cursive handwriting in reception

[madamearcati]

DD2 started in reception this term and the children are learning to write in this style
DD is a keen little writer and was writing phonetically before she started school usually forming her non-joined up letters correctly.
It seems that all the children are struggling with this new style where every letter starts on the line and is joined up.It just seems to be putting unnecessary obstacles in their way.I mean how hard is it to swap to joined up writing at 6 or so ?

LeonieDelt Tue 01-Dec-09 13:14:41
Cursive is different to joined up, and cursive has specific capital letters which are quite different to printed ones.

Many people do not know that 'Cursive' just means 'Joined-up'. It is not the name of any particular style. Or that there are a huge number of different styles of cursive handwriting

I imagine you mean something like this when you talk about different capitals
www.janegoodwin.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/cursive-278x300.jpg

Most children including children with ASD find the "flow" of cursive/joined handwriting helpful. It also establishes patterns of movement for spelling. I teach one boy with autism who has the most wonderful handwriting. Obviously in everything there are exceptions.

madamearcati it is much easier to learn one style and stick with it than have to unlearn and learn another. Children who have been taught to write in capitals find it the most difficult.

Doodlez - we have those books in school and we also have white boards with the four lines (2 blue surrounded by 2 red) imprinted on them. A 'line' is nearly 2 inches from top to bottom and so not cramped for reception children getting used to forming letters and writing in a straight line.

We do printing with flicks.

It does help dyslexic children so I am all for cursive writing

Cursive writing....DD wasn't taught in Cursive 'til YR 3 when she moved to her current school, her teacher then had her in every break to help her, she was unreadable til Yr4, now in Yr7 her writing is amazingly neat (if only she could spell lol). DS1 started cursive from yr1, never had a problem, amazingly neat writing for a 7 yr old boy. HOWEVER....DS2 has severe muscle problems, barely manages to write at all, and now he's in Yr1, the school are insisting he writes in cursive like the other kids, he's having terrible problems as he doesn't have the muscle control, and so far is practically unable to produce any written work unless it's 'normal' letters, which he still has problems with, only half of his letters are readable...Really does depend on the child, good for DD, excellent fore DS1, crap for DS2...