My disappearance is regularly predicted, English-speaking countries have been ignoring me for a long time… My capital letters fly away in improbable convolutions, my lowercase letters are never left behind.
I am… I am… Cursive writing! The same one that gives a hard time to those for whom linking letters is akin to finger torture that goes up to the wrist. The one that makes our children stick their tongues out when they are ultra-focused on their work. Because writing in cursive is not always easy, let’s be clear! Hence the fact that the Anglo-Saxons prefer script writing: straight to the point, no frills. However, writing in cursive is not only used to draw beautiful letters. Far from it! It is not a French-French fad, nor is it time wasted on making lace. No. Cursive letters play a crucial role in our children’s learning. And if you were starting to have doubts, let us convince you that it deserves its letters of nobility. So, how do you learn to write in cursive? At what age should you start, and what tools can help you? And why bother? Grab your paper and pencils, we’ll tell you everything!
When to start learning to write in cursive?
In absolute terms, it is mainly children aged 5 or 6 who are most concerned with learning cursive writing. But since every child is different, let’s take a look at the possibilities.
Before Kindergarten
You may not know it, but your Mini starts this learning from a very young age… So, no, you won’t see your baby take his pencil between three fingers to form a word in cursive letters. But the learning has started anyway! How can we see it? In the development of motor skills then fine motor skills, which he or she uses to grab everything around him (including pencils). (And, yes, scribbling counts!) You will quickly see that he or she tends to prefer one hand over the other, by the way.
In kindergarten
As soon as he or she enters nursery school, your budding calligrapher enters the hard core of the subject! He or she develops his or her learning of writing letters little by little, but daily. Graphics are part of his or her daily life! This is done through writing itself as well as drawing, painting, and all manual activities. At the end of nursery school, the lines (horizontal, vertical, and even oblique) no longer hold any secrets for your child. He or she therefore begins to learn to write in cursive in the senior section.
In primary
Learning cursive letters is not complete? Don’t panic, at the beginning of primary school, we put another layer on it. Holding the pencil, sitting posture in front of the sheet: we refine and we progress! We are not at the level of calligraphy, but almost…
How to learn to write in cursive?
But yes, tell me, how do you go about progressing and drawing pretty letters that make up clear words (that’s kind of the goal, isn’t it )?
Motor skills, fingering
Before even trying to trace perfect letters, let’s make sure that our child has fine motor skills that are suitable for the exercise. That is to say, that he or she has a good grip on the pencil, that it doesn’t bother him or her, that it doesn’t hurt him or her, and that it can hold for a long time. (At least for the entire duration of the exercise!) He or she must be able to form straight lines, and beautiful loops… and tie it all together!
If things are a bit lacking in places, we go back to basics by offering fine motor skills exercises. And we encourage our Mini to cut, stick, color, trace, knead… And, occasionally, we move our fingers! Either by miming nursery rhymes or by playing board games that require precise fingering. In short, we get our hands moving and strengthen our fingering. Stringing beads has never been so useful.
The correct posture for writing
Adopting the right posture, and sitting upright, helps a lot! It is more complicated to write straight and to draw legible letters when you are slumped in your chair or spread out on your desk! So, if necessary, we correct your child’s posture so that he or she is comfortable.
The pencil and the right support
If holding a pencil seems complicated to you, don’t hesitate to offer your Mini a specific pencil, pre-shaped for grip. He or she must also write on a suitable support, straight and smooth. Is your child in good condition? Then let’s go learn to write in cursive! The idea is not to let him copy lines or words, but to show him how to form cursive letters correctly, and in the right direction. Otherwise, the child quickly gets into bad habits! Take the time to explain to him how to draw the leading line (the little tail in front of the round letters), and form the loops in a clockwise direction. Some notebooks offer pre-drawn dotted letters, decorated with arrows: a real help!
What tools can help with writing?
Because we can very well have the theory and stumble on the practice… We especially do not hesitate to use all the tools available to us as parents!
Discover the rough letters
Rough letters, or even any pre-drawn letters, will help your Mini to learn the right gesture by running his finger over the letters. He thus learns to write them in the right direction, at his own pace. And without being afraid of tracing badly on the paper!
Write in cursive online
Do you remember the lined notebooks of your childhood? Those famous Seyès lined notebooks (the big squares) are still relevant today! Their multiple lines provide a great reference point so that the bars and legs of the cursive letters don’t go too low. And don’t fly too high either! Don’t hesitate to draw a small green dot where the letter should start and a small red dot where it stops. And reinforce the top and bottom lines (don’t go over them!)
Using Montessori pedagogy
Do you know the Montessori alphabet? It is an alphabet of cursive letters made of wood, which allows your child to write words. Because beyond the writing itself, forming words is above all forming meaning. So, we do not forget to suggest linking the cursive letters together to write words and give meaning to this learning exercise!
Why learn to link letters?
As we were saying earlier, writing is a meaningful gesture. There is a word, a message to convey. However, learning to write in cursive allows you to grasp a word in its entirety: the letters are attached, and there is no ambiguity. One word = one meaning, a unified idea. It may seem quite simple like that, but script writing offers “fragmented” words, made of letters that are joined together, but not linked. As a result, synthesizing the word is more difficult. And if reading is still fragile, the text can quickly form a big salad of words that are not very distinct. And the thinking of the young reader is slowed down.
You are now ready to lend a hand to your child in learning to write cursive letters! Don’t worry, school is the place where he or she will practice it the most. But, if there is a need for a little extra help, or if your Mini is particularly demanding and wants extra letters and words… You will know how to guide him or her! And to combine business with pleasure, think of the Mini Mondes magazine: a concentration of adventures with a background of superb illustrations, reading, and games!