I’ve discussed before my feelings on teaching cursive, but in case you missed it, here’s the gist: I think it’s important. I don’t really care if my children have perfect penmanship, but I want them to be able to read historic documents and sign their names. Up to this point, my fourth grader Big Boy has done some cursive copywork, which helped familiarize him with the style but did not do much for teaching him the real mechanics of it. Thanks to CursiveLogic, we received the opportunity to review their new curriculum and learn a better approach to teaching the Big One.
Instead of just memorizing the way letters work, as has been our way of learning cursive in the past, CursiveLogic focuses on the structure of the alphabet. The theory behind CursiveLogic is that all letters in the cursive alphabet can be grouped into four shapes, and when you recognize these shapes and learn how to properly form them, you will understand writing in a better way. Because of this, lessons aren’t in alphabetical order, they follow an order of similarly shaped letters.
One thing I love about CursiveLogic is that it engages the whole child, making learning more enjoyable. Each letter string [group of similarly shaped letters] has its own color. This further reiterates the difference in the strings, as well as focuses the child’s attention more on the task at hand. Though Big Boy was the reviewer for this product, I think my Little Man, who has a harder time focusing on tasks like this, would really benefit from the color codes. There are also rhythmic chants to go along with the letters, which also really helps kids to focus their attention and remember what they are doing.
Big Boy’s favorite part was that, after only the first lesson, he could write multiple words! Because the lessons focus on strings of similarly shaped letters, your child is offered examples of words in which all the letters offer that shape. Being able to write real words, the correct way, after only one lesson definitely made him feel accomplished.
CursiveLogic breaks down what can seem a daunting task into a manageable, easy to use curriculum. With only four main ideas to master, your child will quickly pick up on the concepts and be forming words that are actually legible (is that only an issue for me? Seriously, my kids’ handwriting is rough!). We found the CursiveLogic workbook to be fun and easy to work with. It was easy for Big Boy to understand and follow, which ultimately is the most important thing.
