Many educators in most states are unable to teach children cursive writing due to extensive curriculums.

A lot of parents are now starting to take that responsibility upon themselves as studies have shown that the practice of handwriting helps enhance the child’s brain functions, resulting in an easier and much efficient learning process.

Before introducing cursive lettering to children, you need to make sure that they have a pretty solid print handwriting foundation and that they’re familiar with all the English alphabet. With that confirmed, you can begin teaching cursive writing to your children using the following steps.

Cursive Writing for 2nd & 3rd Graders

Step 1: Start with the basics

For children in the 2nd and 3rd grade, you should start by introducing a single cursive letter at a time. The brain of a child at such a young age undergoes fundamental developments, and so the learning process should be taken very slowly and should be focused primarily on the child’s consistency.

Note: It’s a good idea to start with their name. They know their name well and it will excite them.

Step 2: Lowercase cursive letters

In this step, you should begin teaching your child how to write lowercase cursive letters that are similar to print letters in form. Cursive letters are divided into groups that are based on formation patterns and difficulty. Undoubtedly, you’d want to begin with the simplest group and then slowly work your way up the ladder until you reach the more difficult groups. Use the following order.

1. c, d, g, a
2. h, t, e, p, l, f, q
3. u, i, j, r, k, s
4. o, b, v, w
5. m, n, x, y, z

Step 3: Uppercase cursive letters

After ensuring that your child is well-acquainted with lowercase cursive letters, you then carry on by pairing them with uppercase cursive letters. Keep a sheet of paper that includes the letters in cursive, in lowercase and uppercase, in front of your child’s eyes while practicing because it will help imprint the image of how the letter should look in cursive. Use the following order.

1. A, C, U, O
2. V, W, X, Y, Z
3. P. B, R, H, K
4. M, N, J, F, T
5. I, D, L G, S
6. E, Q

Step 4: Cursive letters worksheets

Now that your child is familiar with cursive letters in both lowercase and uppercase, it’s time for you to grab some worksheets and start putting your child to the test.

These worksheets can be found in your local bookshop or you can download printable versions online. You can find plenty of worksheets on all styles of handwriting on www.kidzone.ws. Here’s a direct link to the cursive section.

Step 5: Copying complete sentences

At this point, your child should be familiarized with cursive letters and should be able to write in cursive with no problems. The next step is to have your youngster practice complete sentences in the same fashion.

You should be entirely attentive to your child’s writing at this stage and you should help demonstrate how cursive letters are connected together properly. Visit this link to download the required worksheets for this stage.

Cursive Writing for Teenagers

Contrary to what you might think, teaching a teenager a new style of writing can be more difficult than teaching a child as their brains tend to have already been adjusted to print handwriting and it could take them some time to get used to a new style.

Nonetheless, the same steps are to be applied in a more frequent and extensive manner, which shouldn’t take time since they’re most likely very familiar with the English alphabet.

In addition to the above-mentioned steps, you should have your teenager copying paragraphs in cursive on a daily basis until the style is mastered.

Have your teenager begin by copying simple and short paragraphs and then move on to more intricate and longer passages. Visit this link to download cursive passages worksheets, or simply have your child copy some paragraphs from any book you might have.

Tips for Teaching Cursive Writing

• Handwriting is a hands-on practice that requires your attention and participation in order to accomplish the best outcome. Make sure to demonstrate to your child how the letters are formed and connected. Don’t leave children trying to figure out how they connect the letters on their own. Remember, any child can learn how to write in any style, but without your participation, it will never come out in a presentable, cohesive fashion.

• Always keep a sheet of paper. On it, put all the letters in cursive style in front of your child. This makes it easier on them to memorize the shape of each letter. Moreover, it’s much more effective to use correct paper. Dotted line paper will provide your children with a preferable frame of reference when writing lowercase and uppercase letters. Regular lined paper is a lot harder to write on.
• Teach your child how to write diagonally on a piece of paper. Doing this helps enhance the aesthetic of the letters. And ensures that they achieve the correct slant. The term slant is simply the direction towards which the writing is tilted.

• Don’t get upset if your children choose not to pursue cursive writing. And definitely don’t try to force them into it. Some children may feel like print handwriting is more comfortable and efficient. Also, keep in mind that your child may not be interested in this writing style at this point of their life. Just keep the option available. And keep trying to garner their attention by telling them that it’s a useful style of writing to have. Show them the benefits.

Final Words

Not all children learn the same way, every child is unique, and some might be very stubborn. It’s your job to remain patient and supportive of your child.

Teach your children the value of the skill you’re trying to teach them before you even begin the teaching process, this way they can enjoy learning a lot more and understand the importance of knowledge.