Back in the day, cursive handwriting was always part of a second or third grader’s curriculum at school. It was something the kids always looked forward to, as it was thought of as a big responsibility, and that they would be seen as more grown up once they mastered it. When I taught both of these grades, the excitement and enthusiasm was great in the beginning, but would dissipate over time as the repetition of letter practicing and learning the more advanced letters would cause hands to become tired.

When I began to homeschool my older child, knowing I would make cursive handwriting a part of the curriculum, I knew I would like to go about the instruction somewhat differently, making it as enjoyable as possible!

To provide insight for other homeschooling families who are beginning to prepare for this part of the curriculum, this is what worked best for me both as a teacher and homeschooling parent:

Lowercase letters should always be taught first, with the easiest in the beginning and the most difficult at the end of instruction.

• The order in which I taught the letters was c, a, l, t, d, g, a, I, p, j, q, u, w, e, h, f, r, s, k, o, v, b, m, n, y, x, and z.
• Appropriate paper will need to be furnished for the child to practice many times. I used the lined paper that children write stories on and then moved onto wide-ruled loose leaf paper.
• One to two letters should be introduced a week unless the child has quickly mastered and he or she is ready to move on. (You will notice some letters are much easier than others.)

Uppercase letter instruction comes next, with the same position as lowercase, with the easiest in the beginning and most difficult at the end of instruction.

• The order in which I taught the letters was A, C, O, U, V, W, P, R, B, X, Y, Z, T, N, M, H, K, I, J, L, D, E, G, S, F, and Q.
• I would suggest following the same process as the lowercase letters.

Hands-on practice helps improve fine motor skills. You will recognize right away that this is a fine motor skill that takes patience and persistence at times! To keep the child engaged and interested, the following tricks worked wonderfully for me:

• Shaving cream on a cookie sheet
• Tracing with sand on a cookie sheet
• Bathtub crayons during bath time
• Finger paints with paper
• Cotton swabs dipped in paint and applied to paper
• White crayon on paper then paint over with watercolors
• Fill a zip-lock bag with paint and tape it to a cookie sheet

Progress to practicing writing words and then sentences. Once all lowercase and uppercase letters have been covered, the child may move onto words and then sentences.

For homeschooling, I used the Evan-Moor Daily Handwriting Practice book. Daily Handwriting Practice was a great book that took the pressure off of coming up with words and sentences to practice. It was a simplified way of tracking progress of what letters needed to be re-visited. I highly suggest purchasing this book as a weekly resource for your curriculum!

Additional Resources:

• Handwriting: Manuscript, Cursive provides 192 pages of manuscript and cursive writing activities all in one book.
• Handwriting Fun! Cursive workbook is a full-color handwriting practice book with 128 pages.

For more handwriting ideas check out Why Teaching Cursive Is Important and Tips to Teach Your Child Cursive.

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Emilie H. is a former elementary school teacher who currently homeschools her children. She has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education (K-5) and Learning and Behavior Disorders (K-12). She is very passionate about planning and mapping curriculum and creating meaningful experiences for her children!