I have been homeschooling ds(12) since February. Up to that point in public school, cursive handwriting was not taught. Dh feels it is very important for ds to learn cursive so I bought a book to teach him, but ds still would rather print. Do you all teach cursive handwriting or are you okay with your children just printing?
I am teaching cursive but once they know it, I allow them to decide if they want to use it or not. My oldest has a cursive workbook and he does a page or 2 a couple times a week for practice, but he does all schoolwork in print.
My oldest has a cursive workbook and he does a page or 2 a couple times a week for practice, but he does all schoolwork in print. That is where we are right now too. Thanks for your input!
We do cursive. We used A Reason for Handwriting and did the transition book in 2nd grade. Now her daily practice is in cursive but she chooses to print most of her assignments and I am fine with that. This way she gets practice doing both.
We're also using A Reason For Handwriting (a page a day) plus our LA (LifePacs) does some cursive practice. We're also using Draw & Write Through History this coming year (in conjunction with MOH) and we'll be doing the writing practice there. I think cursive is VERY important! My reasons (1st 4 our mind, 5th was added by another HS mom the last time I was involved in this discussion): 1. One must be able to sign one's name 2. A lack of ability to read cursive would be akin to partial illiteracy 3. Some colleges require (at various times) a student to write in cursive 4. Cursive is a faster method of writing, allowing a student to take more complete notes in class 5. Many historical documents are written in cursive.
Thank you everyone for all of the input! I'm sorry if I'm repeating a prior discussion. Guess I should have looked back at old threads. Oops!
We do cursive too. I don't use a program or curriculum. We just taught my dd one letter per week till she knew them all. She does her copywork in cursive 3 days per week, she prints her history copywork on the 4th day and we don't do any handwriting or copywork on Fridays.
I believe in teaching legible cursive. However, it has been my experience so far that if I get the kids at or after third grade and try to change what they've been doing in public school up until then, I am rarely successful, regardless how much practice I make them put in. They only change if they really want to change.
OH! I have no idea if it was discussed here or not (though it probably was at some point). The other discussion to which I referred happened recently in a Facebook group. On the other hand, we're always up for rehashing stuff! No one expects you to reread a bazillion old posts before asking a question. lol
I do teach cursive to my younger boys. This decision was solidified for me when I took my oldest (always PS as we just started home school last year with younger boys) to get his Drivers Permit and the lady told him to sign it. I had to write his name on a scrap paper for him to look at as he did not know how to sign his own name. I guess I just assumed since he will be a Senior this year that he knew how to sign his name. After this instance he REQUESTED I teach him cursive.
Other than signing my name, I have a difficult time writing in cursive (anymore). I think I stopped writing in cursive after my first year in college. Since I haven't used it in 20+ years, and have functioned just fine, I won't bother with trying to teach it. I'll teach my daughter how to sign her name in cursive and thats about it.
My kids have all wanted to learn cursive. I think it is a good idea though - otherwise it is hard for them to read it. Just think of family history and old documents - if no one can read cursive then those documents would be useless.
I am teaching cursive. Personally, I do not write in cursive much, other than my name, but I think it is important to learn, and to know how to read cursive. Like another person mentioned, it is almost a partial illiteracy issue if one can't read it. Many older people use cursive in their writing, and most historical documents are in cursive. Once he has completely learned it, I think we will practice a once or twice a week, but other than that, I won't care if he prints or not.
I'm trying to find a balance. I want them to know how, but I also don't want to be fighting with them daily over tablet papers. I like the concept of doing a cursive workbook page and then giving them the option for their assignments. I will have to look into the ones that were mentioned. Thanks!
I really like Pentime. It uses the traditional cursive (like old Zaner-Bloser) with the curls and loops - very similar to what I was taught back when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
