Title: Why Cursive Handwriting is Not Ideal for Early Years
This debate has been on for years that whether teaching Cursive Handwriting is any good? Parents often quote “we were taught cursive in our times and we see no harm. It only makes handwriting beautiful”. And I always question the same “ do we still write in cursive?”. While the debate can still go on, here is a rationale to why imposing “cursive” in early years can create more damage than good.
- Lack of Readability: Cursive handwriting can be difficult to read, especially for young children who are still learning letter formation and recognition. The interconnected nature of cursive letters can lead to confusion and illegibility, making it challenging for both students and teachers to understand the written content.
On the other hand, print form is easy to remember and relate to while reading any print material including magazines, newspapers, brochures & even hoardings. Child finds interest in reading and eventually writing.
- Motor Skill Development: Learning cursive requires fine motor skills and coordination, which may not be fully developed in early years. Young children are still refining their motor skills and hand-eye coordination, and the complex movements required in cursive writing can be overwhelming and frustrating for them.
The unnecessary stress on the pincer grip can trigger stress in the mind which later develops repulsion towards the learning of language itself.
- Focus on “Form’ Over ‘Content’: When children are introduced to cursive handwriting at an early age, they often spend a significant amount of time perfecting letter formation and connections. This focus on ‘form’ can detract from the content of their writing, inhibiting creativity and the development of meaningful ideas. So the focus is only on good handwriting and not the content. Children start focusing on copying the text than the meaning of the text itself.
- Slower Writing Speed: Cursive writing is generally slower than print handwriting, primarily due to the continuous flow of letters and the additional time required for formation. In the early years, when children are still learning to express their thoughts and ideas in writing, the slow speed of cursive can be a hindrance, leading to frustration and discouragement.
Nelson Joint can be good solution as it only requires a small curve to join two letters, simple to learn and make a flow of handwriting.
- Increased Cognitive Load: Cursive writing demands greater cognitive effort and memory recall, as children need to remember the specific formation and connections between letters. This added cognitive load can detract from other important aspects of writing, such as spelling, grammar, and composition.
- Limited Applicability: In today’s digital age, the necessity for cursive handwriting has diminished significantly. Most written communication, including academic work, is done on computers or other electronic devices. Teaching cursive at an early age may not provide practical skills that are relevant to children’s future needs.
It will not be wrong to say that Cursive handwriting in obsolete in today’s context.
- Individual Handwriting Styles: Cursive handwriting encourages conformity and uniformity, as students are expected to mimic a particular style taught in school. However, even as per the science of Graphology ( Study of Handwriting) each child has their unique writing style and preferences. Forcing cursive handwriting too early can stifle individuality and hinder the development of personal writing styles. Every person has a unique style of writing as unique as their own finger prints.
- Time Constraints: The inclusion of cursive handwriting in the curriculum can consume valuable classroom time that could be utilized for other essential subjects and skills. With limited instructional hours, educators need to prioritize foundational literacy skills, critical thinking, and other relevant areas of learning that have a more significant impact on a child’s overall development.
- Researches have suggested that emphasis on cursive form of handwriting later on, result in situations such as child not able to finish paper on time, may forget answers while writing etc.
- Across all boards, no special marks are given for kids writing in cursive handwriting. The only criteria to get extra points for handwriting is to write neatly. Hence as parents & teachers, kindly encourage your kids to write neatly and leave the fixation on cursive handwriting.
Author- Ms Nandita Prakash, is an education advisor to schools in Northern India. She comes with an experience of more than 20years in School Setup, quality upgrade, staff improvement, & parenting.