Is Cursive Outdated?

These days, cursive writing has almost gone "the way of the dodo" in public schools. Handwriting, which used to be considered an almost trained art form in schools, is given a glancing blow in the first three grades, followed by more focused teaching in keyboarding. 

"Is this such a bad thing?" People ask, "After all, don't we all type more than we write these days?" What people don't take into account, however, is that handwriting, and especially cursive writing, programs the brain for attention and focus. It requires more conscious thought to write information down on paper than it does to press buttons on a keyboard. Cursive is even a more potent method of writing. A student has to write complete words, avoiding picking up their pen between letters, requiring more focus, fluidity of thinking, and memory for the whole word over individual letters when copying. 

If your child does not have a solid handwriting program in school I highly recommend that you look into the resources below. 

Handwriting Without Tears, especially the cursive program, teaches a simple scrip style using multisensory teaching methods. The print materials are fun and designed for easy use for both left and right handed students. 

The Handwriting Clinic is a local DFW resource. This dedicated occupational therapy clinic uses multisensory and sensory-integration methods. They teach handwriting first through gross-motor movements, narrowing down to fine motor movements. They have print and cursive individualized programs as well as camps and classes. 

---