As parents we want to prepare our kids for the future. Many school boards are under pressure to be forward thinking, accommodating skills that our kids will need a decade from now when they enter the workforce. But are they being short sighted in their planning by not teaching our kids to learn to write cursive?
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I’m all for kids understanding technology and getting a grasp on coding, typing and other skills required when they enter the work force, if not now. But I think we’re being short sighted by removing programs like art, music, and gym. And not so recently, cursive writing. This was a skill I remember learning in school but now many schools have stopped teaching it. I disagree with this move and have taken it upon myself to ensure my kids learn this skill at home. If you’re unsure that it is important that our kids learn to write cursive, maybe these articles will convince you otherwise.
Why Kids Should Learn to Write Cursive
Why we should teach cursive writing to all kids
(New York Post) “In addition, scientific research (and common sense) indicates learning how to write cursive helps the development of motor skills. Writing for Psychology Today, Dr. William Klemm explains, ‘The benefits to brain development are similar to what you get with learning to play a musical instrument.'”
Why Children Should Learn Good Handwriting and Cursive in School (The Guthrie School) “Research indicates that handwriting influences reading, writing, language, and critical thinking. Mastering handwriting leads to an increase in brain activation, higher performance across all academic subjects, and it serves as a foundation for higher-order skills.”
Five Reasons Kids Should Still Learn Cursive Writing (Time) “Research suggests that printing letters and writing in cursive activate different parts of the brain. Learning cursive is good for children’s fine motor skills, and writing in longhand generally helps students retain more information and generate more ideas. ”
The Lowdown on Longhand (Edutopia) “Today, cursive writing is becoming a lost art as note taking with laptops becomes more and more prominent in classrooms. But what we are losing is much bigger than a few scratches on a page—we are losing a robust way of learning.”
How Handwriting Improves Your Creative Skills (Make Use Of) “Because creativity is such an abstract concept, it’s difficult to measure or quantify how handwriting might affect it. But there are a number of reasons to believe that handwriting could have an important effect on your creative thoughts.”
(Looking for a break from cursive practice? Try sharing some of these fun riddles with your kids.)
Do your kids know how to write cursive? Do they learn to write cursive at school or is this something you’ve tackled at home? Or maybe you don’t think handwriting is an important skill when it comes to your child’s future? Confession is good for the soul.
Hey,
I dont feel the need to teach cursive writing. As long as the child can express himself in simple writing, it should be ok. My 2 cents 🙂
Interesting article. I am a homeschool mom of 2 and I haven’t started teaching them cursive yet. I do think that in the future it will be a less needed skill compared to being able to type/code/problem solve. However, there are clearly a lot of reasons why it should still be taught. Will have to look up some resources on teaching cursive now.