Here’s why learning cursive handwriting is still important

Much of the educational research about writing highlights the value and importance using cursive handwriting. Studies show that joining letters not only helps to increase the speed at which children work but crucially aids their mental processing skills, helping them to think more fluently.

Additionally, it has been shown that cursive writing helps children improve their spelling accuracy. Writing letters in groups that have meaning (phonemes) rather than in isolation can aid the long-term memory of spellings and also builds up comprehension skills.

However, cursive writing can feel confusing and a little overwhelming to start with. Your son has gained confidence in writing each letter of the alphabet as a separate entity and has grown used to printing letters over several years. It’s normal for him to find the transition to cursive writing difficult. He will probably take a short dip in confidence until he masters the skill – which only comes with practise.

Some primary schools in Hong Kong (and in Malaysia) begin to teach cursive writing as soon as children enter Year One. Often, pupils know the letters of the alphabet and are ready to move on to the next stage of using a more flowing and natural style of writing. Although this approach can appear more difficult initially, as individual letters become less clear, it can be easier than converting from printed to joined letters at an older age.

Sometimes, teachers insist that each letter is formed from the baseline so that pupils naturally, and often seamlessly, progress to cursive writing.