In a Montessori classroom we think of writing in two different ways: writing with the mind, which means your own thoughts and ideas being “written” by dissecting the sounds in words (using the moveable alphabet), and the art of handwriting, which involves the hand writing words on paper.
In my experience, adults often expect handwriting to take off rapidly when it is first introduced. However, there is a lot of coordination involved in handwriting that needs to be developed first. As adults, we often take these physical and psychological developments for granted and don’t consider how difficult it is to acquire this new skill of handwriting. Development follows a natural course that looks different in every child. Handwriting necessitates concentration, a developed will, fine motor skills, a refined pencil grip, and eye hand coordination.
I am writing this post to advocate for cursive writing and allow the child to acquire this skill at their own pace. In a Montessori classroom, children are indirectly prepared for handwriting though the work they do with the materials. It starts with organizing materials from left to right and challenging their fine motor skills with flexibility of the wrist, lightness of touch, and a a refined pencil grip that is used in other activities likes polishing metal or washing a table. Graceful and fluid movements are practiced throughout their time in a Montessori environment. These movements are also modeled by the adults in the room. Cursive handwriting allows for fluid movement that lets thoughts flow as the child writes words phonetically without stopping to pick up the pencil.
The connected letters in cursive writing make the distinction between words and allow for accurate spacing between letters and words. Some children might begin to write from right to left, so cursive writing helps to eliminate that error. To begin writing a word in cursive, they must start from left to right which is the orientation in which we read and write in our culture. With cursive writing, children ere also thinking of words as a whole rather than in parts.
As the child writes in cursive they are crossing the midline as their dominant hand moves from left to right on the paper. When a child crosses the midline, this means both sides of the brain are working together and making connections. Recognizing cursive letters also allows for broader writing style recognition as it requires more cognitive effort to distinguish the letters. The attention to detail and motor skills gained in cursive writing improve the ability to write in print.
In the classroom, we make the distinction that we write in cursive and read in print. Print is a widely available form of writing that the child is exposed to in their daily life. Because of this, recognizing print letters takes little effort in the child if they learn to write in cursive first.
However, as always we should follow the child. If they have different learning abilities, cursive writing might not be the right fit for the child. Observe, and present what is best for the child.
Although cursive is not a popular style of writing in our current times, we must not forget the benefits it has for children and offer them handwriting as an art.