From Tracie: It Is Time To Celebrate Cursive Handwriting

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

It Is Time To Celebrate Cursive Handwriting

Today is John Hancock's birthday. It is also National Handwriting Day.
It makes sense if you think about it.

Writing Thank You Cards

The art of cursive writing is disappearing - with people divided on the question of should we bother teaching cursive writing in schools, and many schools not teaching it at all.

I think cursive writing is an important thing to learn. When I was in elementary school, my school only allowed us to write in cursive.

While I don't think we need to take it that far (being able to print legibly is important, too), I did use the Spalding method for writing and phonics with Katarina, and cursive writing is a big part of that.

Page From Spalding Notebook

Although I don't always use proper cursive in my everyday writing (I have a cursive-print hybrid like my friend Jana), I have found myself going back to cursive more and more as I've been doing morning pages this year.

Sometimes when I'm stuck on things to write about, and the words won't flow, I write about the actual writing.

You wish you could have morning pages this exciting.

Journal Page

Today Katarina and I spent some of her school time writing thank you cards and sweet notes to mail to friends. It seemed a fitting way to celebrate National Handwriting Day, as along with cursive writing, handwritten notes seem to be a disappearing art.

Katarina Loves Writing

A little tip from me to you: Writing is more fun with fuzzy, striped socks on your feet, and dolls and stuffed animals watching.

Just in case you like to geek out about handwriting like I do, you can read this brief history of penmanship the History Channel put together last year.

*This post was not sponsored by Spalding - I mentioned it because it really is what we use and I love it. It was also not sponsored by the History Channel, nor by anyone else.

The crazy love of all things handwritten is all mine.

Do you write in cursive? Did your kids learn cursive writing?

20 comments:

  1. If I hadn't learned cursive writing, I would be screwed when it came time to sign a check.

    In all seriousness, though, I really wish I had a cool signature. Unfortunately, I learned cursive writing, so my signature is legible.

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    1. Right? I don't understand how people can sign things without having learned cursive. It is a mystery.

      I wish I had a cool signature, too. I've tried different things in the past to spice it up, but I end up coming back to just cursive-writing my name.

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  2. You know I don't think the kids are taught cursive anymore. :(

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  3. We used Handwriting Without Tears and really liked it. I have a cursive-print hybrid too. I think that must be pretty common. =)

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    1. I've heard good things about Handwriting Without Tears.

      I think once we get out of school, and no longer have teachers standing over us grading our writing, we all kind of develop our own thing.

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  4. Thanks to years teaching the primary grades, my cursive has gotten pretty bad. We taught it in my old district, but the kids weren't really forced to use it. My second grader just started learning cursive at school which she is so excited about. I worry about my son learning it next year as we've just gotten him to print legibly, so I may need some ideas from you then.

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    1. Katarina was so excited when she started to learn it too. I remember feeling like I was finally getting to write like an adult when I learned. It is a writing rite of passage.

      To use Spalding, all you really need is The Writing Road To Reading book, and a composition notebook to write in. (not expensive and it works - my favorite kind of curriculum!)

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  5. My writing is a cross between cursive and print as well. I think cursive is definitely becoming a lost art form. There is elegance and beauty in well written cursive, I love it.

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    1. It really is. When you look at old journals or papers written in very fancy cursive, it is beautiful. I hope the art isn't lost completely.

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  6. I definitely go between printing and cursive as I'm writing. It's a shame they are not teaching it anymore it's not only an art it's a discipline. I'm no teacher but you'd have to assume that handwriting is probably part of developing motor skills and such at that age.

    I can't think at a computer so I handwrite most of what I need to do and then type it up.

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    1. I would think that it really helps to develop motor skills, too.

      There are times when I handwrite a blog post before typing it up. Those often turn out to be some of my best posts.....hmm. maybe I should do that more often!

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  7. I do the hybrid thing as well. I remember the time I wrote you a letter in cursive. Ha! My kids are learning it but are not required to use it in their school work. When they do summer work with me at home they are required to use it because I don't want them to lose it. I'm mean like that. =P

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    1. I still have that letter!! <3

      You meant to type "I'm awesome like that!" ;-)

      I don't understand what good it does to teach them if you never make them use it! Good cursive requires practice.

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  8. My handwriting is such that neither cursive nor print would want to claim it. I will say that for some people I know, cursive is reserved for that time of year they must play a certain jolly elf, so that the handwriting on the packages is unfamiliar.

    Very convenient, then.

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    1. I can see how that could be helpful. Whatever it takes to keep the secret!

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  9. The decline of cursive writing was brought to my attention recently, at which point I asked my oldest (who is in college) if she learned it in school. She said, "No. Who needs that any more?" Huh. How did this escape my attention? I thought about her signature and how it really isn't a formal signature, just her name written. My youngest is fascinated with it. If the schools don't teach her, I will.

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    1. Really? That is so crazy! I thought the not teaching of cursive was a newer thing, I'm surprised to find out that your college-aged daughter never learned it.

      I had wondered how people do a signature without cursive.

      I love that you are going to teach your youngest. That is awesome.

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  10. woe I love this, im so shocked to see the responses that there is no more cursive taught in schools! I was taught it and I am so happy I was because its so beautiful. These days we don't write much of anything so sometimes I actually forget, but I still love it all the same!

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    1. I remember when I was first leaning it feeling like I was finally going to write like an adult. It was a really big deal to me. And it really is beautiful.

      I know what you mean about not writing much of anything - I type so often, there are probably whole days that go by where I wouldn't write anything if not for my journalling time.

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