Cursive

[dementia412]

Okay .. what age did your kids start learning cursive, and how long did it take for them to write legibly? My DD7 didn't start it in school, so I've started her over the summer. Seems a bit late to me. Is it normal to not teach it untill third grade?

 

[Tinkerbell424]

I learned it when I was in 3rd grade.
My cursive now is okay. I personally don't like my cursive writing.

While I was learning my cursive was legible because well we would have to do each letter like 3 times.
But when I stopped my cursive wasn't so good.
So if you want the cursive to stay good,make sure your DD does it every so often lol.

 

[teresajoy]

Okay .. what age did your kids start learning cursive, and how long did it take for them to write legibly? My DD7 didn't start it in school, so I've started her over the summer. Seems a bit late to me. Is it normal to not teach it untill third grade?

Did she learn that denalian alphabet first? It's like a mix of print and cursive, supposedly to help them learn cursive easier. Personally, I don't like it.

Anyway, dd started with the denalian, and just this past year, third grade, they started writing cursive. I learned cursive in third grade and so did Corey, so it seems like she is right on track to me. I don't know if I would teach her much at home, because the teachers usually have their own way of doing it, and it might confuse her.

 

[dementia412]

Our schools here are terrible, so I'm always worried she'll fall behind. There are so many things they expect in third that they didn't teach in second. It's like we are always playing catch up. I started learning cursive in second, but now looking back it was only a few of us in class who were doing it.

Never even heard of denalian.. I'll look up some info on it.... but I can't/won't wait. They reteach them alot (much of it incorrect) anyway so if I went that way I might as well teach her nothing at home. I know they taught both ways to print lower case a, but with cursive I know it is a lot more subjective. They will likely change some of what I teach her, but since
penmenship is ignored in most of these schools I'm not too worried about it.

So far he can do her first name and some words, but the problem are those letters that are totally different. Lower case s and r, b and d. She can only copy right now, but I've only just started with her since I've been so lazy this summer.

 

[jessica52877]

3rd grade is when I was taught, but that was many years ago. If it wasn't taught in school yet then I wouldn't worry about it, no one else would know how to do it either. If you plan on switching schools or something then I might start teaching it if they have already learned it.

 

[daisyduck123]

Hi! Teacher here

Around here, cursive is taught anywhere from 2nd-4th grade.

Teachers at my school always ask the parents to PLEASE not try to teach cursive at home. There is one correct, proper way to teach each stroke & many times the kids learn incorrectly. Once they've formed a bad habit, it's VERY hard to break them of it. (Just like when a parent proudly say at the start of Kindergarten that their kid can already print their name. Then we come to find out they taught them their name in ALL CAPITALS!! OH that's a hard habit to break!!!)

I'm not sure why some parents are always in a hurry to have their kids learn cursive. I got a homeschooled student entered into my class in late spring this year (I teach 1st grade) & her mother had ONLY taught her cursive. The kid could NOT print.

If your child's school hasn't taught it yet, I wouldn't be worried.

 

[MSSANDRA]

My DS "learned" in 3rd grade. HOWEVER, after the 3rd grade, they never used it so it was pretty much a lost art.He can sign his name but that is about it. In reality we use it so little that is seems to have become a lost art. DS uses the computer for most everything anyway so while it is sad, it's not one of those things I stress over him not knowing.

 

[laughinplace199]

DD started learing cursive in the second half of 2nd grade.

 

[Manda]

I taught myself in 1st grade. My first grade teacher found out and wasn't pleased. We officially learned it in 2nd grade. It seems a little obsolete now any way though. Just type.

 

[ooobother]

When my son got to 3rd grade, he was expected to be a master at cursive. His 2nd grade teacher, at the same school, didn't put a lot of emphasis on it. By mid year he was failing every spelling test because he wasn't forming letters properly. I finally won a battle with his teacher to allow him to print only for spelling tests and can you believe what happened....he Aced them all. I think too much emphasis is put on cursive. Sure I want his handwriting to be legible, but a spelling test should be a true account of his spelling ability, not a handwriting test. She told me he needed to be practicing at home...I told her if it didn't take him 2 hours to complete his homework, then maybe I would throw in some extra sheets!
Ok, now that I got that off my chest lol....I say if your school is not enforcing it, then don't worry about it if she is going back to the same school next year. Plus, if you teach her one way and the school has a different method, she will become frustrated.

 

[taylorsmommy05]

I remember this well... we started in 3rd grade.... once we had "mastered" it... sometime in the 4th grade... we were given a pen as a prize (I thought this was too cool... as I still remember it!). After each person got there pen... they were allowed to use a pen exclusively... and no more pencils...
Obviouslly this was a BIG highlight in my life... as I even remember the outside of the pen was PINK!! Oh and I am 31....

 

[Sailorwife]

My sons were in differents school districts when they learned cursive. In California, my older son learned it in third grade. His handwriting is horrible but I think alot of that is 3 different schools from K to 2nd grade and they all taught different writing techniques. My middle son learned it in 2nd grade at the private school they are in now. If he slows down, his handwriting is great. My daughter started it on the first day of 1st grade and by 3rd grade was expect to write only in cursive (she is going into 5th). She has great handwriting. Alot of it depends on the child and their fine motor skills.

 

[Tikicampers]

Hi! Teacher here

Around here, cursive is taught anywhere from 2nd-4th grade.

Teachers at my school always ask the parents to PLEASE not try to teach cursive at home. There is one correct, proper way to teach each stroke & many times the kids learn incorrectly. Once they've formed a bad habit, it's VERY hard to break them of it. (Just like when a parent proudly say at the start of Kindergarten that their kid can already print their name. Then we come to find out they taught them their name in ALL CAPITALS!! OH that's a hard habit to break!!!)

I'm not sure why some parents are always in a hurry to have their kids learn cursive. I got a homeschooled student entered into my class in late spring this year (I teach 1st grade) & her mother had ONLY taught her cursive. The kid could NOT print.

If your child's school hasn't taught it yet, I wouldn't be worried.

I agree with this completely. Around here, cursive is taught in 2nd to 3rd. If your child is not switching schools, there is just not much reason to teach it. I switched schools in the middle of learning cursive, and it was so frustrating.

The methods used in teaching today are very different from the way most parents learned. We teach differently so that students are not just memorizing, but really understanding concepts, especially in math. When parents try to introduce concepts at home, it can be more difficult for the child when they have to relearn the same thing in a different way.

 

[blessedby3]

My kids started at the end of kindergarten. They then worked on it all during 1st grade and by second grade were writing everything in cursive. They attended a private Christian school during that time. They will be switching over to public school this fall so it will be interesting to see if my DD's 3rd grade public school class has done cursive at all yet or not.

 

[disney6family]

Our school used to begin in third grade, now we start in second, so it is not worrying time yet.
BTW, our school now uses the D'Nealian printing method in which all of the letters have a cursive bent and little 'tails' to help get the kids ready for cursive. They now start this in Kindergarten, so it didn't really matter if my youngest knew all of her letters or not when she went last year - she had to learn them all this new way

 

[tchrrx]

My new school begins it in 2nd. Which means 2 things:

1. My DD will really struggle b/c her fine motor skills are terrible & she can't even print correctly.

2. My 3rd graders will have better handwriting than I do b/c I cannot write in cursive. I absolutely cannot slant my letters correctly. I could turn the paper sideways & my writing would still be straight up & down.

Personally, I think handwriting is over-rated. If it can be read, than it ought to be fine. After all, it's generally those with the worst handwriting (doctors, pharmacists, etc) who make the most money! (When was the last time you saw a wealthy teacher?)

 

[My2Cinderellas]

Our schools use the D'Nealian script too. It is harder for the kids to learn than the old style block printing, but it does make for an easier transition to cursive. Cursive is introduced the 2nd half of 2nd grade, and mastered during 3rd grade.

My oldest has terrible handwriting and really struggled with learning her letters in kindergarten/1st grade. It was harder to find materials to use at home in the D'Nealian style. I found a couple workbooks at the local teacher supply shop, and then found a great resource online

www.learningpage.com

click on basics, and there are worksheets to print out. They have cursive too, but check with your teacher to make sure it's the same system they use.

 

[emer95]

Another teacher here....I agree with the previous teacher that it is NOT a good idea to teach your child cursive at home. I don't understand what the hurry is? In my district, students learn in 3rd grade. There are several different forms of cursive, and you wouldn't want to teach something different than what her school does. I teach Zaner-Bloser cursive, but my children's school uses a different format. The differences are very minor (ex. a loop for capital letters instead of a hook) but it would be enough to frustrate a child who had learned it a different way.

 

[SnowWhite12]

Growing up, we started learning in 2nd grade. But get this, the school system in which I am a school social worker, they don't even make the kids learn cursive. I didn't know that until the last month of school, and I was asking some of the 3rd graders I work with. They said the teachers don't make them use cursive because "it isn't necessary later in life." I asked 2 of the teachers, and they said this was true. I was appauled!!

 

[dementia412]

Well first my kids are stuck in this school this coming year (unless we move, which might happen), but next year we are going to try to get them into a private school if we are still in this area. Any way you slice it my kids will probably be moving from school to school alot... thats just the way we are .
After looking it up, I discovered that my DD7 had done that Denelian stuff in KG and first grade, but at this school in second grade they did block print (no wonder they were complaining about her handwriting)... I've been using the same book series they use in her school for her cursive. In fact one of them was one her teacher sent home with her for the summer as extra work. Also, they claim the kids are supposed to know cursive at the beginning of third, but don't teach it in second. I'm worried that like one poster had happen... the new teacher will be expecting her to know something they didn't teach her. I had that sort of stuff happen to me because we moved so much.. I remember a teacher telling me to sound out a word, and I had no idea what she meant because we only did memorizing in my old school.
I also want her to know several ways to do something. In math I want her to know there are different ways to figure a problem so that she can use the one she is best at. I don't really care if she gets good grades, but that she can do the work. Most teachers only care that the kids do things their one and only way. I know that is easier for teachers, but it can be very difficult for the kids who don't all learn the same way. I don't mean to offend teachers. This has just been my experience. I actually have thought about teaching, but I'm not so sure someone with my inability to spell and lack of tact should teach.
I find the whole issue a pain. On the one hand people say they don't even use cursive. I've heard kids at the university say they had to print their schoolwork in high school. On the other hand the teachers want it taught to the kids in a particular style. Now think about that.... all that worry about which way to write a D, then never use it again. What a waste of time. But I do care that she can use it. You can't type your in class essay, and if they can't read it, most professors will just give you an F... I would. I also find computer use to be out of control in schools. Thats a whole new thread though.