There are many websites that discuss the pros of teaching cursive handwriting first. There are also a few different programs that teach cursive to beginning writers. Joy has taught both printing and cursive and has come to believe that teaching cursive first is the best way to go. Cursive makes sense to children and is often used by therapists with children that have learning disabilities. The National Institute of Learning Disabilities is one of the organizations that teach cursive.
This program uses a simple style cursive without all the little tags and embellishments that some types of cursive use. It uses smaller lines which promotes better hand eye coordination. You will find it is also easier for young children to stay in the smaller lines, regardless of the way other programs promote large lines. The program makes use of an outlined letter instead of dotted lines, which allows the child to writes the letter inside the lines. This is a perfect way to promote recognition and memory when learning to form each letter. Each day's lesson is on ½ sheet of paper which doesn't overwhelm the student.
- Included in the curriculum:
- Handwriting tips and instructions
- Reproducible worksheets
- Set of flashcards showing the letter on one side and teaching helps on the other.
- Blank "Story Pages" that include a picture and a place to write a story or just practice.
- Draw and Write Page – Page that includes a space to draw your own picture and write a story or sentence.
