To think cursive handwriting in reception is a good idea

[Lardlizard]

Yanbu if you agree

Personally I think it’s hard for them to start with but better in the long run

Cursive teaches a lot of fine motor skills but most 4 year old don’t have th necessary skills to hold a pen properly and do the actual movements,

Better is to get them to learn decent hand movements along cursive to learn how to do the loops and joining up. That gives good basics for the individual letters and can then lead to a good readable cursive writing.

I learned to print letters, but on moving to a different school, was made to feel stupid for not being good at cursive - I avoided anything where the teachers could criticise my handwriting, which they did frequently. I dropped out of a penpal scheme because the writing of the other children was completely illegible in cursive, not just to myself, but to my mother (who wrote in cursive) and the organiser.

Fortunately, in the last year of Juniors, I had a teacher who either didn't agree or thought it was a battle not worth fighting when learning was more important and my printed writing was perfectly legible.

Aged 15, I suddenly began writing in clear cursive/joined up as ideas came fluently in essays. I've now got very good handwriting - and I can sign write, create displays and make anything I do for adults and children attractive but understandable, something that cursive really can't when so many have literacy difficulties or dyslexia.

Don't force little children to try and do something they aren't physically ready for. It's more important for the ideas, knowledge and understanding to shine through in the written word, not conform to an archaic idea of what looks 'right' and let the meaning slide away.

As a Y1 teacher, I think it's better if children are taught to write with leads in/out from EYFS.

@BogRollBOGOF my primary school pushed cursive on me despite getting a dyspraxia diagnosis in year 5 and I made the decision to stop in secondary school so my teachers had a chance of reading my writing as my print is something people could make some sense of and they were completely happy with that.

I m 25 now and the only things I handwrite are forms and shopping lists, I put a lot of effort into learning to touch type and I m almost as fast as my husband who is neurotypical, so things will hopefully get better for your son.

Think its unnecessary just neat handwriting is all thats needed
My eldest wrote ok and then had to do cursive and writing was illegible and still isnt great at 17 its messy
My second ,handwriting was lovely neat writing and i told him to not worry about cursive and continue aa
As he was and he still has neat writing
At secondary they don't care about cursive writing they just want to be able to read what has been written
Just teaching them to write so its readable is all that matters

My DC have insisted on doing their school work over these last few months in cursive and white honestly it looks a mess.
DD wrote a beautiful story, fantastic use of grammar etc, a really good piece of work but it was very difficult to read and it really took something away from it.
Her non- cursive writing is perfect.

As others have said I thought it was more about fine motor skills the the writing itself. And hand eye coordination.

My daughter’s teacher explained to us that it’s easier for children to push a pen than pull - eg start from the bottom and go up for the letter “i” instead of starting from the top and going down.

And that it encourages children to form the letters “correctly” (eg when they start writing they often do the circles in a and o clockwise which is “incorrect” but more natural for them.

So it’s a bit like brushing your teeth with your left hand (if you’re right handed) to begin with - apparently helps brain neurons connect better. So it’s brain training, hand eye coordination and also perseverance and discipline too.

@Forky123 that’s interesting, couldn’t they get that through lots of drawing though?

I’ve been doing lots of cursive after helping my son With his letter formation. I now did. I’ve been doodling cursive letter while on zoom meetings!

I don’t see the point of cursive in itself given that it isn’t required by secondary schools and later in life everything is on computers.

As for being about fine motor skills plenty of ways to develop this and generations did ok without it
But then i am not a believer in the one fits all method when it comes to teaching and learning

** without cursive i meant not fine motor skills

@TimeWastingButFun

Our first child didn't learn cursive at first, but had to learn to write differently in year 2. The second learned cursive from the start, which I think was probably the best way as it's hard to relearn things.

My DC were the same. DS1s (15) writing is almost unreadable at times. DS2s (13) is beautiful.

Although DS1 has been assessed as the SENCO as needing a laptop for all his work and gets extra times in exams so it's not necessarily because of when he learned cursive thats to 'blame' for his writing.

If children are being taught at school, then I'm all for cursive. But now I'm trying to teach a YR at home it's another layer of nightmare. We're being asked to get them to write interesting sentences, in cursive with capital letters, full stops and finger spaces. It's like asking them to keep 10 plates spinning.

It’s a waste of time. In my day at school there was more time to focus on these things, teachers were not as bogged down with paperwork etc so could spend more time with us on it.

My ds is now 12, handwriting is a mess due to trying to write cursive. Earlier in the year told him flat out to stop as I was struggling to read his work and could see it being a problem with exams/testsz I’d prefer if he wrote in giant print that could easily be read if need be, rather than the tiny scrawly mess that an examiner would likely render illegible.

My DD in year three writes cursive but I loathe it. It looks nice but it takes her three times as long to write anything and I just think it’s so pointless. My other DD in year 1 just sort of does her own thing.

I don’t think the same type of concentration or effort or focus or discipline is needed for drawing. Drawing is more free and creative, there’s no “rules” to follow. But with writing you have to form letters in a certain way, and cursive is even more specific, so not as easy to be as free.

I’m sure I read that it helps with memory and reading too, something to do with the fact that connecting the letters reinforces comprehension or something.

So think of it as brain training, not handwriting practice. Doesn’t matter if you never write joined up after age 11, but the training it gives your brain can help for other skills.

It’s like a lot of academic stuff, it’s not so much on the content, it’s all about using your brain in a different way. It’s a muscle and needs exercising, and if you want it to get fitter, you have to challenge it.

It’s fascinating.

It's bloody awful and barely legible. Just get them writing the bloody letters how they're formed. Joined up writing isn't necessary.

YABU cursive is obsolete

There’s research that suggests children can write quicker in exams if they’re writing in cursive.

I teach it from Reception, and my school have for a long time. The first few months is harder, but then their writing, in our experience, is heaps better. Far more legible than ball and stick. Very few of our children need handwriting support in year 2.

Some children with physical needs may need to print - that’s about knowing your children, and meeting individual needs. I’ve taught a child with a visual impairment who was taught to type - no handwriting style would have met their very specific needs.

No research to back this up, but my personal experience is that it’s causing much worse handwriting and poor letter formation. It’s too much, too young. They will never need it in real life either.

I disagree and think there is no need for it at all.

Jane Austen? Is that you? 1813 wants you back!

I think cursive writing is a ridiculous notion in the 21st Century TBQH. DD has atrocious writing despite being taught it. How many adults write anything longhand any more? Case rested!

It’s ridiculous. Our school is obsessed. DS has awful fine motor skills. His print writing is (just) legible but he has had it drummed into him that he must do cursive so you can’t read a word he writes. So frustrating.

Another secondary teacher here. I hate cursive - generally illegible.

I'm an infant teacher and I despise it. I refuse to introduce it before Year 2. It is an unnecessary barrier to learning and serves no purpose in the long run. It looks absolutely horrendous for so long and most children have no chance of reading their own writing back to themselves or me as no where else do they see letters formed like that. It's such a shame when they've tried so hard to write something great that no one can actually read. It is a completely unnecessary mess.