Our district recognizes cursive instruction’s importance in helping students develop handwriting and spelling automaticity, which, in turn, allows children to develop higher level written composition.

Cursive is introduced along with Fundations, where we establish proper conditions for student success, including posture, paper position, and pencil grip, while demonstrating letter formation, bridges, letter connections and other style elements. The component also provides instructional methods for teachers who work with students exhibiting handwriting difficulties, such as dysgraphia.

In the ongoing debate on the importance of cursive, proponents, including the National Education Association (NEA), point to research that shows the cognitive process of writing by hand improves retention and comprehension of information in a manner that does not occur when keyboarding, explained Kimberly Gillingham, Director of Professional Learning/Field Implementation at Wilson (creators of Fundations).

Findings from brain studies indicate that the fluid motion of cursive writing enhances hand-eye coordination and develops fine motor skills in younger students. These in turn promote reading, writing, and cognition skills. Additionally, the connected strokes of cursive writing make it faster and easier for children to put thoughts on paper.