Can You Write In Cursive? How Important Is It?

Cursive writing used to be taught as a mandatory extra in all elementary schools. Shortly after a child learned manuscript, he would advance to cursive to be used through the rest of his school years. In recent years, cursive writing has been dropped by many school systems. Authorities deemed it unnecessary and time-consuming. With the advent of computers, who needs to write, right? As these children grew up, parents especially saw the fallacy of the ‘no-cursive- lies.

Cursive Cons

Some learned individuals think that cursive writing is outdated. A professor at the University of California went on to say,

It’s much more likely that keyboarding will help students succeed in careers and in school than it is that cursive will ^[1].

How Cursive Helps The Brain

Experts say writing cursive helps a child fully understand English and connect words to motor memory. Typing does not require the same motor skills. Expert Dr. William Klemm claims cursive writing is as beneficial as learning music. He said,

Practice writing by hand helps train the brain to integrate various forms of information at once, including visual and tactile inputs, while applying fine motor skills ^[2] {{Why Do We Need Cursive Writing? }} }/ref].

When Do We Use Cursive?

Cursive writing is not extinct, despite computers. Cursive writing is necessary for most adult transactions. For example, to get a driving permit, one has to sign his name, the same thing as opening a bank account. Even if the person only uses a debit card and never writes a check, the bank needs his signature to open the account. One signs his name to formalize business deals, like mortgages or bank loans. Contracts between businesses often require signatures. When voting, a person signs his name to prove who he is.

Summary

In spite of the fact that cursive writing has both positives and negatives, we need to decide which path we are going to take in the future. Adults are usually required to sign in cursive for most occupations and freedoms. Although parents may be able to read and write cursive, they may be responsible for teaching their child cursive to ensure his success.

In order to prepare his child for the future, one could easily teach cursive writing during summer break.