Cursive writing simply means writing in which most of the letters are joined, that is they are written without lifting the pen from the paper. There are many different styles of cursive writing which are taught in schools around the world.

Some people feel that cursive writing is in decline with the increasing use of computers in schools and homes. However, in some areas the skill of writing in a flowing joined-up handwriting script is gaining in popularity.

Some eductors feel that writing in a cursive style is beneficial to all children, but particularly helpful for those with dyslexia. The theory is that it helps with getting the flow of thoughts down on paper when each word is written in a joined style, rather than the constant start-stop of print style handwriting. Children don't have to think about where to start each letter and which direction to go in if they all start in the same place.

Some schools are even teaching children to write in a cursive style as soon as they start school or nursery, which can be as young as three or four in the UK. The children are taught to form all lower case letters starting on the line and to begin joining letters as soon as they feel ready to give it a go.

A joined cursive style ties in well with phonics teaching.  When a two-letter digraph is introduced, such as th, the children will learn to write the two letters joined together.

Traditionally, children have been taught to write first in a print style and then at about the age of eight or nine to learn a completely different style of cursive handwriting. Nowadays children are being taught cursive at a younger age.  One of the benefits of starting young is that the child can get plenty of practice in producing neat, legible cursive writing before moving on to the next stage of their education when speed of writing becomes more important.

Children who are taught cursive from the start tend to have very messy writing at first (understandably), but with a year or so of practice and experience even five and six year olds can have beautiful joined handwriting which is the envy of their older brothers and sisters who had to learn print first then learn a new style at a later stage.

One of the things which can worry parents and teachers who are not used to cursive writing being taught from the start is that the letters children are writing look quite different to the letters they see in print - in signs, books, newspapers etc.

A good teacher will ensure that children get to experience a wide range of lettering styles. For example, the letter g can look quite different in the cursive style, in Ariel font and in Times New Roman. Teachers and parents can help by pointing out the different letter styles. You could make a scrapbook with a letter for each page.  Cut out letters from old magazines and newspapers, copy them from signs and try them in your own handwriting.  Recognise and celebrate the differences!