April 30, 2025 – Handwriting and Cursive

Hey, Mama!

Gena Suarez, Publisher of TOS

Learn God’s Word Through Copywork—It Will Help When Times Are Tough

Hey, Mama!

God’s Word promises us trials—spiritual tests that God uses to grow us into Christ’s likeness.

Godly understanding comes strictly from His Word, the Bible. Are you soaking it in? Do you study it and apply it daily? It’s your lifeline. It’s where you will find wisdom from God’s heart, pouring directly into your own. Do not miss it!

You can also help your children learn God’s Word using copywork. Copywork is a great way to help with handwriting and discipline, so why not have your children copy Scripture? The more they copy those beautiful verses, the more they will remember them.

These articles from The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine reinforce the importance of copywork:

15 Ways to Motivate Your Child To Do Copywork by Susan Brown
Mason-Inspired Methods for Teaching Writing by Jessica Boling
Developing Good Writers by Nancy Doran

Trials can be unexpected; some are completely unjust. Others come because our life choices have led to them. When your children write the Word of God, hiding it in their heart, they’ll remember it when trouble comes. Copywork becomes a weapon when they are tempted to recoil from the Lord. 

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him” (James 1:12).

Stay soft, Mama. Turn your heart towards Him, no matter the circumstances. Remain in His Word. Model Christ. Hug your little ones close to you today. They are yet another reminder of God’s love for you—gifts from the Lord. When they have trials of their own, God will use their Bible copywork to keep them strong. They will have learned from your example. His hand is on your head. That’s a promise.

-gena

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Guest Contributor

Give Them a Hand!

HollyOnHandwriting

From the day they are born, we watch in awe as our babies develop. We notice the first time their faces light up when they recognize someone familiar to them. We watch their little lips twitch while attempting to form sounds for the first time. We laugh as they try to copy facial expressions or hand gestures. As they grow, we intuitively nudge them to help them roll from their back to their tummy and prop them safely to help them develop the muscles to sit up.

Handwriting is a motor skill, but unlike walking or even riding a bike, learning to write by hand does not come naturally. It is through explicit instruction that a child goes from learning the name of a letter to forming it properly on paper.

Around the age of three children will explore the cause-and-effect aspect of holding a crayon or marker, delighted as they make marks—often scribbling or dotting the paper—their brain still new to controlling their hand and fingers.

At four- and five-years old, children begin to recognize letters and start to make sense of language in print. At the same time they become more adept at controlling the muscles needed for handwriting. The Squiggle Squad can make learning to form letters and numbers enjoyable and rewarding. This playful approach works with a child’s natural development, so learning to form letters feels organic. The five friendly characters—Lines the Lemur, Bubbles the Bunny, Curves the Camel, Slide the Seal, and Dash the Duck—help your child learn the basic strokes needed for manuscript writing. The animals then come together to “play” and form letters. Visit squigglesquad.com to learn more. While you’re there, try the Free Name Generator Worksheet! Happy Handwriting!

Todd Wilson

Familyman Ministries

Printsive?

Once upon a time, schoolchildren all over America sat at little wooden desks with pencils in hand and practiced cursive. They (We) practiced by making continuous circles and up and down straight lines. We copied pre-printed example letters and finally mastered the capital letter Q.

With pride, we would write our names and write reports. We boys were sloppy, and you could hardly read our writing, but girls . . . girls would stylize their writing, adding embellishments and smiley faces to dot the letter I.

Over time, my cursive turned to ‘printsive’ since I couldn’t remember how to make a capital Q anymore . . . or a Z and some of the other letters. I’m sure my mother is still disappointed that I don’t write F’s correctly (she was a school teacher after all). But hey, that’s just the way it is.

The world we live in today hardly needs us to write cursive at all. Ninety‑five percent of all our communication is done with keyboards and touch pads. The writing we do now is mostly done on Post‑it^® notes and the occasional fill-in-the-blank order form or application.

Is cursive dead? No, but it is not something to stress out over. If you want to teach your children to write in cursive, knock yourself out and have fun teaching your children that quaint art form.

But, if you think it’s a waste of time and don’t have the time or energy to teach it, then don’t, and don’t let anyone make you feel guilty for choosing that route. Truth is, your children will be just fine printing or writing in ‘printsive.’ I am. This is of course assuming they at least know how to write their signature.

Be real,
Todd

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About the author

Todd Wilson is a dad, granddad, writer, conference speaker, and former pastor. Todd’s humor and down to earth realness have made him a favorite speaker at homeschool conventions, retreats, and churches across the country. As founder of Familyman Ministries and the Smiling Homeschooler, his passion and mission are to remind dads and moms of what’s most important through weekly e-mails, podcasts (The Familyman Show & The Smiling Homeschooler), seminars, and books and products that encourage parents. Todd, and his wife Debbie, still homeschool two of their eight children (six have graduated with four married) in northern Indiana. You can read more at www.familymanweb.com.

Extraordinary family board game for building math skills and sharpening memory, especially enjoyable for adult family members together with young family members. Reviews at http://www.sunyapublishing.com.

Heidi Mosher

Getting the Point Across 

My son, a senior, came home from a class the other day and told me that his friends were impressed with his handwriting. We both got a laugh from that, recalling all of the products and hours we employed towards improving his penmanship. He has never liked writing with a pen or a pencil. He writes music though. He excelled in his co-op speech class too. He has an impressive income stream from his YouTube channels. He gets his point across—preferably without paper. He’s spent countless hours learning by watching, and he grabs every opportunity to put his skills to work. 

I taught at youth group the other night, and that same son told me it went well. I got a grin from his compliment, remembering the angst and lost sleep I experienced anticipating speaking in front of forty high schoolers for forty‑five minutes. I’ve never liked public speaking. I have a lot to say though, and thankfully I have avenues to get my point across—preferably on paper. I read excessively, in part to absorb how other writers write. And I’ll put a pen to paper to share my thoughts any chance I get, even when it doesn’t pay. 

So what’s the point of this little article? How does it relate to handwriting and cursive? We’re all communicators. Sometimes we must speak; sometimes we must write. Prioritize whatever communication skills your children need more of. If those include handwriting and cursive, supply your kids with pen pals, recipes to copy, lettering books, a nice set of writing utensils, Christmas cards to address, and compliments. You get the point. Observation and opportunity just might be the finest teachers of all. 

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About the author

Heidi Mosher is honored to write for The Homeschool Minute, as it was a lifeline of her early homeschooling years. She is thankful to be the mother of four—two recent homeschool graduates and two who are currently homeschooled.

Beth Mora

The Power of Your Child’s Pencil or Pen

Yup. The public schools have been duped.

Common Core, implemented in 2010, seeded the educational system with untested ideas that grew into mass illiteracy, increased learning disabilities, and decreased critical thinking. Public schools traded pens and pencils for laptop computers. However, common sense ruled in the homeschool community, which is one reason why homeschooled students continue to out test their public school counterparts. 

The simple act of learning letter formations in cursive or print works some pretty impressive magic on our children’s brains. 

Handwriting leads to increased fine motor skills. When your child puts a pencil or pen to paper, he must train his brain to coordinate with his muscles to implement the letters he wants to form. Executing letter formation requires strength. Meanwhile, he is developing precision and dexterity. 

Handwriting leads to fluent reading and comprehension. The handwriting road to reading is paved with purpose and understanding. In contrast, learning to read via a computer program is two-dimensional, flat, and flatter. A child sitting at a computer plunks the same-shaped square key with a symbol, removing the tactile experience of handwriting and adding to a muddy understanding.

Handwriting crosses brain barriers. When a child does an activity that crosses from the left hemisphere to the right hemisphere and vice versa, the brain connections grow, and solid learning happens. The right brain lights up because handwriting requires an artistic flair to form letters, and the left brain lights up because it must logically put phonograms together to make words. 

Handwriting leads to better thinking and stronger memory. Handwriting helps us fully engage with our thoughts. Students who take handwritten notes retain information and are able to answer questions in more detail than those who take notes on a computer. 

Handwriting improves composition writing. By handwriting paragraphs or essays, students are more creative and take more risks in expressing themselves. You can track their improved composition quality from first grade to ninth grade. 

So, what does your pie chart of subjects look like? Don’t be duped. There’s plenty of time for a student to learn computer and typing skills. Give your child a sizable block of time set aside for handwriting.

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About the author

Beth Mora is a staff writer for The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC and lesson designer for www.Schoolhouseteachers.com. She is the creator/teacher-on-camera for Here to Help Learning’s Homeschool Writing Program Grades 1-6, and a homeschool conference and women’s events speaker. Meet up with Beth at Home To Home, one of her favorite places to encourage. Everything she does, whether laughable or heart-gripping, is done to honor her Lord and Savior, Jesus. God’s grace is the salve that has healed her own life and is what she offers liberally to others.

Handwriting and phonics go hand in hand! Beginning Handwriting and Phonics on SchoolhouseTeachers.com makes learning letters, numbers, and early reading skills fun with engaging activities. From tracing and writing practice to cutting, pasting, coloring, and matching, your children will develop fine motor skills while building a strong foundation in reading and writing. Whether they’re forming their first letters or mastering early words, this curriculum makes it easy—and enjoyable!