Cursive

[Anonymous]

I just don't get these parents who don't understand the value of cursive. Not everything is done on the computer anymore, and cursive is easier and faster to write than block print. My 4th grader has learned cursive in school and now primarily uses cursive to write. With Benchmark, the kids are doing a lot more writing, so it's beneficial to be able to write more quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teach it at home.

Too busy setting aside time for kids to read actual books and do outside math.

Make time - 15 min, 2x/wk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cursive has gone the way of calligraphy and provides no value. Proper typing classes would be a much better use of the kids' time. Almost anything provides more value than cursive in 2026.

Emerging research is showing exactly the opposite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cursive has gone the way of calligraphy and provides no value. Proper typing classes would be a much better use of the kids' time. Almost anything provides more value than cursive in 2026.

The fine motor skill development associated with learning cursive is an important part of overall development.

Time far better spent that learning about gender identity or the progressive issue of the day.

First statement is utter hogwash. Your second statement explains your lack of knowledge and factually incorrect information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just don't get these parents who don't understand the value of cursive. Not everything is done on the computer anymore, and cursive is easier and faster to write than block print. My 4th grader has learned cursive in school and now primarily uses cursive to write. With Benchmark, the kids are doing a lot more writing, so it's beneficial to be able to write more quickly.

They kept telling us this in school and as someone who learned both, I don't buy it. I'm an old school millennial who took notes mostly by hand up through college and I ended up note taking mostly in print.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cursive has gone the way of calligraphy and provides no value. Proper typing classes would be a much better use of the kids' time. Almost anything provides more value than cursive in 2026.

How do you have a signature with cursive? Do your kids print their name or just sign with an X?

First off, you can sign however you want and it's perfectly valid as a legal signature. For most legal documents these days I'm signing with a mouse or a finger on a touchpad. You can't even read it if you try to write that in cursive. Print is perfectly valid for signatures and should be the standard anyway because it is more legible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cursive has gone the way of calligraphy and provides no value. Proper typing classes would be a much better use of the kids' time. Almost anything provides more value than cursive in 2026.

Emerging research is showing exactly the opposite.

Source? I call BS. Articles/papers written to get clicks from boomers is more like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cursive has gone the way of calligraphy and provides no value. Proper typing classes would be a much better use of the kids' time. Almost anything provides more value than cursive in 2026.

Emerging research is showing exactly the opposite.

Source? I call BS. Articles/papers written to get clicks from boomers is more like it.

dp. There are benefits of cursive. https://extension.ucr.edu/features/cursivewriting

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cursive has gone the way of calligraphy and provides no value. Proper typing classes would be a much better use of the kids' time. Almost anything provides more value than cursive in 2026.

The fine motor skill development associated with learning cursive is an important part of overall development.

Time far better spent that learning about gender identity or the progressive issue of the day.

First statement is utter hogwash. Your second statement explains your lack of knowledge and factually incorrect information.

Au contraire - “One compelling reason for the revival of cursive writing is its cognitive benefits. Research suggests that learning cursive can enhance brain development, particularly in areas related to language, memory, and fine motor skills. When students engage in the intricate movements required for cursive writing, this activates different parts of the brain compared to typing or printing. This stimulation can improve neural connectivity and contribute to overall cognitive growth, aiding students in various academic pursuits.” From the folks at UC Riverside - https://extension.ucr.edu/features/cursivewriting

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cursive has gone the way of calligraphy and provides no value. Proper typing classes would be a much better use of the kids' time. Almost anything provides more value than cursive in 2026.

Emerging research is showing exactly the opposite.

Source? I call BS. Articles/papers written to get clicks from boomers is more like it.

dp. There are benefits of cursive. https://extension.ucr.edu/features/cursivewriting

The "research" article you posted only links to a blog about handwriting that bases their opinion on a different Norwegian study, which states that "handwriting" shows increased brain activity in a certain region over typing or using a touchscreen. Printing would also be handwriting, but they purposefully didn't test that (or didn't include it because it doesn't support their narrative).
None of these "cursive is beneficial" articles are anything more than someone trying to make their opinion look like science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cursive has gone the way of calligraphy and provides no value. Proper typing classes would be a much better use of the kids' time. Almost anything provides more value than cursive in 2026.

Emerging research is showing exactly the opposite.

Source? I call BS. Articles/papers written to get clicks from boomers is more like it.

dp. There are benefits of cursive. https://extension.ucr.edu/features/cursivewriting

The "research" article you posted only links to a blog about handwriting that bases their opinion on a different Norwegian study, which states that "handwriting" shows increased brain activity in a certain region over typing or using a touchscreen. Printing would also be handwriting, but they purposefully didn't test that (or didn't include it because it doesn't support their narrative).
None of these "cursive is beneficial" articles are anything more than someone trying to make their opinion look like science.

I'm the first PP who mentioned research, and all I've seen is handwriting itself - not cursive specifically. The benefit of cursive specifically is that once you are writing all your notes down for retention purposes and all the rest, cursive is faster.

We can make claims without overstating things, you know?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cursive has gone the way of calligraphy and provides no value. Proper typing classes would be a much better use of the kids' time. Almost anything provides more value than cursive in 2026.

Tell that to kids with dyslexia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cursive has gone the way of calligraphy and provides no value. Proper typing classes would be a much better use of the kids' time. Almost anything provides more value than cursive in 2026.

Tell that to kids with dyslexia.

I have never seen a teacher present slides in cursive or even write on the whiteboard in cursive for dyslexic kids. Let me know when that changes, much less all the rest of printed media in the world that is 99% in normal print fonts.

[Anonymous]

I know some schools are teaching it and some don’t. I wish our elementary school did. My child just had to sign to get a learners permit and couldn’t do it. And yes, we practiced at home (but not enough obviously). Will work on it over the summer.

I wish my younger kids had time to work on it.

[Anonymous]

they teach kinds with dyslexia cursive because it helps with reading.