Creative Cursive Handwriting Practice

Creative Cursive

This blog post on creative cursive practice was originally written August 27, 2015. It was updated with more creative cursive writing solutions as of February 27, 2024.

One thing I wanted to share as a school-based occupational therapist is the use of creative cursive strategies to support cursive writing. So often, OT practitioners hear from parents and teachers that a student can’t write their name in cursive, when this is the only functional form of cursive writing they’ve had to retain. I’ve seen time and time again, where students are taught cursive letter formation one time, and then they are expected to use and retain that formation. One summer break (or even a weekend) and the formation pattern for the cursive letter is lost. Or, a student struggles with handwriting in general and cursive is a back up plan used as a handwriting accommodation. While this is completely appropriate for some students, if you don’t use it and practice it, you definitely lose it.

Using creative writing strategies to support letter learning is key to letter formation. This creative cursive journal fits the bill for practicing cursive in different and fun ways. These strategies are just some of the cursive writing tips we have on the site.

creative cursive activities

Creative Cursive

If you are starting to consider how to teach cursive writing, then having a toolbox of strategies in your mind is helpful. Creative cursive activities supports the motor plan needed to form cursive letters in handwriting automatically.

Learn to write cursive letters and words with this free cursive writing journal and creative cursive handwriting activities. 
 
My daughter has made herself a goal for her second grade school year.  
She wants to learn how to learn to write in cursive. Teaching cursive letters is a challenge, because you can learn it once, but if you don’t practice, it’s a skill that’s lost.
 
We’ve done a few cursive handwriting activities this summer, but have a long way to go as she learns to write letters in cursive, connect cursive lines, and write upper case letters.  
 
Then there is reading cursive handwriting which can be a difficult processing task for some kids.  Forming letters on lines with smooth pencil strokes and re-trace of lines requires practice.  
 
I’ve got some fun and creative ways to learn and practice cursive handwriting to share with you.  
 
Today’s Cursive Handwriting Daily Journal is a creative way to practice letter formation and use learned letters in daily journaling.  

 

 
Teach kids how to learn to write in cursive handwriting with a Cursive handwriting Journal, using creative cursive practice ideas. Tips from an Occupational Therapist.
 
 
 

Learn to Write Cursive with a Cursive Writing Journal

We made this Cursive Handwriting Journal to practice cursive letter formation on a daily basis.  Using creative handwriting ideas are a fun way to practice letter formation.  
 
These worksheets are great for practicing cursive letter formation in a variety of ways.  (Try a new creative cursive technique each day!)  They also have an area to use what your child has learned in a daily journal entry.  You can print off the journal along with a tips and tools sheet for creative cursive handwriting. 
 

 

 

 
 
Teach kids how to learn to write in cursive handwriting with a Cursive handwriting Journal, using creative cursive practice ideas. Tips from an Occupational Therapist.
 
Some of our favorite ways to learn cursive writing with creative strategies are: 
 
 
Try a few of our other ideas for practicing cursive letters:
Teach kids how to learn to write in cursive handwriting with a Cursive handwriting Journal, using creative cursive practice ideas. Tips from an Occupational Therapist.
 

To use the Cursive Handwriting Journal:

Teach kids how to learn to write in cursive handwriting with a Cursive handwriting Journal, using creative cursive practice ideas. Tips from an Occupational Therapist.
 
First, print your journal.  Print off the Journal Cover, the Practice Sheets, and the Journal Entry Sheets.  Print as many of these pages as you like.  
We have also included a printable copy of our Creative Cursive Tips sheet.
 
RELATED READ: Practice pre-cursive strokes with a hands-on playdough activity.
 
We used our journal worksheets to form a few new letters with pipe cleaners. Write the letter in the large space at the top of the page.  Use a pipe cleaner to form the letter.  
 
  1. Encourage your child to use the written letter as a guide to correctly form the pipe cleaner letter.  
  2. You can create a permanently formed fuzzy letter by adding a dab of glue at the connecting parts of the pipe cleaner letters. 
  3. Then, trace the pipe cleaner with your finger to further practice cursive letter formation.
 
This is a hands-on way to practice and learn to write cursive letters.
 
Teach kids how to learn to write in cursive handwriting with a Cursive handwriting Journal, using creative cursive practice ideas. Tips from an Occupational Therapist.
 
Teach kids how to learn to write in cursive handwriting with a Cursive handwriting Journal, using creative cursive practice ideas. Tips from an Occupational Therapist.
 
4. Next, practice writing the letter on the lines below.  Encourage your child to write a few  words using the letter and letters they’ve already learned.  You can write a model word for them to copy.
 
You can then use the journal sheets to write sentences using the words that they’ve practiced and learned in cursive.
 
 
Teach kids how to learn to write in cursive handwriting with a Cursive handwriting Journal, using creative cursive practice ideas. Tips from an Occupational Therapist.



Get your Cursive Handwriting Journal and Creative Cursive Tips printable and have fun learning cursive in a creative way!

 

More ways to learn to write cursive and creative cursive handwriting activities you will enjoy:

 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

Creative Cursive Tips and Tools for Learning Cursive Handwriting

When I worked in a variety of upper elementary and middle school settings, cursive writing came up a lot. Some practice activities work well for some students and others work for other students. Having a variety of tools in mind is nice because I’ve found that you can try things once that don’t work for learning cursive takes a lot of work…and practice.

1. Cursive Writing Apps- Use tablets or touchscreen devices equipped with stylus pens for interactive cursive practice apps. These apps often provide engaging activities and games to make learning cursive more enjoyable for children. An example is “Cursive Writing Wizard” available on both iOS and Android platforms. Here is my list of favorite occupational therapy apps, which includes handwriting apps.

2. Cursive Art – Combine cursive practice with art by incorporating calligraphy techniques. Encourage learners to create artistic pieces using cursive writing, such as writing quotes or poems in cursive and decorating them with illustrations or borders. I love this handwriting art activity, and kids do too.

3. Multi-Sensory Cursive- Engage multiple senses by practicing cursive writing in different mediums, such as sand trays, shaving cream, or finger paint. This tactile experience can enhance muscle memory and retention. These multisensory letter mats are printed version, but a similar activity could be done with cursive.

4. Outdoor Writing Activities- Take cursive practice outdoors by using sidewalk chalk to write letters and words on pavement or by tracing letters in the sand at the beach or in a sandbox. This change of environment can make the learning experience more enjoyable and memorable.

5. Music and Movement– Integrate music and movement into cursive practice by playing instrumental music in the background and encouraging learners to write cursive letters in rhythm with the music. You can also incorporate gross motor movements, such as writing large cursive letters with arm movements in the air.

6. Cursive Handwriting Games– Create games that involve cursive writing, such as scavenger hunts where participants search for objects with cursive words written on them or relay races where teams write cursive letters or words on a whiteboard or chalkboard. I also love to use handwriting games to practice specific letter formations.

7. Letter Building– Provide materials like wooden blocks or clay and challenge learners to build cursive letters with them. The Handwriting Without Tears program offers This hands-on activity helps reinforce letter shapes and spatial awareness.

8. Storytelling– Kids love fun stories! If you do a writing prompt where students build on one another’s ideas. We love using this strategy for working on cursive because they can read their peer’s cursive. This not only provides practice and letter recognition skills with cursive writing. It also fosters creativity and narrative skills when writing in cursive.

9. Pen Pal Program– Pair learners with pen pals who communicate through handwritten letters in cursive. This real-world application of cursive writing can motivate learners to practice and improve their skills.

10. Collaborative Projects– Initiate collaborative cursive writing projects, such as creating a class mural or poster where each student contributes a cursive letter or word. This fosters teamwork and a sense of accomplishment. Our middle school journal prompts are a good place to start.

These out-of-the-box cursive practice ideas aim to make learning engaging, enjoyable, and effective for learners of all ages.

Valentines Cursive Alphabet Uppercase and Lowercase Activity

Valentine uppercase and lowercase cursive activity

This post includes a FREE download of the Valentine Cursive Alphabet Uppercase and Lowercase printable. Start here with understanding how to teach cursive…then check out this post on which cursive letters to teach first. Then use the free cursive letters printable at the bottom of this page to work on cursive letter writing with a Valentine’s Day theme! This is a great activity to incorporate into your Valentines Day occupational therapy activities.

Another great free resource is our printable Valentine’s Day cards and our newest printable, Valentines Day I Spy. Add both along with the Cursive letter activity below for a whole theme of skill development.

This cursive alphabet uppercase and lowercase activity has a Valentine's Day theme, but the cursive letter cards can be used any time to year to work on cursive handwriting.

Cursive Alphabet Upper Case and Lower Case Activity

Because of the importance of cursive writing, the OT Toolbox has included cursive alphabet worksheets in it’s “Toolbox”.  This uppercase and lowercase Valentines printable alphabet PDF is a great learning tool for beginning to recognize the letters.

In recent years there has been a lot of back and forth opinions about the validity and necessity of writing cursive.  Some of the people creating school curricula feel this is an old language since it is not used in books any more, and most written expression is done on keyboards.  While there is the argument that people only need cursive for signing their signature, and it should be abolished, cursive is so much more important than just a signature on a page. This article from the New York Times debates reasons to reinstate cursive writing in schools:

Students with learning differences such as dyslexia greatly benefit from learning cursive. Cursive letters such as “b and d” are different from manuscript, therefore easier to decipher. 

Flowing letters connected together in cursive are often easier for young learners to write. There are fewer diagonals, a definite direction of the letters eliminating bottom to top formation, and not having to keep stopping and starting can be a very efficient form of written expression. This post on cursive letter families is helpful in breaking down letters into formation patterns.

The first stage to learning something new is being able to identify before being able to reproduce it. These upper and lowercase cursive alphabet worksheets for kids or other learners, are a great addition to your cursive curriculum. The OT Toolbox archives has an informative post on teaching cursive writing.

What better way to teach a new skill than to tie it to an adorable Valentine theme? Learners are more compliant when there is a motivating fun theme. While these uppercase and lowercase alphabet worksheets can be introduced around Valentine’s day, they are versatile enough to be used year round. YouTube has a great video highlighting the History (and importance) of Cursive Writing

How can I use these cursive alphabet upper and lowercase letter printable cards?

Incorporate this cursive letters printable into occupational therapy sessions to work on individualized goals no matter what level or skills the learner is working to address:

  • Ask learners to write the letters as they match them
  • Higher level learners can write down, or describe the directions to the game
  • Print these on colored paper for more visual appeal or contrast, color the pictures, or laminate the pages to make these more sturdy and reusable
  • Learners can explore other games they could make using these Valentine match cards (perhaps hiding the letters around the room and having learners run around collecting them, or creating a “memory” game out of these upper and lowercase writing cards)
  • Practice scissor skills by cutting these cards apart
  • Change the weight of the paper – heavier paper is easier to handle
  • Make these into tracing cards with or without laminating them.
  • Research and talk about the importance of cursive writing, and have a debate
  • Project onto a smartboard for a group task using a pointer to push the pieces together
  • Enlarge or shrink this task to change the degree of difficulty
  • Turn it into a gross motor task, sensory activity, following directions game, or combination of all of these
  • Use this task during more than one session by adding cursive practice, letter recognition, copying from a model, or putting letters together to make words.

Skilled OT Observations with this Cursive Activity

When working on this Valentine upper and lowercase cursive matching activity, there are several observations that can be  made: 

  • Can your learner scan the pages to identify the correct letters?  Are they recognizing what they are matching or merely matching shapes? Can they match items that are related but not the same (form constancy)?
  • How many items can your learner correctly match?
  • Can your learner correctly hold and manipulate the scissors? How much assistance do they need to grip the scissors and cut on the lines?
  • Can your student continue to hold the scissors while trying to manipulate the paper?
  • How many times do you need to repeat the directions so your learner can follow them?
  • How many reminders does your learner need while doing this activity?
  • Can they stay on task during this upper and lowercase cursive matching task?

As with this Cursive Alphabet Uppercase Lowercase Valentine Worksheet, or any of the worksheets and activities on the OT Toolbox, you can teach one or ten different skills while teaching them. Working on letter recognition? Skip the cutting and coloring section.  Focusing on visual perception? Don’t have students write the letters after matching the cards. Beginning cursive learners? Have a letter page example with all of the letters as a reference. 

You may decide you are focusing your treatment on task completion or compliance with a non preferred task. Therefore your observations would lean more toward behaviors and reactions, than written expression.

Make several observations while your learners are working on these cursive letter matching pages.  See how you might need to grade or modify the task for your next group of learners.  Decide what works, and what does not work using this set of cards. 

Use the other Valentine’s printables available on the OT Toolbox to create an impressive lesson plan.  Here is an entire Valentine Fine Motor Kit! 

Whether you are searching for Valentines Slide Decks, posts highlighting Valentines Day ideas, or anything you want to build into your lesson plan, type your ideas into the search bar and tons of activities, posts, free printables, and kits will be available to you. 

Whenever you get the urge to jump on the bandwagon to eliminate cursive, just take a look at the handwritten notes from your grandmother, or other elderly people.  It is simply beautiful penmanship and should not be lost in favor of typing.

Cursive – it’s more than just a signature!

Free Upper Case and Lowercase Cursive Letters Printable

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FREE Valentine’s Day Cursive Letters Printable

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    Victoria Wood, OTR/L

    Victoria Wood, OTR/L is a contributor to The OT Toolbox and has been providing Occupational Therapy treatment in pediatrics for more than 25 years. She has practiced in hospital settings (inpatient, outpatient, NICU, PICU), school systems, and outpatient clinics in several states. She has treated hundreds of children with various sensory processing dysfunction in the areas of behavior, gross/fine motor skills, social skills and self-care. Ms. Wood has also been a featured speaker at seminars, webinars, and school staff development training. She is the author of Seeing your Home and Community with Sensory Eyes.