When a teacher marks an answer sheet, the handwriting on it makes the impression of the child. You might observe that sometimes even if your kid has written a correct answer, they do not get good marks. It might happen because of the handwriting. Thus, you should know how to teach kids cursive writing?
Cursive writing improves their academic performance to a great extent. In fact, with online teaching, the significance of clear handwriting further increases. Teachers find it easier to check a copy with clear handwriting submitted in online mode. Thus, their marks automatically increase relative to other students.
Through this article, you will know how to teach a toddler to write that too in cursive handwriting.
How to Teach Writing to Kids
According to some researchers on cursive writing, writing cursive letters or printing letters activates various parts of the human brain. In recent times, you might see that people ignore the importance of cursive writing. It probably happens because parents or teachers find it challenging to teach kids.
However, if you begin with small steps in their early childhood, they will soon learn the tricks. Here are some tips on how to teach kids cursive handwriting?
Also Read: How To Improve English Writing Skills for Kids? Top 10 Tips to Brush Up Writing Skills
1. Begin with Tracing
The best way to answer how to teach a toddler to write? is letter tracing? What do you do to draw a sketch that feels tough at first look? You try to trace its border several times. Slowly your mind starts understanding the required lines and curves. Then you easily copy it on the drawing sheet.
Similarly, to make your kid’s handwriting cursive, let them trace the cursive letters. Tracing a particular letter repeatedly will develop their clutch on handwriting. Initially, you might need to hold their hands and teach them the way to do it. However, after some days, they will start tracing without your help.
2. Make Sure Their Practice Never Stops
Early childhood plays a vital role in the handwriting development of kids. Thus, you should ensure that they do not run out of materials to practice. There are various types of books available in the market for cursive writing.
You could go for books that offer one month’s practice for cursive writing or a workbook with lots of exercises for good handwriting. For a toddler, it is better to avoid the one-month practice book. You can buy them a tracing book. Most one-month cursive books involve the following worksheets:
- Positioning of letters in cursive writing
- Lesson to plan cursive writing
- Exercises for developing gross cursive
- Grouping of cursive letters
- Pre-cursive activities
- Beginning of wave letters ( a way to form cursive letters)
- Innovative tricks to practice cursive writing
- A check on your cursive writing
- The way to master the skill of connecting cursive letters
- Cursive writing tricks and tips for hand handers
- Rhythms for cursive writing
- Slants for cursive writing
- Ways to identify cursive letters
- How to grasp pencil in cursive writing
- Some of the creative tricks to master the skill of cursive writing
- How to balance speed with cursive writing
- Forming bump letters in cursive writing
- Forming three letters in cursive writing
- Cursive activity beads ( DIY activity )
- Guide to write uppercase letters in cursive
- Loop letter formation in cursive writing
- Formation of tow rope letters in cursive writing
- Various research on cursive writing
- Flashcards with cursive letters
You can perform all these activities at home with your kid. However, some teachers want to work on the handwriting of an entire class of kids. For them, you might find an exercise about tips on how to teach writing to kids? in class
Some books also provide a certification at the end after their completion. Your kid cannot use it in their resume but can surely brag about it in their friend’s group. You will easily find these books in a stationary shop. Also, try to buy a four rules notebook. It helps the kids a lot in the initial days. It ensures that kids learn to write within a line.
Also Read: English Writing for Kids: Ways to Improve their Writing Skills with Ease
3. Begin with Lower Case Alphabets
It is good to start with lower case alphabets. It is because these letters resemble alphabetical prints. Thus, kids memorize them easily. Also, uppercase alphabets might become tough for them. If you begin with it, kids might lose interest in practising cursive. So, it is better to go with the lower case. Once they master this, you can gradually approach the uppercase letters.
4. Grouping the Alphabets
When you group something, it becomes easy for kids to learn it. So, you can use this trick in cursive writing. You might wonder how? Here is the answer.
You can divide the alphabet into four broad categories. They are:
The clock Climbers
The letters that involve rotation, whether clockwise or anti-clockwise, fall in this category. These letters are q, g, d, c, and a.
The Kite String
The ones that involve a string that looks like a flying kite. These letters are w, u, t, s, r, p, o, and i.
The loop Group
As the name suggests, this group involves a loop. It means that writing these letters will require your kids to make a perfect loop. These letters are l, k, h, f, e, and b.
Hills and Valleys
These letters involve ups and downs. That is when your kid will trace them, they might feel that their pencil is enjoying a ride on the hills. These letters are z, y, x, v, n, and m.
You can separately teach each group. Through this, it will become easy to deal with the question of how to teach writing to kids?
5. Give them a Big Space
Your kids should not get bored of practising letters. Thus, try to make them feel like they are learning an art. For this, you can use a large strip of paper with a broad width. Put that strip on a large free area and ask your kids to trace letters on them. You might also ask them to colour the letter to make it more fun.
6. Move with a Speed Compatible to Your kid
It is never good to hurry with kids. They are slow learners with an active mind. Let them take their time. Let them absorb the things they learned before you move further. Do not expect them to master all the alphabets in one to two days. Let them practice regularly. Their writing will eventually become attractive. Also, they would not feel pressured.
Conclusion
Along with kids, you should also stay attentive. Sometimes kids make some mistakes while writing that goes unnoticed. It soon becomes a habit. So, whenever kids are writing, sit with them. When they make an error, help them and teach them the right way to write. This way, the cursive writing of your kid will become adorable and free from mistakes.
