoping to make my son choose lines from his (self-selected living) science books this year for copy work.

 

I am sorry to hear that since when I went to school none of my teachers asked me to do so ans all students were expected to do so. I think education schools have become misguided in seeing cursive as optional.

[dbmamaz]

I am sorry to hear that since when I went to school none of my teachers asked me to do so ans all students were expected to do so. I think education schools have become misguided in seeing cursive as optional.

 

I really disagree. I have horrible handwriting and am also very uncoordinated in other ways. Two of my kids are capable of writing neatly and one is not. Its a disability. I am actually teaching that son cursive now, at his request, but i have not felt any loss for not learning to make neat cursive. i can read it, since I used it for a year and a half, but its not at all important in my life. Just as art isnt important to me. I made a great living as a computer programmer, though . . .

[Hunter]

I was reading WRTR 4th edition tonight and it says that children are not capable of writing in cursive until they are spelling and reading in syllables chunks. If they are still working at the phonogram level they need to use manuscript.

 

This makes so much sense to me. I had noticed that many of my special needs students have trouble figuring out which joiner to use, because it requires planning ahead. They can't finish one letter and then move onto the next. They need to juggle several letters at a time and make decisions.

 

At least if a student is has mastered cursive of each syllable type, they can do less juggling and planning ahead.

 

"Spelling" here has become more about handwriting than spelling. I drill the most common words in handwriting as well as spelling.

 

And now it appears that "handwriting" is more about spelling than handwriting.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I really disagree. I have horrible handwriting and am also very uncoordinated in other ways. Two of my kids are capable of writing neatly and one is not. Its a disability. I am actually teaching that son cursive now, at his request, but i have not felt any loss for not learning to make neat cursive. i can read it, since I used it for a year and a half, but its not at all important in my life. Just as art isnt important to me. I made a great living as a computer programmer, though . . .

 

I realize that some have dysgraphia. My ds hated writing and had fine motor issues as well. I used every technique in the book and finally my ds soared with cursive:). Some OT have recommended cursive as easier for those with difficulty.