How To Teach Cursive Handwriting - The OT Toolbox

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Handwriting, Letter Formation

How to Teach Cursive Handwriting

Colleen Beck OTR/L

Colleen Beck, OTR/L is a pediatric occupational therapist and the owner and author of The OT Toolbox website. She manages all of The OT Toolbox social media accounts and runs the popular newsletter. Read about Colleen's experience and career as an occupational therapist, including how The OT Toolbox began on our About The OT Toolbox page: https://www.theottoolbox.com/about-us/ Colleen created The OT Toolbox in 2011 and since then has written thousands of blog posts designed to support therapy providers, educators, parents, counselors, admin, and caregivers in promoting the healthy development of kids. Check out Colleen's blog posts below:

by Colleen Beck OTR/L
September 29, 2017

You may have heard on our social media channels or via our newsletter that we have an exciting new series planned here on The OT Toolbox. Over the next month, you will find strategies, tools, and tips to teach cursive handwriting. This cursive writing series is designed to provide many different ideas for helping kids learn cursive writing for the first time or to address problems like cursive writing legibility.

Many times parents and teachers struggle with how to teach cursive handwriting. These cursive tips, cursive writing tools, and handwriting activities will help kids learn to write in cursive.

Cursive writing is being taught in the schools less than before. Teachers struggle to find time within their busy day to focus on the pre-writing exercises needed for cursive writing. Many times, teachers and entire school districts don’t have a specific cursive writing curriculum to follow. This means teachers across the hall from one another in the same building can be instructing students in very different ways. Some kids in the same school district may have more practice that other kids. When those students age into older grades, some will be able to write with more legibility and a better base of cursive handwriting knowledge than others. Other schools have completely eliminated cursive writing. What may happen then is that parents instruct their children at home or not at all. For other children who struggle with printed work or who present with handwriting problems in general, cursive writing is a strategy for legibility. For the child who struggles with dysgraphia, the fluid motion and reduced pencil movements of cursive can help with legibility. For all of these reasons, we wanted to share an intense look at cursive writing. Watch the video below. You may have seen it floating around on Facebook. But if not, check it out. Cursive handwriting, and teaching the art of cursive is very needed in our kids today!

Over the next 31 days, you’ll find writing exercises, tricks, strategies, and activities designed to teach cursive handwriting. Be sure to stop back to this page each day over the month of October. We will add a link to each cursive writing tool here. When the month is over, you’ll have all of these cursive writing strategies in one place. Bookmark or Pin this page so you don’t lose it and can come back to the cursive writing tools over the next month. This cursive writing series will work similarly to our previous 31 day series on handwriting. One tip about this month’s series on cursive handwriting: This series is not intended to be completed in 31 days. Cursive writing involves pre-writing practice, instruction to ensure proper formation, and practice. It’s important to ensure carryover of skills by coming back to practice proper motor plans for legibility and success.

This 31 day series will go through all of the steps of learning cursive writing and teachers, therapists, and parents will love these handwriting strategies to teach cursive handwriting.

How to Teach Cursive Handwriting

31 Days of Cursive Handwriting:

Day 1 Positioning When Writing in Cursive Day 2 Cursive Writing Lesson Plan Day 3 Gross Motor Cursive Exercises Day 4 Cursive Letter Families

Day 5 Pre-Cursive Activities Day 6 Cursive Letter Formation: Wave Letters Day 7 Creative Ways to Practice Cursive Day 8 Cursive Writing Self-Assessment

Day 9 Conquering Cursive Letter Connectors Day 10 Left-handed Cursive Writing Tips and Tricks Day 11 Cursive Writing Rhythm Day 12 Cursive Writing Slant

Day 13 How to Teach Cursive Letter Identification Day 14 Pencil Grasp in Cursive Writing Day 15 MORE Creative Ways to Practice Cursive Writing

Day 16 How to Teach Cursive Writing Speed

Tips for Teaching Cursive in the Classroom

Day 17 Tips for Teaching Cursive in the Classroom

Day 18 Cursive Pre-Writing Lines Watercolor Resist Activity

Day 19 Cursive Writing Starting Lines Day 20 Cursive Letter Writing Activity

Day 21 Diagnosing Cursive Problems with a Cursive Handwriting Assessment Checklist Day 22 Cursive Writing Tips and Cursive Certificate of Completion Day 23 Free Cursive Letter Flashcards Day 24 Cursive Letter Formation: Bump Letters