Five Great Reasons to Teach Cursive Writing In Your Homeschool

Among the many reasons we homeschool our children is complete control of our curriculum. It is troubling how some things have been totally removed from the educational system. Today, however, I want to discuss one of the most important ones: cursive writing. With each passing year, cursive handwriting is becoming more of a lost art and it is a crying shame! There are many reasons why I choose to keep cursive writing as a foundation in our homeschool and why I think you should too.

Cursive Writing in Family History

One of the first things I wish to discuss is the importance of handwriting when it comes to your child’s own family history. The importance can be seen in a variety of areas, but here are just a few that come to mind.

1. Letters

A knowledge of how to read cursive handwriting is so valuable for your child when it comes to being able to read old family letters. In decades past, there was certainly no digital communication, and when people wrote letters, they used cursive writing. These pieces of family history will be lost forever if we do not keep the practice of reading and writing handwriting alive.

To pass these letters on to the generations to come would be futile if no one could read them. This is something so important to consider!

2. Geneologies

I realize that some are more involved in the practice of learning all they can about their family line than others. If this is something that is important to you personally, then cursive writing should also be important to you. So many elements of your family history from birth and death certificates to ship manifests are written in beautiful handwriting. If it is important to have a working knowledge of your family’s history, cursive writing should be a high priority in your curriculum.

3. Family Photos

There are certainly more areas of familial significance, but the last one I wish to touch on in this piece is old family photos. How many times have you been flipping through an old family photo album and seen a picture of someone you couldn’t identify. Chances are, you pulled that photo out to check the back for some sort of clue, and chances also are that you found the answer inscribed in a beautiful handwriting on the back. This is another great reason to keep this skill alive in the coming generations!

Cursive Writing in Historical Documents

Another very important reason to keep cursive handwriting alive for our children is its prevalence in historical documents. All of the foundational documents of our great United States of America from the Declaration of Independence, to the Constitution, and on to the Bill of Rights are written in gorgeous script.

If we rob our children of the ability to read these documents with their own eyes, we open them up to a whole new level of tyranny. Extreme you say? Maybe, but imagine a scenario if you will, in which none of the coming generations can read them and therefore know and comprehend what lies in these documents.

They are then susceptible to being told whatever anyone wants them to believe. They have no ability to read the truth for themselves because they haven’t been taught this basic skill. We have handicapped them in a way that is irreparable!

The ramifications of this scenario are significant and certainly something that we can avoid by making sure to keep this valuable skill alive in our homeschool.

Cursive Writing and Natural Development

The third way that cursive writing is a huge benefit to our children is that it assists them in their natural development. It is extremely common for children when first learning to write their letters and numbers to reverse the characters. Perhaps a “d” becomes a “b” or their “3’s” are completely reversed.

This is common even with children that have no learning difficulties. Obviously, if this persists for longer than is normal, your child should be evaluated to ensure they do not have a difficulty such as dyslexia.

If your child is only kindergarten/ first grade level, this should be considered normal, but you know what can help them to overcome this naturally more quickly? Cursive writing!

My six year old first grader, like so many, has struggled with reversals in her writing. Her name is Addisyn, and when she printed her name, it often came out “Abbisyn.” Since learning cursive writing in the first semester of this school year, she now writes her name in cursive and her “d’s” are therefore always turned the proper way.

It is unnatural to the flow of cursive writing to be able to form the letters in reverse because the flow is not the same. Would she have eventually pulled out of this phase without cursive? Probably, but this has helped her natural development in such a way that she has been able to short-cut this process. She does still occasionally reverse a letter or number, but never when she is writing in cursive!

Once again, if you truly suspect your child has a learning difficulty, do not hesitate to have them evaluated. We all know these difficulties to be very real, and they will not be remedied or helped without significant knowledge and training. However, if you suspect your child’s reversals in writing are normal for their age/ grade level and they are at least first grade, I suggest beginning to teach them cursive writing. See if this doesn’t pull everything together for them!

Cursive Writing and Personal Pride

This is perhaps the most superficial reason for keeping this skill alive, but the personal pride a child gains in their work when they have beautiful, neat handwriting is something special! It is such a great moment the first time they can put together all the letters of their first name and eventually, their full name.

As you can see by the examples I’ve pictured, I don’t demand perfection in their practice. It is just that- PRACTICE! You can see the progression as they move through the grade levels and become more precise.

Also, their progress is individual. Some children may be naturally neater and more precise with handwriting, but when they can review an assignment and be so proud of THEIR best work, you can just see the glow of pride on their face and for good reason! They are learning to master something that so many children no longer have the opportunity to do. They SHOULD BE proud (in the best way possible), and that pride should drive them to excellence in their other academic ventures!

Cursive Writing and its Brain Benefits

Finally, let’s discuss the actual science behind why cursive writing is so beneficial. The other points I’ve written about can be construed as personal opinion, but scientists have studied the benefits of cursive handwriting on the brain and they are significant!

According to Christopher Bergland writing for Psychology Today, a research study was conducted at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in 2020. The findings were based on observations of EEGs and showed that performing this skill prepared the brain for other types of learning. Additionally, the research showed that different areas of the brain were positively affected by cursive writing.

The researcher informs us that “Existing literature suggests that such oscillatory neuronal activity in these particular brain areas is important for memory and for the encoding of new information and, therefore, provides the brain with optimal conditions for learning.”

There have been other studies performed as well, and I have never seen anything but positive development measured. If the science is important to you, I would advise further research on your own. I fully believe you will come to the conclusion that learning cursive is in the best interest of your child.

Conclusion

Hopefully after reading through this post, if you’ve been on the fence about the importance of continuing to teach traditional cursive handwriting, you’ve been convinced that it is of huge importance! Whether your reasons are historical, personal, or scientific, there are NO negatives and SO MANY positives to this skill.

Personally, in our homeschool, we teach manuscript (printing) in kindergarten and move to cursive in first grade. Some curriculums have students start writing in cursive from the beginning. I think it is important that they also know how to print their letters as well, and for this reason, I allow them to do that for kindergarten.

I’ve been rewarded so far with three children that can write beautifully in cursive. Of course, dependent on their personality, it doesn’t mean they always will (thank you, certain child, who is naturally not as neat haha ), but they have been given the tools and I KNOW that they can do it!

Thoughts?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic, particularly if you have been trying to decide what to include in your curriculum, and this post helped you to make that decision. Leave me a comment below and let me know your thoughts!

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