Handwriting Styles

There are a variety of handwriting styles: cursive, manuscript, Italic, D'Nealian, Victorian, and New South Wales. A school district usually decides to teach one style. If you have a child who is not yet attending school and is ready to write, call the school office or contact the kindergarten teacher to learn the handwriting style used. You always have the option of teaching your child another style, but it might be a needless frustration for the child. Homeschooled parents have more options. Take time to familiarize yourself with the various styles. Most start with a manuscript form for the first several years, and then move into a cursive form. Some start with cursive. When my coauthor, Marie, was a child in the 1920's, she learned cursive first. Manuscript was used for map or poster labeling. Several handwriting curriculums have reintroduced the concept of teaching cursive from the start. For more information go to: http://www.drawyourworld.com/handstyle.html