cursive Archives

Cursive Letter Flashcards

November 13, 2023October 24, 2017 by Colleen Beck OTR/L

Cursive writing requires a lot of practice. Adding multiple sensory strategies to handwriting is one way to make the motor plan of letters “stick” when it comes to learning cursive. Today, I’ve got a fun free freebie for you that can be used to help kids learn cursive letters in a variety of ways: Cursive letter flashcards! These letter formation PDF printable sheets are printable tools that can be used in many different ways.

This is part of our how to teach cursive writing series.

Cursive Letter Flashcards

Affiliate links are included.

These cursive flashcards can be used in so many ways to practice cursive writing:

Cut them out and glue the printed side to the back of the printed side to use as flashcards.

Cut them out but DON’T glue the printed and cursive sides together; Use them for matching games like this play dough match up. (Tip: using the play dough to create connecting lines boosts the fine motor skills.

Laminate them to use with tactile sensory play.

Use them to practice and sort cursive letters into cursive letter families.

Add them to sensory bins like we did with this sight word card sensory bin activity.

Use rolled up balls of play dough to create words. Kids can then copy the words in the cursive form. This is a great way to practice spelling words.

Trace-Say-Write: Trace the letter with a finger, say the phrases that forms the letter, and then write the letter.

Form the letters using (Amazon affiliate link) Wikki Stix. Here are more of our favorite WikkiStix activities.

Practice writing individual letters onto paper or worksheets. The cursive flashcards can be positioned on a desk for Near point copying so that students are not visually distracted as they copy the letters. This can help with pencil motions.

Imagine a child copying a cursive letter from a far point such as a smartboard or strip of cursive letters positioned in the front of the room. As they form parts of a letter, they need to shift their vision and may end up with jerky pencil strokes or a lift of the pencil. Copying a letter form from near point can help as kids learn cursive.

How would you use these cursive flash cards?

Need help with the underlying skills needed for handwriting? Start here on our Handwriting resources page.

The Handwriting Book is a huge resource when it comes to addressing handwriting concerns. It’s a book written by 10 occupational therapists and physical therapists and refers to every underlying skill related to written work. This is a tool for therapists, teachers, and parents.

More cursive writing resources (Click on the images to find out more):

Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.

Cursive Writing Tips

July 22, 2019October 23, 2017 by Colleen Beck OTR/L

Cursive handwriting is a new experience that many students are excited about. for most students, they have seen cursive handwriting before from teachers or parents and are very excited about the opportunity to learn cursive handwriting. below, you’ll find cursive writing tips to help harness that excitement in order to help students excel at learning to write in cursive.

You will want to check out all of the cursive handwriting activities in our how to teach cursive writing series.

Try the cursive handwriting tips below to encourage students to start to learn cursive handwriting and for ideas to practice writing upper and lowercase cursive letters.

The cursive writing tips below can develop the skills needed to use cursive handwriting in a functional manner.

Use these tips to help kids learn to write in cursive handwriting.

Cursive handwriting tips

Encourage students to practice cursive writing with these tips.

1.) Provide a comfortable space to practice cursive writing. Students can learn and practice cursive handwriting in a place in my home or in the school where they are comfortable, the area is well lit, students are set up with appropriate seating and desk positioning. Use this these tips for desk positioning and positioning self-checks as needed.

2.) Encourage students to work at their own pace when learning cursive handwriting. Many children learn at different rates for variety of skills. Cursive handwriting is no different! Kids will learn cursive handwriting naturally and at their own pace. While students should learn cursive letters in a particular order for success, it is essential to practice the skills at the child’s own pace.

3.) Display children’s cursive handwriting work proudly! Students will be excited to see what they have learned and to show off their new cursive writing skills. Offer words of encouragement and praise for cursive handwriting efforts. A positive experience can encourage more effort and a proud awareness of what they are learning. Print off a certificate of completion when all of the cursive letters have been learned. You can print a certificate below.

4.) Offer words of encouragement when kids make mistakes in learning cursive handwriting. This is a new skill for many students. Some students may not have seen cursive handwriting or may struggle with the mechanics of handwriting in general. Celebrate the small successes.

5.) Provide students with a variety of sensory-based creative writing strategies to help with learning the motor plan for each cursive letter. It can go a long way in making learning cursive fun and memorable.

This cursive writing certificate of completion can help kids be proud of the cursive writing they've learned. Use this cursive writing certificate when teaching kids to write in cursive.

Cursive Writing Starting Lines

July 11, 2019October 19, 2017 by Colleen Beck OTR/L

If you’ve ever taken a close look at cursive letters, you might recognize common starting pencil strokes that connect letters together into groups. We discussed this in a previous post here on The OT Toolbox on cursive letter families.

Today, we’re playing a fun cursive writing game that recognizes the common beginning starting points and starting lines that make up cursive letters.

Make these index card flash cards to play a letter memory game that teaches kids about cursive writing starting lines to help kids learn to write cursive handwriting.

Cursive Writing Starting Lines are the beginning pencil movements that create letters. Take a look at the images below and notice the starting movements that make up each group of letters. These starting lines create the cursive letter families.

This activity is part of our series on how to teach cursive writing.

Cursive Writing Starting Lines

Affiliate links are included in this post.

To create this cursive letter game, we used four different colors of index cards. On each one, draw the beginning cursive lines below.

Letters are grouped into families, but each card should only have the first pencil motion that makes up each group: a bump, a portion of a loop, an upward slant, and a rolling curve up.

On the reverse side of each card, write the corresponding letters in that group.

Students can be shown how each letter has similarities in beginning lines.

To play the beginning lines cursive writing game, create small flash cards with each letter. You can match colors for beginner cursive writers. Use a common color to make the activity more difficult.

Next, ask students to match the cards to the beginning lines card.

Turn all of the small letter flashcards over and play a memory game. When the student flips the letter over, they can flip over the corresponding beginning line mark. This game works well with cards and letters that are all a single color.

How can you show students that the letters are grouped by a common beginning start line?

Need help with the underlying skills needed for handwriting? Start here on our Handwriting resources page.

Cursive Writing Watercolor Resist Activity

July 19, 2019October 18, 2017 by Colleen Beck OTR/L

Today, we’re taking a break from the mechanics of cursive writing to share a quick and fun way to practice cursive letters, pre-cursive lines, or cursive connections.

Use this cursive handwriting activity to help kids work on individual letters or the areas of cursive that need a little more practice in a beautiful and process art manner!

This activity is part of our 31 day series on how to teach cursive writing. You’ll want to check out all of the posts we’ve shared so far this month in order to gather a better understanding of aspects of cursive handwriting that are needed for legibility and function.

These pieces include the rhythm of cursive, speed of cursive writing, cursive slant, cursive letter connectors, and so many more areas that make up functional cursive handwriting.

Try this watercolor resist activity to practice cursive handwriting including letter formation, cursive writing lines, and pre-cursive lines.

Cursive Writing Watercolor Resist Activity

Affiliate links are included in this post.

Use this watercolor resist activity to practice individual letters or portions of letters including pre-cursive writing lines.

Start with a white crayon. Some children may benefit from a small crayon piece. Simply break the crayon into a piece. Read more about cursive writing and pencil grasp.

Next, ask students to write cursive letters with the white crayon on white paper. Watercolor paper works best for this activity.

Students can really practice the motor plan and visual memory needed for letter formation with this watercolor resist activity. They will be able to slightly see the lines they have created with the white crayon, but will not be able to completely see each line or errors in re-trace.

Then, use the watercolors to create strips of color for each line of cursive letters or cursive pre-writing lines.

Try adding light pencil lines for the baseline for each row of lines or cursive letters.

More advanced students can practice cursive letter combinations and connectors by writing lists of spelling words or even a secret message in cursive.

Make it colorful and fun to practice cursive writing without the worksheets!

Here are more creative cursive practice activities:

Textured Cursive Lines

Cursive Lines Art

Cursive letter order

Learn Cursive Handwriting on the Window

Tips for Teaching Cursive in the Classroom

July 19, 2019October 17, 2017 by Colleen Beck OTR/L

In current classrooms, it can be difficult to find time for cursive instruction. There has been more and more debates about the need to teach cursive. Other schools combine cursive instruction with morning work or with classes such as cursive such as spelling.

The tips below can be helpful in teaching cursive in the classroom despite common struggles such as limited time or resources.

This post is part of our 31 day series on how to teach cursive handwriting.

Try these tips and tricks for teaching cursive in the classroom

Tips for Teaching Cursive in the Classroom

One issue that can interfere with proper cursive instruction is a lack of specific cursive curriculum. Students may not be instructed with specific directions for each letter formation. Rather they are allowed to copy from overhead work or write creatively using cursive letters guides or visuals.

When kids are taught cursive by copying forms alone, many times letter formation is a big issue.

These incorrect movements become habits that are progressively more and more difficult to adjust and correct. As students are required to write more quickly or with more words per sentence or paragraph page cursive can become even more difficult to read overall.

Schools are also are limited in time allowed for cursive instruction.

There are ways to instruct cursive handwriting in curriculum so that proper cursive training occurs and kids don’t become frustrated or utilize creative formation patterns.

Common concerns with cursive instruction in the classroom

Many times teachers allow students to write spelling words in print followed by cursive. When they do this they are expecting proper spelling in the printed form but perhaps not the cursive form. This seems like an awkward practice session for kids who don’t know the pattern the movement strokes of cursive letters.

Rather than instructing the student in cursive letter formation they are allowing students to continue on with poor motor plans for letter formation resulting in an accurate spelling.

Another common issue is that there may not be a schoolwide or districtwide hand writing model in place. As a result some some classes in the school or district may teach cursive at a different rate or while using different verbal prompts then another classroom.

These students then move onto upper grades at different cursive abilities. Upper classes may require cursive handwriting in reports or journal pages knowing that some kids from a particular school or even classroom were not instructed in the same manner as another student who attended the same school district.

In the earlier grades at the second and third grade level it’s important that time is set aside specifically for cursive handwriting instruction rather than combining it with classes such as spelling.

In this way students are able to learn specific cursive exercises, pencil control expert motions, and letter formation using verbal prompts.

Here are strategies to help with common handwriting problems such as line awareness, spatial awareness, sizing, and more.

Tips for classroom cursive handwriting instruction

Cursive writing can be taught to the whole classroom at one time, using a consistent cursive lesson plan. This allows for practicing the motions of letters in the air, on paper, and with use of consistent verbal cues and visual prompts.

Initial instruction can include large motor motions using consistent verbal cues for each letter as it is taught. In the classroom instruction, a teacher can demonstrate sequence of motions including height, retrace, connections, and spacing.

Student’s written work should be checked individually. They should be done as the child is writing with verbal and visual prompts to correct letter formation as indicated. It is very risky to instruct entire class without checking for proper mechanics as these in accuracies can lead to poor motor planning of letter formation.

Try this cursive activity in the classroom:

Modified from a Handwriting Without Tears program, “Come On Up” is one strategy to teach cursive handwriting in a group setting. Students can work on cursive writing as a group learning and practicing what they have learned already. This is a good way to go over previous learn learn letters.

Come On Up group cursive writing activity

Play the game, Come on Up to help students learn and practice cursive letter formation.

The teacher can write cursive letters of the alphabet on the chalkboard or SmartBoard. Assign students a letter of the alphabet. As the instructor writes a letter, she should call out the letter and say, “Come on Up letter…”

The student assigned to that letter can come to the front of the classroom, trace over the letter on the board, and then write their letter right underneath it.

This is a good way to practice while boosting self-confidence with cursive formation. The entire class practices letters and can help each other with formation if needed.

Getting up and moving in the classroom is a great way to sneak in movement during learning. Students can shuffle letter so that they are able to practice other letters of the alphabet.

More strategies to help with cursive writing instruction:

Cursive Handwriting Journal

Fizzy Dough Cursive Letters

How to Teach Cursive Writing Speed

July 11, 2019October 16, 2017 by Colleen Beck OTR/L

When students are learning cursive, it’s common for slow formation to occur. Here are ways to help students write with increased speed in cursive writing and tips to help improve functional cursive.

This is part of our 31 day series on how to teach cursive writing.

Use these strategies to help kids improve cursive writing speed for increased cursive writing function.

Writing in cursive is complex! Students need to really focus on letter formation, pencil control, and retrace of lines when writing in cursive. On top of all that, there is the line awareness, spatial awareness, and size awareness needed for written work. This is a lot to remember!

Speed of cursive writing does come with practice through. For the student who has learned all of the cursive letters, cursive speed is the next step in functional writing.

Students eventually should focus on speed in cursive writing. Legible handwriting is the overall goal, and students must eventually develop the speed and accuracy for legible and functional writing.

This is particularly important when students are asked to write more quickly or to copy notes and the older grades cursive writing is needed at a faster pace.

Speed in cursive writing

Use the strategies below to work on speed in cursive writing. These strategies should only use be used by students who have mastered letter formation and retrace in a legible and functional manner.

Ask students to work on timed cursive writing. Start with just cursive exercises (Use the cursive exercise ideas below). Timed cursive can also be done with a sentence or list of words like spelling words.

Cursive exercises- Use a timer and ask students to complete a worksheet of cursive writing or a single page of cursive exercises like waves and connected T’s, loops, or bumps, students can be timed on completion with accuracy.

Timed letter count- Turn on a timer and ask students to write cursive words. Written work can be strings of letters, words, or sentences as student’s copy from a model placed on their desk. Students can write as much as they are able in the given time. When the timer goes off, students can stop and count the number of words or individual letters they were able to write. Repeat this exercise each day, marking down number of words.

Eventually work on short words such as sight words or commonly used words. They can copy a strand of these words with timed tests.

Timed cursive exercise tips

If at anytime during time to work letter formation suffers, go back and work on proper letter formation with consistent verbal cues.

Exercises in speed are necessary to help students develop more function in their pursuit of writing. As children age, they are required to write faster and for longer periods to take notes. Speeding up exercises can help writers find flow of their personal style.

When students start to speed up in a writing, many times you will see modifications of formation in letters. Overtime these modifications become automatic as the motor plan becomes consistent through practice.

When students are required to form those combinations of letters again and again, unique letter formation between letters become automatic and comfortable.

It’s important to ensure a quality of handwriting so that the student is able to look back over their notes read what they’ve written. Many times, kids scribble down homework assignments or notes and then can’t read them later. This isn’t functional writing and speed should slow down.

Students who write too slowly in cursive will benefit from increased practice and back attrition. Overtime the speed will increase as the the motor plan of letters becomes more automatic.

Assessment of writing speed

One assessment that can be used to assess speed of handwriting is the DASH. The Detailed Assessment of Speed of Handwriting (DASH), and the Detailed Assessment of Speed of Handwriting 17+ (DASH 17+) are standardised tests. The DASH is a reliable tool to assess handwriting speed against the norms expected for a child’s age.

Speed of cursive writing is important for rhythm and function in cursive. Need to work on some other areas of cursive, try these ideas:

Use the sky ground technique of writing to help kids improve legibility through improved line awareness, letter formation, and letter size.

Visual processing checklist for Occupational Therapy, classroom, teachers to help students with handwriting and classroom tasks.

Sky-Ground Paper and Size Awareness

Visual Processing in Handwriting

Improve Handwriting With Art

Pre-Cursive Activities

Cursive Letter Formation: Wave Letters

Creative Ways to Practice Cursive

Cursive Writing Self-Assessment

MORE Creative Cursive Practice Ideas

February 23, 2023October 16, 2017 by Colleen Beck OTR/L

If you’ve been following our series on how to teach cursive, then you now have a lot of cursive writing techniques and tips under your toolbelt. Today, you’ll find creative cursive practice ideas here on The OT Toolbox. These are fun ways to practice cursive writing so that handwriting time is fun and not boring! Use some of the creative painting activities to work on cursive letters, too.

This post is part of our series on how to teach cursive writing. Check them all out for tips, strategies, and tools for teaching cursive.

One of the posts in this series included creative ways to practice cursive writing using the senses. Today’s ideas are different mediums to write on including various types of paper or other writing surfaces. These are fun ways to practice cursive letter formation.

Creative ways for kids to work on cursive writing including letter formation.

Creative Cursive Practice Ideas

Affiliate links are included in this post.

Try writing these creative writing ideas for practicing cursive letter formation, re-trace, rhythm, and speed of writing.

Write on recycled newspaper.

Write on graph paper.

Fill a tray with sand. Add a small amount of water and flatten the sand. Students can write with their finger or a stick in the sand.

Write on cardboard.

Write on paper bags.

Write on paper towels. Drip water to watch the marks blend.

Write on wallpaper scraps.

Write on envelopes.

Write on transfer paper.

Write on cardboard tubes.

Write on a plastic tablecloth using permanent markers.

Write on leaves.

Write on tape.

Write in a thin layer of dish soap.

Write on poster board.

Write on recycled floor tiles with a dry erase marker.

Use sandpaper under paper for practice.

Use a writing tray filled with a variety of mediums such as beans, rice, corn, sand, paint, cornmeal etc.

Practice letter formation on a chalkboard using a wet paint brush.

Practice letter formation using a feather on their hand.

Practice letter formation in the finger paints.

Cover the desk with a material such as shaving cream or putting to practice cursive writing.

Use glue to write cursive letters. Create crayon rubbings.

Make textured cursive letters with glue and sprinkle with glitter or colored sand with them dry. Students can touch and feel letters.

Need more ideas to practice cursive writing? Try these ideas:

Spacing awareness in handwriting with spatial organization puzzles

Easy trick to help kids with letter formation and sloppy handwriting

Handwriting Puzzles Spacing Awareness Activity

Easy Trick for Helping with Letter Formation and Sloppy Writing

Transfer paper for spacing awareness, letter formation, line awareness, pencil pressure

Transfer Paper for Spacing, Line Awareness, Letter Formation, Pencil Pressure

Graph Paper Letter Size, Line Awareness, Spatial Organization

Cursive Writing Pencil Grasp

August 2, 2023October 14, 2017 by Colleen Beck OTR/L

Pencil grasp…it’s a quandary for many children! When it comes to cursive handwriting, pencil grasp can be an antagonist that interferes with legibility, rhythm, flow, speed, and formation of cursive letters. Read on for more information on promoting a functional grasp for use in cursive writing.

When we write with a pencil in cursive it’s really no different than holding a pencil for printed handwriting work. It is important to note that cursive writing requires fluid motion.

This cursive handwriting post is part of our 31 day series on cursive handwriting.

Cursive Writing Pencil Grasp

The fluid motion of a pencil is very important for letter formations and for connectors between letters. If the pencil is being held too rigidly, then the writing will be slow and inefficient. Pencil strokes may present as jagged or with difficulty retracing over lines.

This can result and limit legibility.

When the pencil is moved in written work, movements should come from the distal joints of the hand rather than at the wrist, elbow, or shoulder.

The pencil is controlled by the MCP joint PIP joint and DIP joints of the fingers and the CMC joint MCP joint and IP joint of the thumb.

Read more about the joints of the thumb and their involvement in creating an open thumb web space for an efficient and functional pencil grasp.

When these joints are the primary movers and stabilizers in holding and writing with a pencil, it is possible to manipulate the pencil in all motions needed to form and connect cursive letters.

One of the best tools for addressing pencil grasp needs is to strengthen, strengthen, strengthen! Use these fine motor activities to improve pencil grasp to make it fun.

Extended Wrist in Pencil Grasp

When writing with the distal joints of the fingers and thumb, the pencil is able to move fluidly with just an extra slightly extended rest. An extended wrist puts the hand into a more functional tendon placement for movement.

Pencil grasp in cursive writing

Now to determine if the fingers are moving correctly with a functional pencil grasp, try this exercise.

Hold a pencil in your fingers and rest your wrist on the paper. Use the pencil to make small curves and circles with only using the fingers and thumb. Pencil strokes should be fluid and controlled. The motions should occur within the hand.

Here is an activity to develop and strengthen distal finger control needed for handwriting.

Thumb wrap grasp and cursive writing

A common pencil grasp is a thumb wrap grasp. This is a way to hold the pencil presenting with the thumb wrapped around the pencil. In the thumb wrap grasp, the thumb is stabilizing the pencil.

This grasp occurs with a closed some webspace and decreased motion using the fingertips and thumb.

This pencil grasp can be inefficient for cursive handwriting because of cramped muscles and limited motion of the pencil. In these cases, it’s not a functional grasp pattern. However, for many children, this grasp can be functional in that individuals are able to write legible cursive writing.

There is research indicating that kinetic differences resulting from thumb position seemed to have no bearing on speed and legibility.

Flexed wrist in cursive writing

If a student is observed with a flexed wrist in either printed or cursive writing an observer may note that handwriting is not as functional or legible as it may be.

This is because the intrinsic muscles of the hand are in an inefficient pattern resulting in less range of motion when writing and moving a pencil.

Additionally, increased stress can also result in carpal tunnel compression when used over and over again by those who write a lot.

Use a DIY slanted surface to promote an extended wrist in handwriting.

Pencil grasp issues and cursive writing

Most kids learn cursive writing beginning in second grade. At this stage, it is often quite difficult to change a pencil grasp. Grasps are very ingrained at second grade but can be accommodated with a pencil grasp. After grade four, it is very difficult to change a grasp pattern.

Key takeaways on pencil grasp and cursive handwriting:

Focus on a functional grasp!

Use fine motor activities to address pencil grasp needs.

References

Heidi Schwellnus, Heather Carnahan, Azadeh Kushki, Helene Polatajko, Cheryl Missiuna, Tom Chau; Writing Forces Associated With Four Pencil Grasp Patterns in Grade 4 Children. Am J Occup Ther 2013;67(2):218-227. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2013.005538.

Read more about pencil grasp and grasp patterns:

Pincer Grasp

Magnetic Spoons and Handwriting Game

Thumb Wrap Grasp Activity

Pencil Grasp Trick Thumb IP Flexion

Thumb Opposition

Line awareness and spatial awareness without handwriting

Pencil Control Handwriting Exercises

Spatial Awareness & Line Awareness Activity Without Handwriting

Easy DIY Slant Board and WHY Use a Slant Board?

Spatial Awareness in Handwriting

How to Teach Kids to Identify Cursive Letters

October 5, 2023October 13, 2017 by Colleen Beck OTR/L

Teaching kids to write in cursive can be difficult. When kids see a lot of different letters once, it can be hard for them to pick out individual letters as they read. For kids who are just learning letters, cursive writing looks like a stream of loops and bumps. This is especially true when students are asked to copy a word or several letters after they’ve learned a handful of letters.

This activity on teaching kids to identify cursive letters is part of our 31 day series on how to teach cursive handwriting. Be sure to check out all of the articles in the series. There is a lot of great information on cursive writing to be found and shared!

Use this cursive handwriting activity to help kids learn to write cursive letters and identify cursive letters.

Cursive letter identification Activity

Children who struggle with visual discrimination can really find cursive letter identification a challenge. Pulling those letters from a strand of letters can really be difficult for a child who is not able to discriminate between a cursive letter “n” and a cursive letter “m”.

That’s why today on the OT toolbox you’ll see the cursive letter identification activity below. This is an easy way for kids who are just learning cursive letters to identify different person letters individually.

Use the cursive letter identification activity to help kids visually scan and identify cursive letters. This is a great way for new cursive writers to learn to read and identify letters in a stream of written work.

Help kids learn the difference between cursive letters by asking them to first, write out cursive letters on small scraps of paper. They can trace over the letters several times in various colors like in this rainbow writing activity or color changing marker activity.

Then, use clothespins that have been marked with printed letters to match the cursive letters.

Visually scanning for the correct letter addresses several visual perceptual skills, including visual discrimination, figure ground, visual attention, and form constancy.

This type of activity can help kids identify small differences that make a big difference when it comes to cursive letters. When they see the difference between the “b” and the letter “l” in matching activities, students can become more cognizant of the individual letter differences between like letters when copying from a model or strings of letters in practice.

The same is true for letters of different sizes such as lowercase letter “e” and lowercase “l” when kids see the difference in height they can recognize that difference and be more able to form the letters accurately on paper when writing.

If these two letters are a challenge for students to differentiate, add lines to the paper scraps. You can even cut a line of wide rule paper to use as the scrap squares.