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penmanship

The Best Homeschool Handwriting Curriculum: Tips And Recommendations

July 21, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Looking for a solid homeschool handwriting curriculum? Also, look at my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter for more tips!

There are lots of choices of handwriting curriculum.

 And I want to help you navigate them all whether you are looking for writers who are just starting out or a child who struggles with dyslexia or dysgraphia.

The Best Homeschool Handwriting Curriculum : Tips And Recommendations

One more important thing before you read on is for you to understand the difference between teaching handwriting and composition.

They are overlapping skills, but not in the beginning.

The focus with young writers is penmanship prior to composing thoughts.

I have rounded up 8 solid handwriting curriculum.

Look at the list and decide which one works the best for your child’s learning style, interests, and abilities.

Handwriting is an important foundational skill.

It has been proven that the brain engages differently when something is written by hand as opposed to typing it or by touching a screen.

Writing improves memory and teaches the alphabet faster as the learner interacts with each letter in various ways.

The Best Homeschool Handwriting Curriculum : Tips And Recommendations

Too, it helps to slow down and engage with our thoughts, and handwritten letters are so personal and special!

Besides the handwriting curriculum there are different techniques you can do with your learner to practice while always keeping it fresh and fun.

7 Tips and Recommendations for Homeschool Handwriting

Of course, I am going to share these ideas with you as well.

1. Do not mistake teaching handwriting for composition.

As I mentioned earlier, budding writers need to know how to form letters before you introduce composing thoughts.

If a child has not spent enough time doing handwriting where letter writing comes naturally, they will struggle with both motor skills and the mental process of composition.

2. Before you ever begin teaching handwriting, spend a lot of time in pre-writing activities.

These activities build fine motor skills and help children learn to recognize and form letters.

The Best Homeschool Handwriting Curriculum : Tips And Recommendations

This can be writing in a salt tray, forming letters with playdough, painting with cotton swabs or drawing with their fingers in shaving cream.

3. Repetition is key to success.

I think the most important part of learning handwriting is repetition.

It is a muscle that must be exercised regularly to make it strong.

Daily practice is important, but you can introduce different tools to make it fun.

The Best Homeschool Handwriting Curriculum : Tips And Recommendations

For very young, beginning writers draw the letters on handwriting paper with a highlighter and let them trace over it in pencil.

4. Use different writing surfaces to bring learning to life.

Use different surfaces other than paper- chalkboard, dry erase, or an LED board, these are just so fun and different that it makes it exciting.

The Best Homeschool Handwriting Curriculum : Tips And Recommendations

For pre-writing, when your child is almost ready to write or just beginning, consider using technology like the Wet Dry Try app from Handwriting Without Tears.

5. Technology has a place.

It is designed for kids to repetitively practice writing on a tablet with their finger or a stylus to teach how to form letters.

The Best Homeschool Handwriting Curriculum : Tips And Recommendations

6. Copywork is another successful teaching method.

Modeling for a child has always been a superior method of teaching.

Copywork is simply what is implies. Teaching a child to copy write what he sees.

A child must pay attention to the details of capital letters and punctuation.

In addition, a child reads and writes well-formed sentences because copywork resources should be superior writings.

For example, use nature books, scripture, history resources and poetry.

Further, copywork is a great resource for handwriting as it is a way to encourage repetition.

But also it works in other subjects, teaches punctuation, and develops spelling skills.

7. Match to your child’s learning style.

Finally you want to move on to a good solid homeschool handwriting curriculum that matches their learning style and meets any challenges they may have.

More Homeschool Handwriting Curriculum Tips!

Keep reading for a list of 8 handwriting curriculum and the benefits of each.

  • Which One is Really the Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum (a comparison)
  • 5 Creative Ways to Boost Handwriting in Older Kids
  • Cursive Matters; Handwriting Style Doesn’t + Free Resources
  • Teaching Handwriting When Homeschooling the Early Years Part 1
  • Teaching Handwriting When Homeschooling the Early Years Part 2
  • Teaching Handwriting When Homeschooling the Early Years Part 3
  • Faith-Neutral Homeschool Grammar and Writing Program
  • 3 Ways to Choose the BEST Writing Curriculum (for a Growing Homeschool Family)
  • Why It Is Hard to Teach Homeschooled Kids Writing But Not Impossible
  • Homeschool Writing Program For Middle and High School Students
  • A Reason for Handwriting Workbook & Teacher Guidebook Level K

Finally, look at these recommendations.

8 Handwriting Curriculum Options for Homeschooled Kids

The 8 Best Homeschool Handwriting Curriculum.

Handwriting Without Tears Kindergarten

Handwriting Without Tears - Has been a mainstay of the homeschool community for years and there is good reason. It is ideal for multisensory learning because it engages visual, audio, and kinesthetic learners. The very hands-on tools begin to build vocabulary, fine motor, and alphabet knowledge prior to writing letters.

Photo Credit: dashintolearning.com

Dash into Handwriting:Print [Hardcopy}

The aesthetic of these books is just so appealing but more than that it builds on itself going from letters to words to copywork of phrases and is available in either print or D'nealian. To keep it interesting while still practicing it includes mazes, games, races, and puppets.

Photo Credit: www.goodandbeautiful.com

Handwriting: Level 1 Workbook

Teaches 2 to 3 letters at a time and goes in order of the most used letters to short words and sentences as it advances. This is level one, but the program runs from Pre K prewriting to level 7.

Writing in the Wardrobe: Print Handwriting Workbook

This particular volume is copywork using the words and quotes of the Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe but there is a wonderful selection of other literature to choose from as well, including print and cursive.

Cursive Handwriting for Kids with Dyslexia.

Many kids, especially those with learning challenges find it easier to begin with cursive rather than print.

Reusable Grooved Handwriting Workbooks

This set includes Alphabet,Addition Subtraction,Multiplication Division,Number 1-100, Drawing) + 2 Pens + 2 Pen Holding Aids + 10 refills and instill muscle memory, neatness, and the ink fades within 30 minutes to they can practice all over again.

Photo Credit: www.handwritingpractice.net

Handwriting Practice.net

Not only is this site free but you can create your own printable worksheets with any letter or words you like in several different fonts. If you don't mind spending a little more time putting everything together this is a great option.

Draw Write Now Boxed Set of 8

A drawing and handwriting course for kids that is challenging, motivating, and fun! This book contains a collection of beginning drawing lessons and text for practicing handwriting based on the philosophy of author Marie Hablitzel. An elementary teacher for more than 30 years, Marie believed that drawing and handwriting require many of the same skills, and intertwined her daily drawing and handwriting lessons with math, science, social studies, geography, reading and creative writing. This series separates these lessons into common themes in eight instructive books that can be used in any order. Books are colorful and non-consumable, with an accompanying workbook to record the student s work. Children will improve their drawing skills, refine their handwriting clarity, and enjoy learning in the process

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Teach Homeschool Language Arts Tagged With: hand writing, handwriting, homeschoolanguagearts, language arts, languagearts, penmanship

How to Easily Add Language Arts to Homeschool Unit Studies (& Resources)

December 5, 2020 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

One hurdle for delight-directed learning is how to easily add language arts to homeschool unit studies.

The fear of missing something huge can keep some tied to a boxed curriculum. The beauty of unit studies is being able to study topics which ignite your child’s interests.

With that being said, language art skills need to be applied to bodies of knowledge instead of learning language arts skills in isolation. This approach to learning the components of language arts makes it meaningful.

How to Easily Add Language Arts to Homeschool Unit Studies (& Resources)

5 Ways to Add Language Arts to Unit Studies

Look at these 5 ways to easily add language arts to homeschool unit studies.

1. Pair a living book with your unit study.

Although you want to include plenty of living books, depending on the unit study topic you may be using more reference type books.

So if you want to include many elements of language arts, choose one well-written living book to accompany your unit study.

Choose the living book with these things in mind:

  • Aim for the middle to highest reading level of all your children.
  • Keep in mind that it’s easier to scale down for language art components than it is to scale up for your highest level reader. Choose a higher reading level if in doubt.
  • In addition, make sure you understand not only the literary elements like plot, setting, and characters, but the theme too. It’s important for a smooth transition for the theme of the one main living book to connect with the unit study topic. The easiest themes for us in the beginning were ones like good v. evil, courage, and persistence. For example, I chose Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss for our ocean unit study. Surviving on an island as a family if you got shipwrecked appealed as a theme to my kids and is a smooth tie-in to the ocean theme.
  • You can search for booklist ideas here on my site, but here are some to get you started.
  • Fun Resources and Books About The Human Body For Preschoolers
  • Top 5 Reasons to Love Geronimo Stilton And Geronimo Stilton Book List 1-20
  • 18 Rain Forest Animals For Kids Books and Fun Resources
  • Best Homeschool High School Literature Suggestions For Teens
  • Helpful Homeschool Unit Study Spines to Plan in a Few Hours

Choosing the right living book means the difference with themes which ignite expressive conversations in your house about your unit study theme and your unit study falling flat and being shallow.

Language Arts For Unit Studies

In addition, look at these other components of language arts which can naturally be pulled from a living book:

  • defining vocabulary words;
  • dictation;
  • narration;
  • copywork;
  • outlining;
  • reciting an oral speech;
  • reading; and
  • topics for writing or essays.

The bottom line is that a well-written living book can equal a powerful inclusive language arts component.

When the living book is tied to the unit study topic which has already piqued your child’s interest, you’ve set yourself up for success from the start.

That is why I also love using Literary Adventures for Kids.

You choose a book and your kids can do a self-paced online language art course. Doing an online self-paced course where your child chooses the book is a great tie-in for the language arts component.

Look at my post Online Homeschool High School Poetry (No Teaching Involved).

2. Use Quick Reference Materials Like BarCharts.

Next, I use quick study guides. Realizing how beautifully I could zero in on the exact skill my kids needed to work on, I use them frequently.

Because Quick Study Guides can put information in a nutshell and organize skill by grade level, I use them as general guides.

Look at a few tips on how to use these quick guides:

  • Keep language arts concise and straightforward by learning fewer elements.
  • With my guide in hand, I can pair the objectives on the quick study guide with our main living book to shore up my kids weak areas in language arts.
  • My kids put the guides in their notebooks to use as reference for their writing or grammar. I made copies and we used a single hole punch to add them to their notebook.
  • Also, I could use the guides as a way to orally test my kids or if I wanted to create written quizzes I had a guide.
  • Likewise as my children grew, they can independently review the guides as memorization tools.
How to Easily Add Language Arts to Homeschool Unit Studies (& Resources)

Because quick study guides focus on fewer elements of language arts, our language arts focus could be as complicated or as gentle as we need.

Besides, I’m not paying for a full language arts curriculum, but choosing exactly what my kids need to focus on. Did I mention they last years?

Also, look at this How to Put Together a Homeschooled High School Writer’s Notebook & Free Resources because we added them there. Along with adding free resources online creating a language arts notebooks works.

Add Language Arts to Homeschool Unit Studies

Too, if you live near a Barnes and Noble, I’ve collected several of their guides which are called Quamut. They seem to have more guides about hobbies, but I’ve been able to cull through the quamuts for help in language arts.

However, the SparkCharts are another line of handy references which I love also.

Don’t underestimate the power of the simple and uncomplicated to teach straightforward grammar, punctuation, and types of writing.

You’ll love filling up your bookshelves and notebooks with quick and handy references to get to the point while teaching language arts.

3. Use an Ungraded, Multi-Level Resource.

Then, one of my earliest purchases was one of my best purchases which has stood the test of time.

Kathryn Stout created a series of how-to or reference books for subjects which are basically guides for grades K to 12.

My first purchase was Comprehensive Composition and I used it extensively in my unit studies.

Like the author, Kathryn Stout stated on her site she wrote the Design-A-Study guides to provide both a framework of objectives and detailed methods for teaching basic subjects effectively.

Homeschool Language Arts

For example, having a scope and sequence for composition which can be applied to any unit study for all your kids at one time is sanity-saving.

Equally, despite the age differences between your kids reference guides which lays out objectives and goals keeps composition related to the topic.

What I learned from teaching my kids about composition until high school is that boredom springs from writing about meaningless topics.

An ungraded, multi-level resource gives you freedom to learn how to write well on topics which are meaningful to your family.

However, another useful feature of filling your shelves with resources like these is that you’re using them for years. Unlike curriculum where you’re constantly switching out, a multi-age resource is timeless.

Look at few more resources for multiple grades:

  • The Art of Poetry is another HUGELY successful multi-level tool with great background information for you the teacher and great details. I REALLY love this resource. Look at my post How to Easily Add Poetry to Your Homeschool Subjects where we used it and continue to refer to it.
  • How to Teach Children Shakespeare is another keeper because teaching Shakespeare doesn’t have to wait for high school. Look at my post How To Teach Your Homeschooled Children Shakespeare.

Also, another long time keeper in the homeschool world is the book If You’re Trying to Teach Kids How to Write . . . Revised Edition: You’ve Gotta Have This Book! which is from Preschool to 12.

Having books to give you the big picture along with details of how to implement language arts daily keeps unit studies fun. Plus you know you’re not really missing any big language arts gap.

Then, other newer versions of helps for multiple levels have come along like Everything You Need to Ace English Language Arts in One Big Fat Notebook.

4. Play games.

Also, playing games is another fun and easy way to add language arts to unit studies.

While playing games is a fun way to learn language arts, it’s not always a smooth tie-in to a unit study topic. However, I love having options.

I use games sometimes to keep language arts front and center if I don’t have an exact language art tie-in to our current unit study.

  • You’ll love Sheppard Software online language arts game.
  • Look at Listography. Preserve your story through your lists and stay inspired.
  • Rory’s Story Cubes is a great ways to learn about stories hands-on. Whether you bring a fun element to your homeschool or have a special needs child, rolling the cubes are fun.
  • Another favorite is Scrabble. Attempt to think of words used in your unit study and spell them. It helps with vocabulary too.
  • Mad Libs are timeless and fun play.

Don’t forget that I have the Ultimate Unit Study Planner. Having an eye for detail and creating many unit studies with multiple levels of kids, I know you’ll love it.

  • 2. Ultimate DIY Homeschool Unit Study Planner

    2. Ultimate DIY Homeschool Unit Study Planner

    $5.99
    Add to cart

5. Free Curriculum Online.

Then of course nothing beats free – ever. However, I didn’t list free resources first because sometimes it’s harder to use free resources.

Not always related to your unit study curriculum, free curriculum can be hard to tie to your subject.

So what I’ve learned through the years is to cover the parts of language art which naturally fit into my current unit study.

Then, I can add in supplementary or free resources.

  • Here is my post Free Middle and High School Homeschool Language Arts.
  • Here is a fun way to cover grammar for the littles. It’s a grammar living book, Grammar Land from 1878. It’s in the public domain.
  • Holt Elements of Language. Here is an entire student handbook broken down into separate .pdfs. It looks high school level.
  • Free Daily Grammar online.
How to Easily Add Language Arts to Homeschool Unit Studies (& Resources)

Do not let fear of missing something make you miss out on delight-directed learning.

Fill your shelves with more how-to books so that you truly enjoy the freedom of homeschooling in the way that best fits your children.

Do you have any favorite multi-level teaching resources or ways you add language arts to your unit studies?

You’ll love some of these other helps:

  • 7 Budget-Friendly Language Arts Curriculum to Pair with Unit Studies (with printable)
  • 24 Borderline Genius Ways To Relieve Language Arts Boredom 
  • 20 Ideas for Bringing Writing Alive through Unit Studies
  • What You Must Know to Teach High School Unit Studies
  • 3 Things To Remember When Homeschool Unit Studies Get Complicated
  • Diving into Homeschool Unit Studies : The Dos and Don’ts

Hugs and love ya,

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Do Unit Studies, Homeschool Multiple Ages of Children, Teach Homeschool Language Arts, Teach Unit Studies Tagged With: grammar, high school literature, homeschool grammar, homeschoolanguagearts, language arts, languagearts, middleschool, penmanship, phonics, teachingwriting, unit studies, writing

5 Creative Ways to Boost Handwriting in Older Kids

April 18, 2020 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I’m sharing five creative ways to boost handwriting in older children. Also, look at my pages The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter and How to Successfully Homeschool Middle School.

Whether your kids have been in public school where handwriting or cursive was not a priority or your kids are humdrum about the whole penmanship process, I have some tips to help with handwriting in older kids.

First, there are three things you need to decide as you go through your homeschool journey which would have helped me keep things clear as I taught each kid cursive.

Whether your kids have been in public school where handwriting or cursive was not a priority or your kids are humdrum about the whole penmanship process, I have some tips to help with handwriting in older kids. CLICK HERE for these AWESOME tips! #homeschooling #handwriting #penmanship

If you think there is a learning disability, go slower or cut lessons to half, or switch to typing. Also, check out the checklist below for dyslexia.

Dyslexia Screening Checklist

It can be a game changer to learn to type when penmanship holds a kid back from essays or composing.

Next, you need to decide what is your standard for what is acceptable penmanship.

My standard was at least one well-written assignment each day. I didn’t exact it on every assignment.

Penmanship for Older Kids

I encouraged a neat standard or my kids best every day, but accepted close enough many times when there was more of a struggle on a particular day.

What I learned was that although I preferred neat on every assignment, my kids set a bar of excellence for themselves once they mastered the neatness of handwriting.

Third, adding to the cloud of confusion, some educators today want to tout that cursive will be a thing of the pas. And it will be replaced by tablets.

That mindset wasn’t the majority when I first started homeschooling, but changing times in education doesn’t always equate with better or an upgrade.

In homeschool, you set your standard for excellence in education.

Me? Because reading and writing have always been connected and I see that connection in my own 20 years of experience, I will continue to advocate penmanship.

I also set standards for legible handwriting. Cursive as the hallmarks of a well-educated man.

In addition, I will support creative ways for kids to express their thoughts who have disabilities.

We don’t have to make a choice of either or in homeschool; we homeschool so we can have the best of both worlds.

Look at these 5 (okay I have a bit more) creative ways to encourage and boost the penmanship in your older kids.

1.
Short cards and writing letters still work! It’s not an art of the past.

The excitement of receiving a card or short letter from a friend can still get an older kid giddy.

My teen sons was delighted to get a card from his best friend.

I was shocked.

I thought he had outgrown letter writing, but receiving a card was personal. It works.

Too, because a greeting card can be short, it’s not overwhelming for a kid who struggles with writing to pen a few thoughts.

Knowing that receiving a card was an object of affection I used that short card for easy handwriting lessons.

It was different too when he received that versus a card from grandparents. I think it was because it was his peer. Whatever the case, it worked.

2.
Use a fun subject with a skill subject like combining art or science with writing.

Art uses a lot of fine motor skills in a natural way.

Don’t underestimate the value of drawing or studying art while a kid improves his cursive or print.

Art gives a fun slant to what may otherwise be considered a boring skill to master.

Look at Art History Kids to combine art and writing.

Also, look at the series Pictures in Cursive which is a cursive writing program based on picture study of classic works of art.

It’s a useful way to reinforce cursive while not doing baby-ish work.

The different levels of the program correspond to letters and not grades so you can decide the placement for your struggling writer.

If you have a science lover, labeling and working on a science journal gives value to the need to write legibly.

3.
Quotes, knock-knock jokes, journaling, and poetry work are all still writing.

A few more things I pulled out of my arsenal are inspirational quotes, knock- knock jokes, and journaling.

If you’re a Bible reader, the Proverbs are filled with words of wisdom and are great for small passages of copywork.

Also, motivational quotes can be powerful for kids who want to succeed, but may feel defeated because of their lack of penmanship.

Tips to Improve Handwriting in Older Kids

This site Everyday Power has 300 inspirational quotes for kids to reinforce a positive mindset each day while brushing up on their penmanship.

Like us, kids want to empower themselves instead of always being told.

Then, I had another son who struggled at one time with his penmanship. He is our fun loving kid.

Instead of taking a serious note, I turned to a knock-knock joke book.

They’re short, pretty corny, and just what a kid who is taking himself too serious needs.

Laughing the whole time while writing was worth every bit of him telling me the jokes, over, over, over, and….okay.

Most kids love journaling when they know it’s not going to be criticized. Journaling was one way I could tell how my kids’ penmanship was naturally developing or not.

My kids never knew why I insisted on journaling because I never insisted on grading it.

More Tips to Improve Handwriting

  • How to Rock Homeschool Creative Writing (when you don’t feel like THAT creative mom)
  • Which One is Really the Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum (a comparison)
  • 5 Creative Ways to Boost Handwriting in Older Kids
  • Cursive Matters; Handwriting Style Doesn’t + Free Resources
  • Teaching Handwriting When Homeschooling the Early Years Part 3

If I saw a weakness like a letter sloppy or not formed correctly, I could work on direct instruction with them or work on another daily assignment showing correct letter formation and not grade or criticize the journaling which was from their heart.

Journaling stayed fun while giving me a glimpse each year of how their penmanship was truly developing.

Another son of mine loved poetry. Poetry is supposed to be read aloud and it’s meant to be enjoyed.

My suggestion is when you’re not studying poetry formally, then copying favorite passages not only strengthens fine motor skills, but feeds creativity.

The Charlotte Mason approach encourages focusing on a single poet for a year or term.

If your older kid found one particular poet fascinating like mine did with Edgar Allen Poe, then copy the famous works of that one poet.

Handwriting Tips for Older Students

It not only feeds an older’s child’s desire to learn what he wants, but it associates enjoyment with the art of writing.

Look at my tips in The Ultimate Guide to Poetry for Multiple Ages (For the Intimidated).

4.
Direct and simplified handwriting instruction is superior..

Coming in sideways is one way to teach, but some kids need direct instruction too. I liked this next resource because it does teach cursive in a more simplified format.

Unlike teaching a child cursive from the beginning, most older kids like adults have already established some form of writing that is normally a combination of print and cursive.

So, teaching traditional cursive to an older child can backfire. A simplified version of cursive can be a better fit for an older child.

This cursive workbook uses a form of cursive that is more free of the extra loops found in most traditional cursive. It’s less intimidating when teaching teens.

5.
Lists, copywork, short stories, and topics kids love no matter how silly give value to learning how to write well.

Teaching kids life skills rates high for most of us as homeschoolers. And making lists can be taught as a life skill.

5 Creative Ways to Boost Handwriting in Older Kids

This was one area hard for me because I tend to organize everything in our school and home including the grocery lists or any other lists. I’m a list maker.

I used to create food lists on the refrigerator then that morphed into using lists on my phone. For a while I went back to paper lists so my son could use his writing for a useful purpose.

In addition, we made lists of adjective and verbs to keep in his writer’s notebook as reference pages for his composition.

It was a great way to sneak in more handwriting and way my son felt was useful to him instead of just being assigned some tracing work.

Copywork for Teens

One of the best ways that worked hands down for all my writers no matter what age is copywork.

Modeling is a great teacher. The beauty of copywork is that if your child is not minding the details of handwriting like commas or capitalization, then copywork helps him to look at the details.

Copying beautiful passages or from sources that a kid loves whether it’s history, poetry, science, or even jokes, boosts his spelling, grammar, and the mechanics of punctuation.

When he models the writing of great writers of the past or present, he sees a pattern to follow and can set a standard for himself.

Don’t give up on your older kids or make each day about head-butting.

His lack of skill is apparent each day to him. He needs creative ways to strengthen his fine motor skills and need to pay attention to the details of letter formation while enjoying his everyday work.

Let me know what other creative ways have worked for you!

You’ll love these other great tips!

  • 3 Ways to Choose the BEST Writing Curriculum (for a Growing Homeschool Family)
  • How to Teach Cursive and Composition With A Fresh Perspective
  • Faith-Neutral Homeschool Grammar and Writing Program
  • 3 Things to Avoid When Teaching Homeschooled Kids Beginning Composition
  • 24 Borderline Genius Ways To Relieve Language Arts Boredom

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Homeschool Simply, Homeschool Teens _ From Teen to Graduation, How To - - -, Teach Homeschool Language Arts Tagged With: handwriting, high school, middleschool, penmanship

Teaching Cursive Handwriting Matters Style Doesn’t And Free Resources

August 25, 2016 | 20 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Should teaching cursive handwriting not be a priority in this digital age.

For years we have been told that storing information in digital form is safer than paper.

However, that process is not without problems.

Cursive Matters; Handwriting Style Doesn't and grab some free AWESOME resources @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Technology is rapidly changing.

And hardware and devices, which store vital information from paper can become obsolete.

Businesses scramble to constantly update their systems as important paperwork could become lost.

Should cursive be lost to the same vacuum of the modern digital age?

It’s not easy to answer that question unless you know how to teach cursive.

If you have never taught cursive, it can be easy to cast it off.

Or think that a child is not capable of it.

Will we be doing our kids a disservice if we skip the cursive and keep the keyboard?

You may think so, but not so fast.

Is Cursive Obsolete for Homeschooled Kids?

Look first at a few of these points of how cursive should be taught to make it easy.

And more importantly the value of it.

Also, I have some free resources at the bottom for you to use to teach cursive.

It doesn’t cost a lot to get a beautiful return.

ONE/ Teach cursive first, before print.

When I taught cursive to my first son, he already had learned the ball-and-stick method that I taught him in Prek and part of Kindergarten.

Switching quickly and teaching him simplified cursive at the end of Kindergarten and in first grade were key to him successfully learning cursive.

Teaching my first son cursive, I learned that it was easier to teach him cursive first because the letters were connected and flowing.

I also learned a valuable lesson as a teacher which is to not have my son unlearn the ball-and-stick method he had been taught.

That is not the way I wanted to teach.

As he progressed, I noticed that with the ball-and-stick method that he could get confused with letter direction.

At that point, I had him do all his work, including crossword puzzles in cursive.

By the way, fun crosswords puzzles was a fun way to teach him to practice writing individual cursive letters while his attention was focused on the fun of the puzzle.

As he progressed through the years, he quickly recaptured knowing how to print and it turned out beautiful.

Master Cursive Writing @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

(My son’s cursive at the beginning of second grade so I could judge his progress.)

When my second and third sons came along, I taught them cursive first.

Their letter reversal struggle was just about non-existent because they didn’t learn to print them until they were older.

As they have progressed through the years, I find it ironic that as they have grown, they developed their own order of how to write some numbers and letters.

For example, in writing the number four, one of my sons writes the longer side first (the part on the right) and then he writes the part on the left side last.

Of course, this is opposite of how we teach our kids to print the number 4, but it’s his handwriting style.

Of course, I remind him how to form the numbers and letter easier, but I don’t fuss too much over it.

More on that in a minute.

TWO/ Understand the three broad strokes of cursive.

To understand the simple way to teach cursive, you need to know the three broad strokes.

The first is a downcurve or sometimes called up and down, an overcurve and an undercurve.

When you see how to tame cursive, it becomes very easy to allow kids to make huge curves and loops.

For our first lessons in teaching cursive, my sons wrote real big on butcher roll paper.

Understanding that most children don’t have control over their fine motor skills until about half way through first grade, I didn’t expect them to write small cursive letters.

I did allow each child to write a lot of big strokes, up and down, loops, curves and circles, which they like to do anyway.

From there we progressed to lined paper in first grade.

3 Broad Cursive Strokes to Teach

After teaching all of my sons cursive and resisting the print first tradition, which can confuse children, I learned that when letters are connected and flowing, it’s easier to learn to write.

When a child has to decide where to place straight lines and circles as he is learning the ball-and-stick method, he can get confused and write letters backward.

Cursive built confidence in my boys because when they placed their pencil on the paper on the left side of the paper for the first letter each letter flowed effortlessly.

Instead of focusing so much emphasis on down up, around, lift your pencil up, place it back down, my sons focused on their spelling not the constant placing of where to begin and end letters or lines.

Penmanship was more legible because there was no guessing which letter faced forward or backward.

THREE/ Confusion where one word starts and stops was avoided by doing cursive.

Another battle I didn’t have to face though I didn’t fully appreciate it at the time was that my sons avoided the confusion of not being able to tell where one word ends and the other one begins.

This is not only important for new readers, but for anybody that wants their handwriting legible.

My sons’ reading and writing advanced quickly because cursive helped them to see which letters stayed connected to make words.

When my sons did start using printing interchangeably with cursive on some of their compositions, I noticed that some of the printed words ran together.

More Writing Curriculum Tips

  • How to Rock Homeschool Creative Writing (when you don’t feel like THAT creative mom)
  • Which One is Really the Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum (a comparison)
  • 5 Creative Ways to Boost Handwriting in Older Kids
  • Cursive Matters; Handwriting Style Doesn’t + Free Resources
  • Teaching Handwriting When Homeschooling the Early Years Part 3

It was hard to read when two words ran together because they weren’t spaced properly.

This is a common mistake for the child to guess where to start the next letter in a ball-and-stick method, which is why some words look like they have a few extra letters at the end of them when they are really the start of the next word.

What I have learned is that cursive matters because it has not only built confidence in my sons, but helped them to learn to read, spell and taught them the value of being proud of something uniquely theirs.

Each son has developed different handwriting styles that are as individual as their personality, which is another myth about cursive.

Cursive doesn’t have to be uniformed among writers.

Persons who have mastered cursive can read different styles of it.

Can Homeschools Become Part of the Dumbing Down Movement If We Don’t Teach Cursive

There is plenty of room for personality and differences. Some writers prefer more vertical writing and others prefer slanted writing, which is why handwriting style doesn’t matter because we are not trying to confine kids to a mold.

I am not telling you to not keep the keyboard, but I’m telling you that cursive goes beyond the value of teaching a child how to write well.

Free Homeschool Cursive Program and Resources

Look at some of these free resources which rock because they help you to teach cursive.

  • Direct Path to Cursive – The Quickest Way to Cursive
  • Cursive Handwriting Practice Sentences
  • Primary Language Lessons – Though this is an old book it is beautiful because it has sentences for copying and dictating.
  • Here is a 3rd grade 80 page free writing workbook, which I think you’ll love.
  • And also, I have free copywork here on my site and a lot of it is in cursive. Here is a roundup of some of my free history copywork.

Look at my articles

  • 3 Ways to Choose the BEST Writing Curriculum (for a Growing Homeschool Family)
  • Teaching Handwriting When Homeschooling the Early Years Part 1
  • Teaching Handwriting When Homeschooling the Early Years Part 2
  • Teaching Handwriting When Homeschooling the Early Years Part 3

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

20 CommentsFiled Under: Free Homeschool Resources, Homeschooling, How To - - -, Teach Homeschool Language Arts Tagged With: composition, cursive, handwriting, homeschoolanguagearts, language arts, languagearts, penmanship, teachingwriting, writing

3 Things to Avoid When Teaching Homeschooled Kids Beginning Composition

August 20, 2015 | 4 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.




Penmanship, copywork, and composition can be quite confusing understanding the purpose of each when you are new to teaching composition.

Cultivating the Creative Process

Penmanship is learning how to write and form letters, while composition is composing or crafting sentences to convey thoughts in an organized and logical way.

1. Practice does make perfect. Avoid Stop and Start.

The physical act of learning how to write comes before being able to pen words into beautiful thoughts.

The mistake made by many moms is not knowing in the beginning if your child is struggling with the actual physical act of penmanship or if it’s the actual process of of forming his thoughts down on paper in a coherent way.

You don’t know that until you sit down together and start writing.

3 Things to Avoid When Teaching Homeschooled Kids Beginning Composition @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool PlusToo, a lot of schools don’t have time to teach cursive anymore or think that writing will be obsolete soon. Assuming that your child has decent and legible handwriting before teaching composition is a common mistake.

There is nothing more frustrating for a new writer than to struggle with the physical act of writing with the added pressure of composing ideas.

2. Process over Product. Avoid Rushing the Flow of Thought Just to Put “Something” on Paper.

As I mentioned, composition is a mental process of learning how to organize thoughts and convey words that are easily understood. Handwriting is a physical process.

As you can see when a child is still struggling to write, then your expectations for a 5 paragraph essay may not be met. It is very laborious and children need a lot of encouragement.

It is important to emphasize to your child that writing is a process. Don’t assume they know that from the curriculum you are using.

Excellent composition curriculum has a way of taking them down a path to model that process, but some kids need to understand the big picture so they know what they are striving for.

Look at these steps to a good masterpiece:

  • Pre-writing;
  • drafting;
  • revising;
  • editing; and
  • publishing.

This takes time.

You can help by being consistent and choosing quality over quantity in the beginning.

It is better to write a few sentences each day than to go days without writing and then expect your child to sit down and go through the 5 step writing process.  Too, I’ve used many writing programs through the years and each one having something I needed at the time. I used WriteShop when my kids were young because it breaks the writing process down for me. In addition, an added perk for me is that it’s written by a homeschool mom. That means she understands my background is not in teaching. So plenty of hand holding, background information, and tips are given in the currriculum.

WriteShop Junior

3. Manageable Chunks. Avoid Handwriting in Areas that are not Important.

Also, cutting back writing on subjects that don’t matter like workbooks or working math problems orally will save the hand and brain power until composition time.

Copywork is also a valuable aid for any writer and not just new writers.

Is Writing Obsolete?

Copywork means to learn by mimicking good writers and copying short passages.

This trains the child to see and hear how well crafted passages, verses and prose should flow.

It is not meant to keep your child busy, but it is about him taking his time and learning by copying great writers of the past.

The mechanics of writing like punctuation is another part of learning to write correctly.

A visual picture of where commas, periods, and capitals are placed in the sentence helps your child to pay attention to the details in his writing.

WriteShop Primary

Understanding the basics of composition will help you to avoid common mistakes of teaching beginning composition.

What do you think? Have you already started to make a few of these mistakes?

Look at these other tips:

  • How to Teach Cursive and Composition With A Fresh Perspective
  • 3 Ways to Choose the BEST Writing Curriculum (for a Growing Homeschool Family)
  • The Ultimate Guide to Poetry for Multiple Ages (For the Intimidated)

Hugs and love ya,

Check out these posts too:

Teaching Handwriting When Schooling the Early Years Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

4 CommentsFiled Under: Teach Homeschool Language Arts Tagged With: composition, penmanship

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