Why Handwriting? Positive/inquiry replies only please.

[Reefgazer]

I teach it to DS as an elementary subject because when DD came home from public school she had had little handwriting instruction, and although I gave her more practice, it's retained better when it's learned as an elementary student than as a middle schooler.  Also, by middle school, I feel we need to spend more time on some more intense and deeper activities, whereas I feel elementary school is the proper place to teach the grammar and basics of education.

 

I teach handwriting in general because, based on my own experience, I retain new material better when I write by hand than if I type.  I also think it's a much quicker way of taking notes than printing/manuscript.  And for all the flap about not needing it because computers will take the place of handwriting, the huge majority of students in my class are taking notes with a paper and pen.  That's in addition to the myriad of articles out there extolling it's virtues, which you didn't ask for so I won't prattle on about.

[JDoe]

 

 

I am not interested in hosting a big debate about why, so I'd rather not extensively debate the topic, but I am very curious about why people choose to teach their children handwriting and cursive.

 

 

Legibility and speed

[OneStepAtATime]

I'm so curious that people are saying cursive = speed. I had excellent cursive writing, really pretty, but it wasn't fast at all, which is why I ditched it as soon as I could. The girls and I find an idiosyncratic partially linked printing much quicker and just as legible. Is it just us ?

This may depend on the person...or maybe the type of cursive? Not sure.

 

My cursive was never fast. Hybrid cursive/print is faster for me. DH has very fast cursive but completely illegible. Print is a bit slower but it is mostly readable. Not pretty, though.

 

My mom has pretty cursive but not very fast. Her print is shaky and even slower.

 

But I do have friends with very rapid, pretty cursive. I suspect that if DS has enough time and practice his cursive will be faster than print by a long shot. Not fast. But faster than print.

[Guest worianxun]

I don't really focus much on handwriting either.

 

[wallingjan]

It makes the Grandparents happy :). Seriously, I would do it anyway, but this is the linchpin on which they seem to evaluate our ability to homeschool.

[OneStepAtATime]

 

It makes the Grandparents happy :). Seriously, I would do it anyway, but this is the linchpin on which they seem to evaluate our ability to homeschool.[/quote

 

Interesting! I had not thought of that but it makes sense. Handwriting used to be much more strongly emphasized. I could see this being valued by previous generations quite a bit...

[EKS]

I taught both of my children cursive for two reasons--so that they could learn to *read* cursive and so that they could use it when needing to write quickly.  They both had beautiful cursive when they were learning.

 

Neither of them remember much about it.  Only the nondyslexic one can read it.  Oh well.

 

But they can both sign their names in cursive, so I guess that's something.

[alisoncooks]

We do formal handwriting every day because -- seriously -- my children would never write otherwise.  Both are pencil phobic; neither go off on their own and write stories or lists or anything for fun.  They are delayed readers, so we hold off on formal composition.  Penmanship lessons are our MAIN exposure to writing in the early years.

[FO4UR]

I'm so curious that people are saying cursive = speed. I had excellent cursive writing, really pretty, but it wasn't fast at all, which is why I ditched it as soon as I could. The girls and I find an idiosyncratic partially linked printing much quicker and just as legible.  Is it just us ?

 

 

It's what you learn first.

 

I learned print first, cursive in 2nd (but not thoroughly or long enough) and my handwriting is a mix between cursive/print.  I'm not happy with it, tbh. 

 

My 12yo learned cursive first, and his cursive is definitely faster and more legible.

 

My 10yo was a precocious thing and taught herself printing before I had a chance to teach cursive...she can do either, but prefers printing.

 

My 8yo is still in the gaining fluency in cursive stage.  (I started late (6/7yo) with him b/c he showed many signs of dyslexia that we circumvented before starting formal lessons.)  He can print and make it neat. We are practicing cursive though b/c, even at this stage, it's faster and neater.

 

 

And, maybe this is a quirk for dyslexics, but I find that the font I use to teach spelling is the font that vomits onto the page in their free time. My 10yo uses Apples & Pears...and vomits print.  My boys use cursive in spelling.  

[Targhee]

I'm so curious that people are saying cursive = speed. I had excellent cursive writing, really pretty, but it wasn't fast at all, which is why I ditched it as soon as I could. The girls and I find an idiosyncratic partially linked printing much quicker and just as legible. Is it just us ?

I usually write in print, or semi-linked print. However, when I really have to write quickly I use cursive with only a few modifications (I don't include the beginning upstroke, use mostly print style capitals, and beginning letter t, s, and r are printed). It took lots of writing in cursive to develop speed, but it is much faster for me (think timed essays).

[Hkpiano]

It makes the Grandparents happy :). Seriously, I would do it anyway, but this is the linchpin on which they seem to evaluate our ability to homeschool.

This reminds me of the time I had a mini melt-down when my first-grader tried to sign his grandma's birthday card in barely legible capital letters. Not my proudest moment, but it was so disheartening because we had been so consistently working on his handwriting, which is normally quite good, and I knew that she would be a little appalled at what he had produced at that moment.

[momacacia]

Just thought of another reason. To not have to pay someone to address your wedding invitations.

This is actually how we started Cursive First with oldest in K. She insisted she knew how to print (incorrect formation), and wanted to do fancy writing. I could foresee with her fine motor skills that someday she'd love calligraphy (I'd studied it in my 20s), so why not. I addressed my own wedding envelopes and she's just the type to want to do that on her own as well. Yes, I'm raising the next Martha Stewart. I hope she hires me a chef someday.

[Ausmumof3]

For my son it was because his writing was bad, often mixing up bs and ds p and q and mixing cases. He may mostly type as an adult but there will be times he has to write.

 

I am only doing cursive because it's a requirement of the curriculum here for this grade and he quite likes it. It doesn't take any of my time and only about 10 minutes of his.

[Ausmumof3]

This reminds me of the time I had a mini melt-down when my first-grader tried to sign his grandma's birthday card in barely legible capital letters. Not my proudest moment, but it was so disheartening because we had been so consistently working on his handwriting, which is normally quite good, and I knew that she would be a little appalled at what he had produced at that moment.

I've done this!!! The grandma herself wouldn't mind at all but the proudly displayed letters would be seen by the school teacher Aunties!