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How to Write in Cursive: Why This Classic Skill Is Making a Comeback
For many young people, handwriting means printing letters on paper—or, increasingly, typing on a keyboard or tapping on a screen. But there is another form of writing that some students may rarely encounter today: cursive. Do you know how to write in cursive? Can you read it when someone else writes it? For a growing number of young people, the answer to both questions may be no. That has sparked renewed interest in cursive handwriting, with a growing number of U.S. states requiring or encouraging schools to include cursive instruction.
What Is Cursive Writing?
Cursive is a style of handwriting in which letters are generally connected, allowing words to be written in a continuous, flowing motion. Unlike traditional print handwriting, cursive is designed to make writing faster and more fluid. For generations, students learned cursive as a basic part of their education. However, as technology became a larger part of everyday communication, handwriting instruction changed in many classrooms. Today, students may spend significant amounts of time using computers, tablets and smartphones instead of writing by hand.
Why Is Cursive Coming Back?
The renewed interest in cursive is partly connected to concerns that younger generations may have difficulty reading historical documents, handwritten notes and other materials written in cursive. Cursive supporters also view it as a practical literacy skill. Being able to recognize different forms of handwriting can help students interact with documents and written materials that are not presented in modern typed formats. For some educators and parents, teaching cursive is also about preserving a traditional form of communication.
How to Write in Cursive
Learning how to write in cursive takes practice. Students usually begin by learning individual lowercase and uppercase letters before connecting them to form words. A simple way to start is to:
Learn the basic letter shapes. Practice each lowercase and uppercase letter separately.
Practice connecting letters. Once individual letters feel comfortable, begin joining them together.
Write simple words. Start with short words before moving to longer sentences.
Focus on consistency. Try to keep letter size, spacing and slant relatively consistent.
Practice regularly. A few minutes of handwriting practice each day can help build familiarity and confidence.
Read cursive as well as write it. Reading handwritten words is an important part of becoming comfortable with cursive.
Is Cursive Still Useful in a Digital World?
The return of cursive does not necessarily mean replacing digital skills. Instead, schools can teach handwriting alongside keyboarding and other forms of digital communication. Students today need to navigate both physical and digital information. Knowing how to write and read cursive can therefore become another useful literacy skill rather than an alternative to technology. Cursive can also introduce students to older letters, documents and handwritten materials that they might otherwise struggle to understand.
A Traditional Skill for a New Generation
The renewed attention to cursive shows how educational priorities can change over time. A skill that once seemed less important in a technology-focused world is receiving new attention in classrooms. For students, learning how to write in cursive can be more than simply mastering another handwriting style. It can help them connect with handwritten communication from the past while developing another way to express themselves on paper. As more schools bring cursive instruction back, a new generation may soon find that this old-fashioned writing style is not quite as old-fashioned as it seems.
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