Printing or Cursive First?

[Guest]

*Poll to follow*

 

Did you teach your children Printing or Cursive first? (I realize there are other options, but these are the two that I am considering....)

 

We have started Printing, but we're still so early on, that if I wanted to change it would not be a big deal.

 

I went to a seminar over the weekend and one of the speaker's pro's for teaching cursive first was that as adults, they will usually revert back to whatever they were taught first. I guess I'm not sure as to why it would be important for them to revert back to cursive.

 

I don't know that I see the importance of cursive. She said it's harder for the kids to go from printing to reading cursive, but that's how I was taught???

 

Just would like some thoughts.

[siloam]

My 2 cents. Cursive isn't even being taught in some schools, so it might become something of the past as less and less people can read it.

 

In the end I don't think it matters that much either way. Is it the end of the world if they revert to manuscript? No. Is the a better thing if they revert to cursive? Not necessary. That are some times when it is an advantage either way. If you are writing a timed essay then cursive it quicker, but if you are filling out a job application you had better have clear manuscript. And you are most likely going to be filling out more job applications than you are hand writing essays.

 

Oh and I use HWT, so manuscript then cursive. My oldest does print more often than use cursive, but if she wants to be "fancy" she uses cursive.

 

Heather

[Linda...inOwasso]

Definitely printing. I think cursive will join the ranks of calligraphy within a few years as the need for it becomes less and less.

 

Good, clean, neat manuscript is very important, IMHO. And, while I've taught my dd8 to write in cursive, she's also learning to type. I think she'll use typing WAY more than cursive.

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

The plan is to teach cursive first but we'll see what actually happens. DD seems more interested in printing (she's trying to write capital manuscript letters) but she claims that she wants me to teach her cursive. :001_huh:

[sagira]

Printing Italics. I chose Italics. We're following the Getty-Dubay Italic Handwriting Program. It's going well.

[fsunolefan]

Both of my daughters learned printing first. It seemed easier for them to make the connection between writing and reading if they looked similar. I had read somewhere that they started teaching printing in school years ago so that the children could read the Dick and Jane books. I'm not sure if this is true, but it sounds logical.

My second grader is learning cursive and really enjoys making her writing assignments "pretty". As far as regressing to what we learned first...well, my experince has been that the invented handwriting styles that I developed for note writing in middle and high school are much harder habits to break. I am stuck with a mixed handwriting style. I am attempting to develop a more classical handwriting style at the same time my daughter is learning.

I have a handwriting book from the late 1800s that I acquired from my grandmother. I am certain that I will never spend enough time on my handwriting to make it that beautiful. However, I feel it is important to my children that they not lose the skill of good, legible penmanship.

Wow...I wandered off track. Anyway, that's my 2 cents.

[keptwoman]

Printing Italics. I chose Italics. We're following the Getty-Dubay Italic Handwriting Program. It's going well.

Same here. Because the letter formation is smooth and mostly in one stroke per letter. The letter formation also naturally leads into cursive. The boys handwriting is really nice since they started GD.

[jail warden]

I taught both of my children cursive first and I really loved how my children's handwriting is so much nicer. When they print it does not look half as nice. I also love the fact that there is never a year to take just to teach it. Since print is so easy to just get, they can print even though I never really took any time to show them how.

[cindyinTexas]

I taught both of my children cursive first and I really loved how my children's handwriting is so much nicer. When they print it does not look half as nice. I also love the fact that there is never a year to take just to teach it. Since print is so easy to just get, they can print even though I never really took any time to show them how.

 

 

:iagree:

My boys handwriting is simply beautiful. I just went along with Abeka and taught cursive only. Their theory is that they learn block from all the books they read, they are correct. My now freshman son can also write block beautifully and he has never been taught it.

 

I would save time and skip block, to me cursive has a much easier flow for children to learn. I also taught them to type at an early age.

 

In the end I think everyone develops their own style of handwriting. Mine is a comb between cursive and block even when the form says please print.

 

Good luck!

Cindy

[cindyinTexas]

nt

[PameliaSue]

Printing Italics. I chose Italics. We're following the Getty-Dubay Italic Handwriting Program. It's going well.

 

Yep, us too.

 

I LOVE this program!! I believe it is used in the Portland school system.

 

I ordered this and print up worksheets through MS Word. It saves a ton of money on the workbooks...

I did purchase the TM and I also have the first 4 or 5 workbooks but they are not enough practice IMO.

[turnin' 360s]

We did cursive in K during our first year of homeschooling. My son hated it! He was miserable and hated school!

 

We switched to manuscript in 1st grade. He was much happier. Now, in 3rd grade we are still a little behind in hw, but because we concentrated more on his interests he likes learning now. He is ahead in math and reading. We will wait until about Nov. to start cursive.

 

Maybe if I had stressed fine motor skills more in preschool, cursive would not have been such a chore.

 

It really depends on the child.

[CookieMonster]

Here is a thread where I asked people who started cursive first...

 

So if one teaches cursive...

[Lisa]

Printing first. We start cursive in 3rd grade.

[susie in tx]

I did printing first with the first two and won't ever do it that way again. I also used HWT, and I cannot stand the way the cursive looks, so that might be part of the problem.

 

We have reversal issues here and I don't ever see that with the child I have who I started in cursive first. She writes most of her numbers backwards. Her cursive is beautiful.

 

I'm waiting for my 4yo to gain some more fine motor skills before we begin the cursive. I think she's about ready.

[Surfside Academy]

My oldest learned printing preschool but I've recently switched him to cursive. He writes so much better in cursive and I'm glad I made the switch! I'm teaching my middle son cursive first and he's doing really well. An added bonus w/ cursive is that kids can't reverse their letters. I plan to teach my youngest cursive first as well.

 

It doesn't bother me that public schools don't really teach cursive anymore. They don't teach Latin either but that doesn't mean that it's no longer valuable. Just my two cents...:D

[kim in ks]

All reading is done in print, so that gets my vote!

kim

[~Sunny~]

We are using Abeka and stated out in Cursive this year. DD is in K and she just couldn't get it. I decided it wasn't worth it and switched to printing. I plan to teach her cursive later when she is ready for it.

[melmac]

Print, then cursive.

[Jan Lyn]

Hi,

We really concentrated on printing here as my children really needed to neaten up their act. I waited until grade 4 with my olders to start cursive and will do the same with my now grade 3 daughter. She is just not ready.

 

Like the rest, I think my two oldest children mostly use print, but I still think cursive is good to learn. It just seems that print and keyboard are the most important now, but each family and child is different.

 

Good luck!