What value does cursive have in a world increasingly made up of keyboards and screen? Siri has made handwriting obsolete, right? As with many things in Montessori, cursive is still alive and well, and it might not be for the reasons that first come to mind.

In the 3- to 6-year classroom children trace cursive sandpaper letters with their fingers. As they trace it they say the sound the letter makes, a foundation which leads to their later explosion into reading. It also leads to fine-motor skill development and increases concentration. The sandpaper letters are a perfect example of how the materials are designed to promote learning using the hands.

Cursive is continued in the elementary where it helps to slow down the writing and challenges the writer to consider the weight of each word. Not only does it naturally make the writing more legible, but inherently builds up the child’s ability to develop clear thought patterns and to be able to formulate those ideas concisely. The outcome is that their writing is easy for others to understand.

Now there’s scientific support for cursive, too! Here’s the link.