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How is your handwriting?

Are you teaching your child cursive?

From the lens Penmanship: The Art of Teaching Handwriting.

Three Year Old Child Writing About What He Likes to Do

Three Year Old Child Writing About What He Likes to Do - Photographic Print
Leen, Nina
Available on Allposters


Tell us about your experiences learning cursive or teaching others. Did you use a certain method? Which of the learning center activities would you like to try?

  • MrSpeedsHomework May 26, 2012 @ 1:27 am | delete
    Evelyn, this is such a wonderful lens. I need to improve my pensmanship and your lens gives me hope that it can be done! Thank you!
  • anushka6605 May 12, 2012 @ 12:55 am | delete
    I always thought of improving my writing... thanks this would help me
  • raitoavi May 6, 2012 @ 2:00 am | delete
    A fascinating and educational lens, truly deserving of the purple star and all your success.
  • veryirie Apr 22, 2012 @ 4:10 am | delete
    What a fantastic page on penmanship. All the advice, tips and suggestions you've given demonstrate your obvious love for the subject. Enjoyed this very much. :)
  • getmoreinfo Apr 19, 2012 @ 4:58 pm | delete
    High Five for having such a great resource for learning handwriting and the best letters to start teaching a child to write penmanship.
  • Tamsyn Apr 17, 2012 @ 6:09 am | delete
    I was taught italic cursive but have decided to teach my children traditional cursive. They are very young and so I was looking for activities to make learning more fun. Your article was perfect!
  • agoofyidea Apr 15, 2012 @ 9:05 am | delete
    My printing is so much neater than my handwriting that I no longer use cursive. But I love your ideas and hope that everyone still learns to handwrite.
  • brynimagire Mar 22, 2012 @ 8:10 am | delete
    Nice hand writing information ! fantastic lens !
  • weaverart Mar 10, 2012 @ 8:45 pm | delete
    Great lens! Cursive handwriting is beautiful.
  • JollyJ Feb 23, 2012 @ 4:00 am | delete
    thank you for these lens - many useful ideas
  • theCNAtraining Feb 17, 2012 @ 3:55 pm | delete
    great lens, handwriting was very hard for me when i was in school, even reading handwriting was harder! great lens! and i think its much faster to handwrite than normal writing!
  • jimmyworldstar Feb 4, 2012 @ 4:39 pm | delete
    I don't think students learn to write cursive anymore, the computer sort of made it unnecessary beyond signing your own signature.
  • ladybugstuff Jan 28, 2012 @ 12:14 am | delete
    I'm happy to see your lens. Too bad you can't be in every classroom at once. I'm afraid I am aware that there is a school of thought today the teaching penmanship is putting all students into the old "waffle maker" and forcing them to all be the same. Loosening up your hand so you can write smoothly is the only way you can devolop you own handwriting. I have seen college students who have the tight scrawl of a third-grader. Their personalities are not expressed through their handwriting and most who have this problem are embarresed and avoid writing.
    I can remember working on penmanship as late as fifth grade but today practice is not encouraged. (it's called unnecessary drudgery)
  • Zut_Moon Jan 26, 2012 @ 6:12 am | delete
    Great Lens. You mention you can remember back to first grade. Holy Smokes... what a memory ...LOL Me, I can't remember what I did yesterday !!! (I would have written this reply in cursive writing) but my keyboard said No ...
  • antoniow Jan 16, 2012 @ 10:38 am | delete
    What a great lens! keep up the good work! thumbs up
  • winlin Jan 14, 2012 @ 8:15 am | delete
    Well, although my cursive is of the chicken scratch variety, I must say I've always admired beautiful penmanship. Excellent lens!
  • Upon-Request Jan 13, 2012 @ 12:49 pm | delete
    I've always been told I had beautiful handwriting. I attribute most of that to Mrs. Brooks, a teacher who was adamant that I be allowed to adapt techniques that were best for left-handed writers instead of forcing the standard right-handed techniques. Yay Mrs. Brooks :)
  • rentap Jan 12, 2012 @ 2:24 am | delete
    During my parents' time, there was emphasis on cursive handwriting. My dad and mother have beautiful cursive handwriting. I wished I've took the initiative in my handwriting when growing up.
  • Showpup Dec 27, 2011 @ 4:19 pm | delete
    I enjoyed teaching my children cursive writing. Such a terrific lens filled with unique ideas to make teaching cursive writing even more fun.
  • Tolovaj Dec 26, 2011 @ 12:34 pm | delete
    Beautiful lens with many useful ideas. Cursive writing now looks almost like rocket science to me;)
  • jadehorseshoe Dec 24, 2011 @ 9:20 pm | delete
    Ultra-Great Lens about a skill that has all but vanished.
  • krakensquid Dec 3, 2011 @ 4:19 am | delete
    Another really great lens you've made! This seems very useful, great job!
  • Egylover Nov 26, 2011 @ 2:45 pm | delete
    What a resource! Amazing article, liked and bookmarked. I'm going to need this! thansk alot
  • pencilonpaper Nov 24, 2011 @ 3:12 pm | delete
    Since I’m mostly typing, my handwriting has suffered tremendous. I don’t think any grownup still writes cursive, everybody has deviated to a certain degree. For example my capital letters are the same as the typed ones.
  • Joie Nov 23, 2011 @ 3:45 am | delete
    I started home schooling my daughter when she was three. Beginning at about age six, she started begging me to teach her cursive. I finally gave in, teaching her cursive at a much earlier age than I had learned. I taught her exactly as I had been taught 25 years previously, which is identical to the alphabet posted above as "Cursive Letter Order." She was a determined little girl, and learned quickly. When that was mastered, we went on to what she pleaded for next - calligraphy. Now, as an adult, she does beautiful decorative lettering, and finds great satisfaction in it. (So does her proud mother!)
  • sustainableartist Nov 20, 2011 @ 8:19 pm | delete
    I love handwriting. I just did a lens actually on digital versus handwriting, and my favorite recycled notebook, but I see you have covered the handwriting side pretty extensively :) Good job! I was always awful at cursive, but I am extremely fast at printing and have been complimented on my penmanship. Thanks for bringing this underappreciated topic to light!
  • faykam69 Nov 16, 2011 @ 6:15 am | delete
    you have a nice blog gr8 effort
    :)

    please can you add more unique stuff so as we can enjoy it reading

    xD
  • WayneDave Nov 3, 2011 @ 1:39 pm | delete
    This is great. I can see you have put loads of effort into this one. Thanks a lot for sharing.
  • parwathy Oct 21, 2011 @ 1:07 pm | delete
    I have the worst penmanship cause I wanted to be a doctor like my Dad and thought all doctors had to have bad handwriting. I still love your lens and wish I had known all this before!
  • jenniferteacher Oct 20, 2011 @ 8:44 pm | delete
    Thanks for these tips! I teach in Korea, which only has block letters, so some of my students struggle with cursive. I feel like a fraud teaching them, though, because my own penmanship leaves a lot to be desired!
  • LisaAuch Oct 13, 2011 @ 7:03 am | delete
    I have already been to this fabulous page, however this time I can bestow a deserving Angels Blessing!
  • dvpwli Sep 22, 2011 @ 3:54 am | delete
    Ohh, Congrats This one is also Purple Stat Winner so I must Have to Give more Hugs and Bless for this one also.
  • mrducksmrnot Sep 16, 2011 @ 4:31 pm | delete
    I've always took pride in my penmanship. I hate to try and read letters and especially signatures that a chicken has scratched up. Hard to find good penmanship today. A well made lens which I will bookmark and share with friends who home school their children. Thanks so much for bringing the art back to life.
  • SereneSea Sep 16, 2011 @ 4:18 am | delete
    My daughter's handwriting was great when she was small, now it is no more so beautiful, I think maybe the handwriting takes a nosedive when we grow older.
  • hlkljgk Sep 15, 2011 @ 2:32 pm | delete
    terrific lens. my penmanship is so bad that i write in block letters if anyone is to read it. however, if i'm not being LAZY, it's pretty good.:wait, block letters take forever. what am i doing? oh right i work online... )
  • demoninsnow Sep 14, 2011 @ 9:59 pm | delete
    I love it!!!
  • cheech1981 Sep 13, 2011 @ 11:36 am | delete
    i was just watching a special on national geographic tv and they were talking about monk scribes from the middle ages and how they wrote about one page an hour. of course their caligraphy looked perfect as if it came from a typewriter!
  • pd6914 Sep 12, 2011 @ 12:51 pm | delete
    My handwriting is great. It's gotten somewhat more relaxed now that I'm not writing as much and typing instead. I get compliments all the time. :) I have my mom to thank because she used to encourage me to write as much as I could to practice. I prefer writing in cursive because it's faster for me.
  • squidoolover76 Sep 11, 2011 @ 2:33 pm | delete
    As usual another lovely lens from you,i can teach my daughter the same way you mentioned.
  • ellagis Sep 11, 2011 @ 11:40 am | delete
    I don't have children, and I teach other arguments, like science and ecology, but I would surely teach handwriting, if I had children!
    Thank you for your lens, so informative and reach of a mix of fun and "serious" things!
  • RedHotDesign Sep 11, 2011 @ 8:23 am | delete
    Great work- I love this lens! What an awesome resource, and so well written!! Thank you for creating it!
  • TravelingRae Aug 30, 2011 @ 11:53 am | delete
    My handwriting is terrible, but I work at it every day. I'm learning Japanese and making it a point to work very hard on my calligraphy right from the start. As for your lens, it's terrific. Your passion shines through and I am certain you must be a great teacher because you have so many different ways of teaching the material.
  • MinRu Aug 29, 2011 @ 11:19 am | delete
    I am not very good at cursive writing and your lense has provide ample information for me to begin my training for cursive writing. thanks !
  • coralbue Aug 24, 2011 @ 8:18 pm | delete
    I remember practicing cursive in what was it, 3rd grade? That was a long time ago! I was never good at it. I might actually try some of your suggestions such as the chocolate pudding, that sounds fun! Great lens!
  • eclecticeducation Aug 24, 2011 @ 12:55 pm | delete
    Lots of good stuff here! My little guy has dysgraphia so even though he is entering the 4th grade, he is not near ready for cursive yet. We use to use Zaner-Bloser, but it wasn't working for him. His OT got us on Handwriting Without Tears and it is working great. I don't think it is as pretty of font, but the important thing is just to get him writing well. After he gets to printing well, then we will start trying cursive.
  • NidhiRajat Aug 21, 2011 @ 9:24 am | delete
    Oh My god..its just amazing to have on squidoo.....a wonderful bucket of knowledge!!!
  • NidhiRajat Aug 21, 2011 @ 9:23 am | delete
    Oh My god..its just amazing to have on squidoo.....a wonderful bucket of knowledge!!!
  • Comfortdoc Aug 14, 2011 @ 2:10 pm | delete
    Beautifully done. A Blessing to go with the Purple Star.
  • Heather426 Aug 13, 2011 @ 2:57 pm | delete
    Evelyn, as usual a stellar lens, but don't you think it's too short? ROFL...
    I have excellent handwriting and even do calligraphy, but it came naturally to me. In my new 3rd grade school,, the school had taught handwriting to the 2nd graders and I was a new 3rd grader but my old school taught it in 3rd grade...so my teacher just put the letters above the board and told me to copy them till I learned. So I have my own way of doing it, but everyone seems to think it is really pretty.
  • thrivingmom Aug 11, 2011 @ 9:21 pm | delete
    This brilliant lens is very informative. I have terrible handwriting. I have to type notes to my husband because he can't even read my handwriting when I print, much less write in cursive. My handwriting has gotten worse over the years since I now type and text just about everything, even my grocery list. I'm actually embarrassed by my handwriting. There have been many times at my daughter's school that I've had to admit I have terrible writing and pass the duty on to another mom when it came to writing our kids' names on something.
    *~blessed~*
  • wordstock Jul 24, 2011 @ 9:53 am | delete
    I can see why this is a purple star lens. Great job with the information provided here. Yes, we are teaching cursive.
  • TeacherRenee Jul 8, 2011 @ 3:41 pm | delete
    It is so important to teach children good handwriting skill when they are young -- they will last a lifetime. As a retired kindergarten teacher, teaching each child to have good penmanship was a year-long goal of mine.
  • JoshK47 Jul 2, 2011 @ 1:17 pm | delete
    What an amazingly insightful lens! Great work on this!
  • tutor1235 Jun 23, 2011 @ 6:08 am | delete
    Totally awesome lens, Evelyn, and very much needed. Most of the middle and high school students I work with claim they can't read cursive and they certainly can't write it! I'm very much afraid it's a dying art and that would be a shame.
  • LakeMom Jun 22, 2011 @ 10:57 am | delete
    My daughters are 11 & 13 and claim they can't read or write cursive. We are working this summer to correct that! Thanks for the great pointers! I was looking for something beyond the worksheets!
  • danalehman Jun 10, 2011 @ 7:09 am | delete
    This is a wonderful lens! My son has been learning cursive for the past couple of months. He still needs a lot of practice. I am going to use some of your ideas to make it more fun for him. I think he will really enjoy writing in pudding. Thanks for the ideas!
  • WorldVisionary Jun 6, 2011 @ 10:54 pm | delete
    Excellent timing for this lens! My oldest daughter just tried cursive writing tonight for the first time! I have a few handwriting lenses for the younger crowd: Free Handwriting Fonts For Preschool and Printable Writing Paper For Kindergarten
  • bossypants Jun 5, 2011 @ 11:34 am | delete
    Well I was quite certain I learned the Palmer Method, but having researched it, I see I was taught ZB! I am not a teacher and I so thoroughly enjoyed this lens all the same. I can see how inspirational this lens must be for educators and parents. I was so enthralled with the content that I only peripherally realized how delightfully interactive you've made this lens! Deserving of the Purple Star. Congratulations!
  • huntspencil Jun 5, 2011 @ 1:32 am | delete
    As a student and an artist, I resisted learning to use the keyboard to write; my penmanship was legible and beautiful. As a high school teacher, and trying to stay ahead of my students in computer skills, I finally mastered the keyboard and began losing my cursive skills. Now, I will be homeschooling my granddaughter, who is entering the 6th grade and only able to write her name in cursive (if you can't bubble it in on an answer sheet, it isn't taught in school anymore). We will be learning together. Our goal is legibility and consistency in form, our culminating activity will be an illuminated manuscript – we are both excited about the journey!
  • RitaK May 31, 2011 @ 3:53 pm | delete
    print....I don't really remember at what age I decided I did not like the look of my longhand and changed to print. If you were my next door neighbor I would be at your house everyday to learn how to write again! You have such wonderful ways of teaching...love it.
  • efriedman May 26, 2011 @ 12:54 pm | delete
    Like Chris, I used to have good handwriting but university life, laboratory jobs and a generally hurried life have resulted often in a scrawl. I like his idea that to focus on handwriting is an exercise to slow the pace of the mind, something I could use from time to time.
  • ChrisDay May 23, 2011 @ 11:47 pm | delete
    I used to be able to write QUITE nicely, despite being a left-hander - 6 years at college, taking intensive high-speed notes all day long, 5-and-a-half days a week, appears to have done serious damage - is it ever too late to re-learn to slow the pace of the mind to the speed of the hand?
  • Kimbesa May 3, 2011 @ 11:28 pm | delete
    So cool...thanks! Maybe there's hope for me yet!
  • Topazmoon11 Apr 23, 2011 @ 10:45 am | delete
    What a great lens, teacher. As someone of the "handwriting generation", I am just discovering Squidoo. I am having the nicest rainy Saturday on Facebook and here on Squidoo just browsing and landing upon whatever catches my fancy. Although I miss handwritten letters, and I notice my own handwriting deteriorating from lack of use, I want to continue to grow and learn all throughout my life so I am beginning to embrace all the wonderful things that computers and the internet can bring to us. The free exchange of knowledge is the best! After learning on your lens, not only do I want to practice my penmanship again, but can't wait to try making that pokeberry ink when I get back to my little camp in Vermont this summer! Thanks!
  • ltraider Apr 23, 2011 @ 8:41 am | delete
    I really appreciated some of the non traditional methods you mentioned. Using play doh or writing in the snow for example. Brilliant!
  • sushilkin Apr 21, 2011 @ 10:59 am | delete
    Such a nice lens. Thanks for Sharing !!
  • Donita_Marie Apr 20, 2011 @ 8:08 am | delete
    Another amazing lens, you have some really nice lenses and such detail with great explanations...WOW!
  • lemonsqueezy Apr 14, 2011 @ 10:38 am | delete
    It kills me that the schools don't teach this anymore. However, what is the real purpose anyway?
  • cjw4ua Apr 11, 2011 @ 10:06 am | delete
    Vocabulary SpellingCity has free handwriting printables in print, cursive, and D'Nealian. You can also put them on your interactive white board as a PDF.
  • MomwithAHook Apr 9, 2011 @ 10:17 am | delete
    I remember drills - unbeknown to me I learned the Palmer Method of handwriting. I later morphed into the lazy print-cursive form that is prevelant in Junior High. I can even remember making myself learn this as all my girl friends wrote in this manner.

    Teaching my son has proven to be difficult. Our district lets the school choose the method and he started with one method and ended up with Denelian method. He is so confused!

    I will try and use some of these wonderful ideas in teaching him - I'm sure he will enjoy them more than the current method of strict exercises.
  • poes Apr 7, 2011 @ 8:31 am | delete
    Very interesting lens.very nice tips for handwriting.Thanks for sharing. Work Plan Platform
  • Philippians468 Mar 29, 2011 @ 9:10 am | delete
    i vividly remember my friends and i having trouble writing cursive. how time flies and now we email each other more than we write!
  • GrammaLinda Feb 7, 2011 @ 12:17 pm | delete
    I have never been more angry at a teacher than when my son's teacher told him drawing cursive letters was the wrong way to write. My son is an artist extraordinaire, rendering the most delicate features on drawings, but because of this one teacher's influence, he cannot write in cursive. It's been over twenty years, and I still get annoyed when I think about it.
  • raosrinivas Jan 19, 2011 @ 11:38 am | delete
    Very interesting subject, every child or even adult must learn this art. Thanks for sharing.
  • Michey Jan 12, 2011 @ 9:56 pm | delete
    I an glad you write this lens. This skill must be preserved, taught in schools, and home by parents.
    Thanks
  • Mujjen Jan 8, 2011 @ 11:40 am | delete
    I grew up in a different country from where we live now, and the cursive writing (as well as the language) is different from the one my daughter is learning in school. But I encourage her to learn how to write well, I think a good handwriting is important. (even for doctors!)
  • LisaAuch Jan 8, 2011 @ 8:48 am | delete
    My students practiced their handwriting skills in the classroom everyday, I have seen first hand the damage technology has done to both spelling and writing, we also had a local competition that encouraged hand written, short stories and essays, so the kids were encouraged to do their very best, as it all went on show in the local hall.
  • awelldressedbullet Jan 5, 2011 @ 10:30 am | delete
    Great Lens Evelyn, thank you! We used to put such importance on penmanship in "our day". The Home Primer picture is really, really big!
  • molly6342 Jan 4, 2011 @ 9:09 pm | delete
    My handwriting is awful but my mother had the most beautiful penmanship. I remember her teaching herself Calligraphy, something I wished I had of learned myself.
  • cbvgolfer Jan 2, 2011 @ 12:28 pm | delete
    Great lens! I've tried all the workbooks including handwriting w/o tears. It's boring and doesn't live up to it's name! I'm going to use this fun method this week. :)

    Happy Holidays to you and your family!
  • dellgirl Dec 23, 2010 @ 2:16 am | delete
    Great lens it’s very unique. Superliked it. 5 stars, thumbs up, and I am joining your fan club.

    I wish you a Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!
  • javrsmith Dec 21, 2010 @ 12:18 pm | delete
    I should have been a doctor with my handwriting. This lens has been blessed by a Squid Angel.
  • Tipi Dec 19, 2010 @ 6:37 pm | delete
    I still remember trying to make cursive letters and my Mom recently sent a page that I got a star on from my grade school days. I really like your method of teaching letters by the type of stroke. I do remember what fun it was to dot i's and cross t's and sometimes I would be concentrating so much that I would go back and dot the i's. Wonderfully done!
  • RaveTech15 Dec 18, 2010 @ 6:27 pm | delete
    I always have troubles with the R's and Q's and even J! My name has a J as well! I just want to improve them so that my novel will become better.
  • dc64 Dec 17, 2010 @ 7:15 pm | delete
    I home-school my 8 year old son who has Asperger's Syndrome, and the biggest problem I have with teaching him cursive writing is getting him to learn basic cursive because he likes to make the letters as fancy as he possibly can. I really need to get him into calligraphy.
  • duribe100 Dec 15, 2010 @ 9:28 pm | delete
    this is a great lense!!!
    Congratulationssss
  • Retro_Loco Dec 10, 2010 @ 10:37 pm | delete
    You would cry if you saw my handwriting. It is so ugly. My teachers nagged me about my handwriting from kindergarten through graduate school! Every employer I had complained about my horrible penmanship, and it drove my coworkers crazy trying to read it. I have always been self-conscious about my handwriting and tried for years & years to improve it. Now I have wrist problems from using a computer too much, so the handwriting has worsened! My mother had beautiful handwriting, and I always envied her. I think neat handwriting is important, and using cursive is much faster than printing. Some things need to be handwritten, not typed. I think I am going to make improving my handwriting one of my New Year's resolutions....I'm going to give it one more try! You have inspired me....thank you, Evelyn!!! Beautiful lens!!
  • SandyPeaks Dec 7, 2010 @ 5:33 pm | delete
    I wish I had been taught to write cursive correctly - it was difficult to write neatly after years of scribbled copying off the blackboard at school ruined your handwriting! Blessed by a SquidAngel.
  • SofiaMann Dec 2, 2010 @ 7:45 am | delete
    I think the clear thinking manifests itself in the clarity of the handwriting. This is a subject of developing thinking skills.
  • rwoman Nov 29, 2010 @ 7:00 am | delete
    My handwriting is terrible but I blame my years as a reporter when I needed to write fast. My son is learning cursive at school. They use the Handwriting Without Tears but I don't think it lives up to its name -- there have been many tears! Usually they incorporate cursive into different assignments. For example, writing spelling words.
  • ShirlW Nov 28, 2010 @ 9:22 pm | delete
    I love your suggestions. I'm a lefty and learning anything was a challenge "back in the day", especially cursive handwriting.
  • aishu19 Nov 15, 2010 @ 11:14 am | delete
    Using train tracks to emphasize handwriting was indeed a creative one. Kids definitely should learn how to write properly..Cursive..well it is a good thing...but as long as they got neat handwriting and dont rely on typing out everything, I guess that is fine...
  • Janiece Oct 22, 2010 @ 5:54 am | delete
    I love your creative hands-on suggestions for teaching cursive with pudding and play dough!
  • MisterJeremy Sep 19, 2010 @ 5:31 pm | delete
    Thank you for this wonderful lens. I will come back and refer to it often. Another fun, hands-on tool to practice writing is a zip-loc bag with a little paint in it. Lay the bag flat and smooth it out to distribute the paint evenly. Write with your finger on the the bag and watch the letter appear. Smooth the bag bag out to erase the letter. Just make sure the bag is well-sealed or you'll have a mess!
  • Momsbusy247 Sep 18, 2010 @ 1:28 pm | delete
    One of the most important lens on squidoo, as far as I am concerned.
  • Superwife Sep 12, 2010 @ 5:28 pm | delete
    I love this lens. Kudos on a purple star and fabulous writing!
  • scar4 Aug 26, 2010 @ 9:58 pm | delete
    Nice tutorial about handwriting. Thank yo for the great lens.
  • scar4 Aug 26, 2010 @ 9:58 pm | delete
    Nice tutorial about handwriting. Thank yo for the great lens.
  • jptanabe Jul 13, 2010 @ 1:28 pm | delete
    Well I wish my teacher had let me learn cursive writing using chocolate pudding! Even sand or salt would have been nice. Instead I got in trouble for my ugly handwriting. Guess what - I learned to type!
  • lasertek May 27, 2010 @ 3:38 am | delete
    This is very helpful! Might try teaching my kids base on what I learned on this lens. Thanks for sharing.
  • lravidlearner Mar 24, 2010 @ 7:54 am | delete
    Another one of your many wonderful resources. I like the order in which you do the letters. It makes so much sense. We live near the ocean so we use what's handy - sand.
  • Evelyn_Saenz Mar 26, 2010 @ 4:47 pm | delete
    Sand is a wonderful medium for practicing cursive.
  • KarenTBTEN Mar 14, 2010 @ 4:23 pm | delete
    That chocolate pudding cookie sheet looks good -- more motivational, I imagine, than a salt or sand tray. Some kids really do need multisensory practice.
  • Evelyn_Saenz Mar 15, 2010 @ 11:08 pm | delete
    So very true and now you can say Yes, go ahead and play with your food.
  • kab Mar 6, 2010 @ 10:27 am | delete
    I am always intrigued by people's cursive capital Q.
  • skiesgreen Feb 2, 2010 @ 4:20 pm | delete
    This is a superb lens and congrats on the purple star. Not only is it so well written and great to read but the craftsmanship is also outstanding. Lenrolled and featured on my educating young children lens and any other that it will match.

    Norma
  • Evelyn_Saenz Feb 2, 2010 @ 5:22 pm | delete
    Thank you so much for your interest in teaching cursive. Which ideas have you found useful for your children?
  • Flynn_the_Cat Jan 21, 2010 @ 9:23 pm | delete
    That's how I learnt it in the UK - and then we moved to NZ and they were telling me to print because it wasn't neat enough! But I ignored them (I'd been so proud to finally learn how to handwrite) and had the last laugh :D All through high school I finished exams twice as fast!
  • Evelyn_Saenz Jan 23, 2010 @ 7:04 am | delete
    It certainly pays to learn how to write in cursive. Thank you for sharing your experience.
  • arncyn Jan 15, 2010 @ 12:40 pm | delete
    It's a shame that not many kids are writing as much these days (because computers do everything for them) but I do believe that cursive writing should continuously be taught. Thank you for upholding this art form and for this engaging read. Congrats on the purple star too! *blessed*
  • Evelyn_Saenz Jan 16, 2010 @ 5:05 pm | delete
    Thank you, SquidAngel!gi
  • ArtByLinda Jan 14, 2010 @ 2:19 am | delete
    Congrats on your purple star! I think handwriting has become less important to so many, but I still think it should be taught and practiced. We recently visited the National Archives in Washington DC. One of the things that both my husband and I admired the most was the beauty of the handwriting of our forefathers.
  • Evelyn_Saenz Jan 14, 2010 @ 4:29 am | delete
    Good handwriting does take practice but it need not be tedious. I love to see the confidence in a child who has learned to write well and can use that skill proudly.
  • nightcats Jan 13, 2010 @ 7:36 pm | delete
    Congrratulations on the purple star. Well deserved. This lens is stunnning.
  • Evelyn_Saenz Jan 14, 2010 @ 4:25 am | delete
    Thank you so much for visiting.
  • WindyWinters Jan 13, 2010 @ 4:13 pm | delete
    Congratulations on your Purple Star! :)
  • Evelyn_Saenz Jan 13, 2010 @ 5:35 pm | delete
    Thank you.
  • KNicholls Jan 7, 2010 @ 6:28 pm | delete
    This is an awesome lens with some great ideas for kids. Blessed by an angel and five stars!
  • Evelyn_Saenz Jan 7, 2010 @ 9:12 pm | delete
    Thank you so much, SquidAngel.
  • Jewelsofawe Jan 3, 2010 @ 1:55 pm | delete
    Wonderful lens! Blessed by an angel!
  • Evelyn_Saenz Jan 4, 2010 @ 8:07 am | delete
    Thank you so much, SquidAngel.
  • theraggededge Dec 2, 2009 @ 10:25 am | delete
    I know I should be doing this with my kids... I really do. But {sigh} they hate practising. At the moment they both print and seem to be improving. My daughter writes lots - she makes up TV scripts. I will try cursive again soon - I promise! Lovely lens!
  • Evelyn_Saenz Dec 2, 2009 @ 11:44 am | delete
    I have found that when handwriting is big, messy and silly the kids have a great time learning it. Try writing in the bathtub with colored soap markers, writing with glue and gold glitter or writing with lemon juice to send secret messages that can be read after heating them over a lightbulb.
  • Pastiche Oct 30, 2009 @ 11:07 am | delete
    I started cursive writing in 2nd grade, but the teacher hadn't begun that so she punished me with a ruler handslap for my crime. I loved penmanship, and when we started to use ink pens with real inkwells for penmanship in the higher grades, I was delighted. I love letterforms and fonts and calligraphy. This is a fabulous teaching lens with so many creative ideas for teaching handwriting and penmanship. I'm lensrolling it to several lenses, including Printable Alphabet Letter Posters and a WIP Alphabet Letters Coloring lens.
  • CaraOakley Sep 14, 2009 @ 2:31 pm | delete
    This is a super lens - really interesting and full of practical tips for teaching cursive writing. I love the style of cursive in your examples, especially the cursive capitals. Here in the UK very few schools teach cursive capital letters, but cursive seems to be getting more popular here. There are some [url=http://www.cursivewriting.org]cursive writing[/url] fonts and resources here.
  • MiaBellezza Aug 21, 2009 @ 10:07 am | delete
    Great lens. They stopped teaching penmanship when I went to school and I wish they hadn't - 5*!
  • NAIZA Jun 6, 2009 @ 8:58 am | delete
    Terrific lens! Very educational and it brought me some fond memories on the first day I learned to write.. Good times. Def, a fab five!
  • charlino May 13, 2009 @ 8:53 am | delete
    Bravo! This is a great lens. Everyone should at least know how to communicate by hand.
  • charlino May 13, 2009 @ 8:52 am | delete
    Bravo! This is a great lens. Everyone should at least know how to communicate by hand.
  • tandemonimom May 5, 2009 @ 4:17 pm | delete
    Very helpful lens! Welcome to The Homeschooling Group!
  • C-Joy Apr 23, 2009 @ 5:48 am | delete
    Funny you should ask- my kindergartners started begging me to teach them cursive. I of course complied with that request! I use the D'Nealian style letters to teach them to read, so cursive is a natural progression for them. I haven't used playdough yet - I think it's a fabulous idea & they will get to use it today!
  • AndyPo Apr 22, 2009 @ 9:29 am | delete
    Excellent lens
  • groovyoldlady Apr 20, 2009 @ 2:28 pm | delete
    Oh dear, In our homeschool, my handwriting is clearly a case for "do as I say, not as I do!"

    And now I'm going to study arabic...and learn how to write it.

    HAHahahahahahaha!
  • robertkoger123 Apr 20, 2009 @ 4:10 am | delete
    This lens is worthful children.
  • sorana Apr 19, 2009 @ 1:41 am | delete
    Another great lens. Kids are not learning cursive writing anymore these days, it's all printing. What a pitty ... but ... I suppose that's life: things change all the time.
  • nightbear Apr 18, 2009 @ 2:25 am | delete
    Remarkable lens. Excellent information from an excellent teacher. I love your lenses.
  • lakeerieartists Apr 18, 2009 @ 1:56 am | delete
    I love your lenses because they are always so thorough, complete, and entertaining. Blessings from a Squidoo Angel.
  • chefkeem Apr 17, 2009 @ 5:36 pm | delete
    If you want to learn, see Evelyn - Squidoo's #1 teacher par excellence! 5*s and a hearty SquidAngel Blessing for another masterpiece of yours. :-)
  • Apr 17, 2009 @ 5:44 am | delete
    The Cursive Letter order is very nice...
  • oliviabrooks123 Apr 17, 2009 @ 2:28 am | delete
    Nice Lens...For Handwriting Improvement

    Thanks to the Lensmaster
  • Jimmie Apr 17, 2009 @ 2:07 am | delete
    We used Handwriting without Tears for my daughter. It worked. But cursive is another story! My handwriting teacher, Mrs. Covington, would faint if she saw my daughter's cursive.
  • WhitePineLane Apr 16, 2009 @ 9:25 pm | delete
    Evelyn-- this is a great lens. My son had sensory integration problems, and (still has) poor fine motor skills. He had an extremely difficult time learning to write. A few things helped him: He had a fabulous occupational therapist who suggested using fat pencils and a special writing tablet where the green lines and dotted lines were slightly raised to help him get a better feel for where the letters were to start and stop.

    While learning cursive, she also had him stand up and write at the board-- but it was a white board with dry erase markers, which helped make cursive much more smooth for him. He actually picked up cursive much more quickly than printing.

    Even six years later, though, he still struggles mightily with any handwriting-- especially having to quickly take notes in class. He is now allowed to keyboard almost everything-- thank goodness! There are some people who, try as they might, will never have good handwriting. And that's OK, too! :-)
  • papawu Apr 16, 2009 @ 2:25 pm | delete
    Growing up, I was always praised for my penmanship, but after my cancer surgery on my writing arm, I literally had to relearn how to write. I can honestly say that it is still pretty good, but not quite as refined and exact as it once was.
  • Evelyn_Saenz Apr 16, 2009 @ 1:49 pm | in reply to TheWhistler | delete
    My mother too was forces to learn to write with her right hand. Our system of writing discriminates against left handers but thankfully they are no longer forced to switch.
  • TheWhistler Apr 16, 2009 @ 1:39 pm | delete
    My handwriting is atrocious. My mother on the other hand is complimented on her penmanship, and justly so it is beautiful. She comes form a generation when great emphasis was placed on handwriting. I think a very good idea. On the other hand, no pun intended, my grandmother came from a generation when being left handed was not a good idea. She would be practicing her penmanship and, forgetting she was suppose to write with her right hand, would be struck over her knuckles by a ruler of blackboard pointer for doing something that was perfectly normal to her. She would go home with a blood hand and not a word was heard from her parent. Thanks for the lens.

by

Evelyn_Saenz

I love teaching penmanship. The smooth flow of cursive or the chunky balls and sticks of printing are the art of handwriting.
My passion is teaching and... more »

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