When to start teaching cursive? When to switch to pen?

[ExcitedMama]

I was looking at MP's First Grade curriculum and they recommend starting cursive. I went through old posts on the one they recommend, NAC, and most people felt it was too expensive and that there are better options so I went looking at other options. It seems most manufacturer's recommend it around 2nd grade. Is it better to wait? Or start one of the transitional books in 1st?

 

A lot of the cursive threads also recommend using a fountain pen. Is that recommended when starting cursive or even earlier when still printing? DS has only been writing with one of those larger type pencils and it hadn't accord to me to change it. Should I switch him to a more regular pencil or pen? Or when he's older? Thanks!

[Jackie]

We started cursive with NAC in kindergarten. The font is simple and it was easier than teaching her printing, which was making me want to tear my hair out. We're finishing up first grade now and she's done most of book 2, with a break in the middle because she needed more practice with connections before moving on to writing her own responses to questions.

 

No answer on the fountain pens. I've thought about it, but pencils work for us so I haven't bothered.

[3 ladybugs]

In some countries learning to write with a fountain pen is the norm. Here in the US it isn't. I don't think that there is a right or wrong answer. You don't need to learn with a fountain pen, you can have great writing without one. HOWEVER, if your child has difficulties writing for a whole lot of reasons, fountain pens can be helpful for fixing all sorts of things. Grip issues, writing too fast, not focusing when writing, worried about making mistakes, and so on can all be fixed with the help of a fountain pen. 

 

I say what is working, don't change. Writing clearly and neatly is the goal in all situations. How you get there is up to you.

[Ellie]

I was looking at MP's First Grade curriculum and they recommend starting cursive. I went through old posts on the one they recommend, NAC, and most people felt it was too expensive and that there are better options so I went looking at other options. It seems most manufacturer's recommend it around 2nd grade. Is it better to wait? Or start one of the transitional books in 1st?

 

A lot of the cursive threads also recommend using a fountain pen. Is that recommended when starting cursive or even earlier when still printing? DS has only been writing with one of those larger type pencils and it hadn't accord to me to change it. Should I switch him to a more regular pencil or pen? Or when he's older? Thanks!

 

When the manuscript if legible and automatic, then cursive.

 

I don't think I'd use a fountain pen for manuscript. I would recommend giving your ds a regular-size pencil now, though, whatever you decide about cursive.

[Targhee]

I start cursive when their print is solid. One of mine didn't start until 5th. Bone started in 3rd. And one in 1st. I don't think it's fair to see one age is right or wrong. I do want their print to be solid though. My oldest has handwriting/fine motor struggles, so it wasn't until 5th.

 

I let them choose their writing utensil.

[ExcitedMama]

I start cursive when their print is solid. One of mine didn't start until 5th. Bone started in 3rd. And one in 1st. I don't think it's fair to see one age is right or wrong. I do want their print to be solid though. My oldest has handwriting/fine motor struggles, so it wasn't until 5th.

 

I let them choose their writing utensil.

Had do I know when it's solid? He writes pretty well most of the time. Mostly I'm focusing now on having him work on spacing and sizing. Sometimes there is too much space between letters or not enough and they are smooched together. Or the letters in a word are different sizes. Occasionally he will write a b or d when he means to use the other one. He can forget how to write a capital letter. Would that be the kind of stuff that a transitional book would help with before moving into cursive? Or should he be more solid before that point?

 

I'm still not sure why MP seems to recommend starting so much earlier than the cursive books suggest. Is it beneficial to start earlier?

[OneStepAtATime]

There is no one answer.  For some kids starting cursive first or at least very early actually works better for them and they do better with print later on.  For others they need to be solid in print first before attempting cursive.  And for others it probably wouldn't matter one way or the other.  The main thing is patience, consistency and going at a pace that your child has success.  If you feel letter formation in print is good and your child is only working on spacing/letter size, then working with cursive may help those issues.  It may also help with capitalizing.  You could perhaps start with a short period each day to work a bit on cursive and still work on print, too, if you wish.  Build from there.  For any extended output you can just scribe for your student while they work on automaticity with handwriting, whichever medium you emphasize.  Don't let flow and organization of thoughts get bogged down in the mechanics of handwriting.

Edited May 11, 2016 by OneStepAtATime

[SparklyUnicorn]

No clue about fountain pens.  I've never used one.

 

If you want a compromise for pen/pencil I highly recommend FriXion erasable pens.  Pens are nice because you don't need as much pressure when writing, but most erasable pens don't erase cleanly.  The FriXion pens erase cleanly.  I haven't seen them in too many stores so I order them on-line.

 

In terms of cursive, I don't think you will screw anyone up irregardless of when you start.  I started one of mine with cursive first and the other with print first.  I don't notice any difference.  I don't feel as if cursive first was particularly useful or useless.  Same with the other way around.  

[Targhee]

Had do I know when it's solid? He writes pretty well most of the time. Mostly I'm focusing now on having him work on spacing and sizing. Sometimes there is too much space between letters or not enough and they are smooched together. Or the letters in a word are different sizes. Occasionally he will write a b or d when he means to use the other one. He can forget how to write a capital letter. Would that be the kind of stuff that a transitional book would help with before moving into cursive? Or should he be more solid before that point?

 

I'm still not sure why MP seems to recommend starting so much earlier than the cursive books suggest. Is it beneficial to start earlier?

I honestly went with intuition vs complete objective milestones when making the shift. Here's what I think about what you e told us so far.

 

Spacing and sizing will continue to be refined even after starting cursive. I wouldn't switch if spacing and sizing is egregious, nor if printing is still labored or uncomfortable/unnatural. Also, if he doesn't know how to form the letters without thinking really hard about it I would continue with printing. Reversals (b and d) are normal and often remedied by cursive.

 

I don't know of any harm (or necessarily any benefit) to starting early. Too early and the kid just experiences failures. Too late, well there's no too late - you can always learn. I learned an entire new alphabet (Cyrillic) at 14, both print and cursive.

[carriede]

I'm still not sure why MP seems to recommend starting so much earlier than the cursive books suggest. Is it beneficial to start earlier?

I believe MP has more of a cursive first philosophy.

[Sarah0000]

I switched my son when he had manuscript formation down but sizing and spacing wasn't perfect. Now his sizing and spacing is perfect in cursive, even though when he writes in manuscript its still off.

[Arcadia]

It is very child dependent/child led since your child is not in school. My oldest wanted to learn cursive at 3, but he was already printing in english and chinese at that time. My youngest has no interest and started at 2nd grade.

 

My parents, hubby and I started cursive and using a ball point pen in school by 2nd grade. However the school teachers accepted work in script or cursive, in ink or pencil. So it was still master at your own pace just taught by 2nd grade.

 

Hubby and I had calligraphy using a calligraphy pen set and the ink pot in school in 7th/8th grade in Art. My parents can't remember when they were taught.

[TheAttachedMama]

We learned to print in kindergarten.   

 

We did all school work writing (spelling, copywork, etc.) in print in first grade to "sure" it up.

 

We learned cursive in 2nd grade, and continued doing all spelling, copywork, etc. in print to "sure" it up some more and gain speed.

 

We learned to type in 3rd grade, and did all other writing (spelling, copywork, dictation, etc.) in cursive to "sure" it up and gain speed.

 

We will learn computer skills (word processing, spreadsheets, etc.) in 4th grade in preparation for future writing projects.  We will also start moving SOME school work to being typed to give them more practice (dictation, writing assignments.)  We will do typing speed drills.   I also plan to start allowing them flexibility on how they handwrite things (print vs cursive) and developing their own style.  

 

 

ETA:   Both of my kids are dyslexic, and they prefer cursive because it prevents them from reversing letters.   I'm still glad they KNOW print, but they both prefer cursive.  

 

[Holly]

I just read an article on MP's site about how they start cursive in 1st, because that's when they are enthused about learning cursive.  I have noticed that with my own DC...by the time they are "old enough" for cursive, it isn't a novelty anymore, just another subject to get done.  I'm planning on starting my 1st grader with some cursive mid-year.   We aren't using the New American Cursive, due to cost and the fact that I really like Cheerful Cursive.  It's a big workbook and can be spread out over a couple years.

 

For fountain pens, we just ordered one last week to try out before investing in a bunch of them.  Everyone likes them, even my 6yo!  They are very easy to write with and need very little pressure.  We'll be ordering more soon!

Edited May 14, 2016 by Holly

[ExcitedMama]

Thanks Holly! That makes sense. Which pens did you order?

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

 My kids have always used pens for handwriting (not necessarily fountain pens though).  I let them use fat markers when doing the HWOT workbooks- it makes the 1 inch tall letters look less spindly.  :-)  

 

I did not originally plan to teach cursive, but both wanted to learn this year, so they are learning at the same pace in 1st/3rd.  It's their favorite subject. lol!

Edited May 15, 2016 by Monica_in_Switzerland

[Holly]

Thanks Holly! That makes sense. Which pens did you order?

 

Rainbow Resource only carries one, which is Maped Freewriter.  

 

This morning I ordered some from Amazon, but I think they are shipping from China, so it will be awhile on those.   :lol:  I ordered the Jinhao Diversity Set, which should be nice since there are 8 different colors in the set, so it should be easy to tell everyone's pens apart!  Hopefully everyone will like these as much as the Freewriter one.  

Edited May 15, 2016 by Holly

[kaxy]

I bought some Pilot disposable fountain pens on Amazon because I couldn't find them the last time I was out shopping, and I wanted to see what the fuss was about. You have to hold them at a certain position to allow the nub? I guess? To let the ink flow, but once you have it right, it flows without having to put a lot of pressure on the pen. It's nice! I like! Feels fancy and might be novel enough for my kids to try it out. Cheap enough, too.

 

I ordered the LoE Rhythm of Handwriting Cursive for my 7yo. His print is ok, but I think he could do well to have cursive now vs. a little bit later. Might help with the spacing. Might help to have more practice now, than a year from now when he has a lot more to think about, academically speaking.

 

I also plan to teach my rising kindergartner cursive first. Will that work, or will that flop only time will tell.

[boscopup]

My kids have learned cursive at different ages. My 3rd son learned in first grade using Pentime. He's now doing all school work in cursive and starting to do outside stuff in cursive on his own. His manuscript was good, but spacing was still irregular (as is common in early first grade). Spacing isn't an issue with cursive.

 

My kids all use Frixion erasable pens for everything now. They are great pens. I got them at Sam's.

 

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