When to start cursive writing

[readingmakesmehappy]

DS has just moved from a school which only taught cursive writing from Reception. All of their writing from the very start was cursive. I went with it because I didn't know any better but I increasingly think it was an insane policy. It is a huge battle to get him (now in Yr 1) to do any writing, because I think he finds it so difficult to form the letters with all the joins etc.
I would be interested in other posters' thoughts.

DTs did it from reception, so did I back in the day. I still write in cursive any my handwriting is illegible to pretty much anyone but me.

DTs and by all accounts their friends, dropped it as soon as they got to y7. It's a battle that isn't needed imo. I don't know why primaries do it.

It really is best to start early so the child only learns the cursive formation. It is harder in the short term but pays off no end once they get the hang of it.

Mine started learning it in Y3. They got it and could write pretty fast in a year.

Personally think it's silly to start from Reception as I think it's more important that they learn how to write/ spell and exits what they want to say. Cursive will slow that down as you'll be focused on making the letter right, not actually making a meaningful sentence. One of my DS struggled to write, left Reception without managing to write his name. He was the first to get his pen license (cursive, using a pen not pencil) in Y4 and was so very proud! The other was writing meaningful sentences (Google searches!) by Nov of YR (he understood phonics v quickly so was able to spell phonically). They all learn at different speeds but i don't think learning cursive so young could be helpful.

So true. My eldest stuck with cursive (ASD) but my twins dumped it very early on and just print now (doing GCSEs). DS2 joins a few letters like me, for speed, but generally legible cursive is slower (DS1 got extra time).

I'm a Reception teacher and personally I hated teaching pre-cursive (doing the lead in joins, without actually joining each letter yet) from the off at a previous school. This was simply from an aesthetic perspective though, as their writing was by far the biggest/messiest of any class I've ever taught. However, I actually think it's easier for them in the long run as every letter starts in the same place, with a lead in starting on the line. Plus they don't have to re-learn anything. With print, they have to remember the different starting place for each individual letter.

There are positives and negatives to every handwriting scheme. You just have to embrace what your own school have chosen and go with it. They'll all get there eventually.

I can guarantee his reluctance to write won't just be down to the handwriting scheme. Some children, just generally don't like it as it's hard work! Especially for boys. Their little wrists ache so much at that age as their hands aren't designed to be writing lots yet. Blame our school system in general, not cursive handwriting.

So interesting to hear different views. I can see both that doing cursive from the start might make sense and also that it's so much work for very small children.

He seemed v keen on writing before he started school and that has totally gone away. He does find it a lot of effort and has ASD so not getting it perfect is a source of great anxiety for him. It just seems that with cursive the pencil has to be on the paper a lot more and controlled much more which at 5 is v hard for him.

DH has appalling writing so I think DS is headed for an inheritance from that side rather than mine (my writing is v nice!)

Every school is different in both which handwriting ethos they follow and the way they manage the kids who find it hard.

Dd found learning cursive very easy. But dsd found it incredibly hard. Neither has attractive handwriting though.

It wasn't taught til 2/3rd year juniors when I was at school (y4/5 in current terms I am old) & I remember finding it incredibly difficult. I have used print for years.

You have no choice but to support the schools method. But you can talk to the teachers and explain that he is struggling. They will be able to give you resources to help support him at home.

A lot of kids who struggle at dds primary had special grips for their pencils, it made holding it easier and therefore made the writing easier. It might be worth looking into it.

When my daughter dropped cursive and started printing her writing age went up 2 years.

The National Handwriting Association advise against starting too early because of anatomy, it can cause pain in the hands of young children, especially boys. But a lot of senior leaders in school have the view of "they'll have to do it at some point so better to start early" which is clearly nonsense but is indicative of a wider attitude to early years education generally.

The National Curriculum 2014 actually has this about right (for once). There is no requirement to join until Y2 and even then it is just some joining strokes. If children can form letters correctly, they very quickly learn to join fully in Y3. I see no benefit to starting any earlier.

They do it because it's a requirement for LA schools to follow the National Curriculum.

We have tried different types of pencils but will look at grips. He loves drawing so I'm letting him do as much of that as he wants to build up confidence and strength in his hands.

My ds could only write the letter N when he started Reception. He was taught to print relatively competently in reception and cursive started on day 1 of Y1. He found the jump HUGE. In order to join effectively you have to have a grasp of spelling so you can easily flow into the next letter of the word. It’s a lot to think about - but what am I trying to write about, am I holding my pencil correctly, how do I spell the word, are my letters joining correctly.

We do a lot of playdoh, Lego, climbing and even big books of mazes to help him improve his grip and hand strength. We do also practise writing - shopping lists, Christmas cards, thank you letters.

I would prefer he was still printing but I have to admit he is improving very rapidly and I can accept that this is the way his school want to do it. So okay we have to get in line with that plan.

Incidentally my ds now in yr 2 struggled with writing in general and print from reception. He started cursive from mid yr 1 and he really likes it. He seems to enjoy the feel and fluidity and his writing looks better joined than print (although still not neat compared to others). I think he’s in the minority but I’m really surprised it turned out positive for him.

I'm a reception teacher and I've taught in schools that teach cursive, and those that don't. Personally I don't like it for a number of reasons. First off, a 4 year old's hand isn't ready for something so demanding. Many children do not have the fine motor skills required for adequate cursive letter formation. I especially feel for summer born boys who I've found struggle the most. Many children also struggle to form the letters to a legible level which hampers their ability to meet early learning goals, I find it also holds them back from using writing as a means to communicate. I know there's an argument that it's better once they enter KS2, but that's a heavy burden to place on a 4 year old who's trying to grasp a million other things in their first year of school.

I've also found teaching cursive to be confusing for children struggling to recognise letters. Children learning cursive will be taught to read and write a cursive letter in a specific way, then handed a home reading book with print instead of cursive. That's a big demand for children who are struggling to grasp the basics.

@inthewest that's a really good point about the difference between the writing they're being asked to do and the letters they're asked to read

I think there are pros and cons. My summer-born DS only learned pre-cursive from Reception and I find it a bit sad that he never learned how to print letters (to match what they read in books!) so there is no going back. He really struggled with writing despite being very good at reading. So a classic boy who needed more time to develop fine motor skills. The school absolutely did not take the 'very gently and slowly' approach in Reception and by the Spring term they were expected to be 'refining' letter formation. In reality he was still four at this point and still very much learning. I was worried at the time as the teacher flagged it on a number of occasions but looking back it seems ridiculous to have had such an expectation of a 4-year old. Unfortunately it seems school are/need to be target driven so learning cursive from the get go I assume makes it easier to achieve the required joins by end of Yr2? Anyhow my DS is now 2 years older and only recently has developed the control to produce some half decent cursive and is starting to join letters spontaneously. We have been through a lot of different stages of writing looking better, then looking worse again, then making a leap forward. OP try not to fixate too much on where you are now as things can change quite quickly as they develop.

Shown is similar point in Reception vs Yr2.

I can only comment from an accecdotal point of view. My two children were taught cursive handwriting from reception with the 'whooshes' in and out. My eldest has just started high school. Her English teacher has commented that they don't like that it is taught and encourages a move away from it. My daughter has now stopped writing in cursive. Her handwriting and overall presentation has improved enormously. Her handwriting was very difficult to read most of the time.

@Jonas25 thank you for sharing, this is really encouraging to see. DS's old school wanted them to be doing full sentences in cursive by the end of Reception. It's only now looking at his drawing that I think he might be getting that fine motor control.

Cursive writing is far better both for speed and legibility when they get to A-level. Until the exam system stops needing an average of 18 words a minute for A-level exams, they need to persevere. If they object, point out that examiners are working under pressure too - if they can't read your paper, you won't get the marks!

They will have to persevere regardless because you can't reach the expected standard for writing in Y6 unless your writing is joined. It's more a question of whether you start joining at 4 or 7.