Handwriting & Cursive Question

I started my 6yo with cursive this year – she had finished the Getty-Dubay Italic book A, and I think she had a good grasp of printing.  (She still makes letters backwards occasionally – which I’ve read other places that teaching cursive to children who reverse letters is a good idea, because cursive letters are hard to reverse.)

We’re using Memoria Press’s New American Cursive.  We tried SCM’s Print to Cursive, but it just wasn’t a good match for us.  My daughter was frustrated at learning one cursive letter, but having to trace and write letters she didn’t know.

If your daughter wants to start cursive, I’d start her.  I wouldn’t require her to write anything in cursive until she’s gone through a whole cursive book – just so she knows what all hte letters look like (that was my daughter’s problem with Print to Cursive).

My daughter is 7 and really wants to start cursive 

At 5 years old, my daughter asked to learn cursive. (We did not have formal lessons at that time.) It was almost as if she magically she learned them because she was so interested in cursive. Our lessons were very short and fun. I say teach your daughter if she desires to learn. Don’t we all learn things much more easily if our interest has been piqued first? 

but, sometimes she prints beautifully and other times not so much

When this happens within the realm of a lesson (not if she is writing while playing…for example, making a an open/closed sign for her play store), I examine whether or not I required full attention and perfect execution from her. I do not let “perfect execution” rule me. My idea and ability to perform perfect execution of a cursive letter will not be the same as my first grader. Be kind and keep it fun, but require HER best effort. Don’t let the fact that her handwriting is inconsistent deter you from teaching cursive. You never know….cursive might the tool that inspires her to write beautifully. 🙂 DD found it much easier to write cursvie because the pencil is not lifted away from the paper. 

And she still occasionally writes letters backwards.

This is normal. Same here. Cursive “b” and “d” look nothing alike so it is less common to reverse them in cursive. You don’t have to wait to teach her because of this. 

And if I do introduce cursive, does she then start doing everything in cursive or a mixture of both?

Chose what you would like to “do” in cursive, but you are way ahead of yourself. First learn the letters and then that answer will play itselft out naturally. Don’t stress. For specific handwriting lessons, CM practiced printing one day and cursive another day. See this discussion where I asked the same question. As far all other lessons, sure, let her use/you use the new letters she learned. Can’t hurt. 🙂 

https://simplycharlottemason.com/scmforum/topic/learning-and-living-dvd-11-question

DD finds it harder to write in print than cursive as well. 

Hope that helps. Just try a few things out and you will find what works for your family! Good Luck. :)))