Name: Teach Them Diligently (Branson)
Start: 2025-05-15T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-17T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Branson, MO

Tagged: Handwriting

This topic has 10 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 3 months ago by Cathrina.

Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)

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January 17, 2017 at 8:26 am
KMHStore
Participant
Hello – my 7yo daughter is plucking along just fine with print copywork pulled from whatever she reads aloud to me each day, usually McGuffey Reader. She’d like to learn cursive and I’m ready to teach her…..but do I continue or discontinue the print copywork? It’s not much and I’d like to continue with it but don’t want to overload her.
Thanks so much for any advice!
January 17, 2017 at 8:49 am
Cathrina
Participant
We typically add on cursive to our day (10min max) for maybe two months and then start using it inside our copywork. The key is to teach cursive letters within a couple months (not years like some workbooks would have you).
January 17, 2017 at 11:06 am
MountainMamma
Participant
I started cursive with my DS7 this year as well. He is memorizing parables this year so he writes the parable first in print (about 10 words a day – not the whole thing) and then in cursive. By the time he writes the parable in cursive he usually has it memorized (it takes about a week to do the print and a week to do the cursive version depending on the length). That helps him move faster through the new form of copywork since it is memorized in his head already.
We’ve done this since August and it has worked well. I think knowing that he only has to push himself to write cursive (which obviously comes less naturally to him because it’s a new skill) half the time helps him not get frustrated.
January 17, 2017 at 12:04 pm
marmiemama
Participant
Just curious what other parents of a dyslexic child do about cursive? My son will be 9 in March; his handwriting is alright, not horrible without a model and good with a model. When do you bring it in? He doesn’t seem to have dysgraphia.
January 17, 2017 at 1:12 pm
KMHStore
Participant
Thank y’all for the suggestions. I used the Zaner-Bloser k and 1 workbooks when working through manuscript. And I was planning to use the 2nd 1/2 of 2c for learning cursive but will look through it to see how long it will take if done daily in case we need to use something else.
I absolutely love the idea of having part of the copywork be in print and then repeated in cursive!! Even if only a little bit is repeated in cursive. Also good reminder that it would be good if some of the copywork comes from the Bible, not just McGuffey.
Marmiemama – I don’t have any experience with dyslexia but hope you get some good advice for it.
January 17, 2017 at 1:40 pm
mama_nickles
Participant
My 7yo daughter and I started cursive recently too. She does 5 minutes of print copywork independently, and then together we do a few words of cursive a day….no more than 5 minutes and not right after the print copywork so her hand doesn’t get too tired. I made her cursive pages to copy with common things she likes to write (names of family members, I love you, I hope you have a good day, etc). That way, she is learning to write those things early as she likes to use her cursive in making mail. Now we are doing one of our memorized poems for cursive, per her request. Slowly and surely!
January 17, 2017 at 3:26 pm
retrofam
Participant
Sometime before 4th grade is my advice. Cursive is usually easier for a child with dyslexia. When ever you and the child are ready. Some do cursive first.
January 18, 2017 at 5:07 pm
caedmyn
Participant
My dyslexic 8yo started cursive at the end of last year (so 7.5 yo). For him, it is noticeably harder and less neat than his printing. I tried to start my 5.5 yo with cursive…I suspect he is dyslexic also…and gave up completely because he just couldn’t do it. Print is moving along nicely for him, except for massive amounts of reversals.
January 18, 2017 at 5:57 pm
2Corin57
Participant
When teaching cursive we did 3 days of cursive and 2 days of print and kept that for a good year. Then 4/1 which is where we have kept it for my 9 year old (started cursive at 7)
January 18, 2017 at 7:35 pm
mommamartha
Participant
Our ds,8, usually every other day copywork/cursive his oral narrations from Aesop’s fables on large lined paper. A public school teacher friend gave me a lot of paper that was being disguarded. Martha
January 19, 2017 at 10:04 am
Cathrina
Participant
I was told once that cursive uses a different part of the brain than ball and stick printing. I noticed this with our kids…. my really “right brainer” artsy boy loved cursive and took to it easily. However my very left brainer math child had a hard time and hates it.