How to Teach Beginner Cursive Writing

Hard at work with beginner cursive writing.

Young students are always anxious to learn cursive writing. Many of them will try to imitate their parents or older brothers and sisters when they write, and they will boast, "I know how to write cursive already." Usually, this looks like a type of print with a lot of loops or maybe even lines that connect the letters together. Usually beginner cursive is formally taught in second or third grade. Here are some ways to make it interesting, fun and a positive learning experience for your students.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Cursive sheets that show correct letter form
• Pencils
• Erasers
• Chalkboard and chalk or a dry erase board with markers

Instructions

1. Ask your principal or co-teachers what form of cursive you teach. There's Zaner-Bloser and also D'Nealian. These forms are different, and it is important to know which type your school teaches (see Resources below).

2. Start with lowercase letters first. Most teachers do not teach in ABC order but in an order that goes from easier cursive formation to harder. For example, "a," "c," "d" and "o" all make similar shapes and are easy to teach together in the same week. You use similar strokes to teach these letters. Harder letters such as lowercase "b" or "v" might be taught once beginner cursive learners become more proficient at cursive writing.

3. Show students how to form the letters correctly on the board. It is best if you have lines on the board like they have on their paper, so they can see exactly what line to start on and what direction to go. Have students practice in the air with "imaginary" pencils before they practice on paper. You can also ask a few students to come to the board and try making some of the cursive letters.

4. Ask students to practice the letter of the day, such as "a," on their paper. When students first start learning cursive, they can really only practice individual letters since they do not know enough to form a word. To make this more engaging, ask students to practice for about 5 minutes. Then tell them to get out a colored marker and circle their best cursive letter. Then ask them to circle the one they think they could improve.

5. Provide meaningful practice for your students once they know more letters. Ask them to copy poems or to write a letter to a friend in cursive. Go around the room and observe while your students are practicing. Make positive comments such as, "I really like the way John is sitting up straight with this paper slanted to help him write the best cursive he can." When you make statements such as these, you will see most students in your class want to be like John and work on their posture as well as the careful formation of their beginner cursive writing.

Tips & Warnings

• To make cursive fun, have students watch you carefully make your letters and point out any mistakes you make. Kids are excited about learning cursive, and they like to be experts. If you allow them to find your "mistakes," they will be more likely to pay attention to their own cursive form.

• Once you've taught all the lowercase letters, you can start working on the capital letters.

• Observe students carefully when they are forming their cursive letters. If they form their letters wrong or move their pencil in the wrong direction, it will be hard to break them of these habits.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Zaner-Bloser
• D'Nealian