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Ok, so we started school last week and I still can't decide which handwriting workbook to use with my 5 yr old. I purchased both HOD recommendations and have to admit I personally like the Italics better but worry about my ds being able to read traditional cursive later on. If I were to use Italics would I be able to switch over to traditional cursive if we wanted to later without a lot of problems? Has anyone done this? Which program do you use and how is it working for you? I really need to make up my mind this week so any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks so much

More specifically, has anyone used Italics for manuscript in LHFHG and then used Cheerful Cursive in Bigger without any problems? This is really what I would like to do with my dc.

I will start this by saying that with my older two I did ARFH and then CC. But with Julianna I wanted something different so we are doing italics. She's gone through both options for LHFHG and is working on the Italic "cursive" option. She'll continue that during Beyond until she finishes it, then start copywork. Then she'll do CC in Bigger.

Thank you Lora Beth! It must not be a big issue then going between both programs since that has worked with your dd. I really like the cursive italic as well but want my dc to still be able to read and write in traditional cursive since thats still what the majority uses.

I did a manuscript Italic book and now my DD is doing Cheerful Cursive. I don't see any issue in switching. Here's my take on which to do for LHFHG - I don't think it matters which cursive you want to use and I see Italic has fewer repetitions and less to do, ARFH has a lot more repetition so can be seen as "boring" or "busywork" and kids who struggle with handwriting won't like it, but those who like handwriting (like my 2nd born) like it because it gets them writing whole words and phrases more quickly. Italic never does words at the beginning levels. By the end of her first Italic book my 2nd born was copying EVERYTHING on the page, including the word and picture at the bottom. She wanted to do more.

This probably sounds confusing. Both my oldest and my 2nd have done some Italic. The manuscript isn't very different from any other I have seen. I see no problem with switching back and forth from that and other manuscript/cursive. Italic cursive is very different, more like manuscript. It would be difficult to switch between that and Cheerful Cursive once you had started one of them.

Thank you Melissa! Thats exactly what I needed to know...we will do Italic Manuscript and Cheerful Cursive