Cheerful Cursive workbook follow up

[abrightmom]

DS8 has done well with CC but I believe he needs more time to work in a workbook format with tracing before trying to copy in cursive. He has a tough time connecting letters and a model he can write in (like CC's "bubble letters") is a tremendous help. Are you aware of any cursive workbooks that we could use to bridge CC and cursive copy work? He is at the end of CC now and will finish it out this month.

[Carrie]

Katrina,

Often at the end of Cheerful Cursive students don't seem to be ready to transition to copying in cursive on paper, however I want to encourage you that after a full year of learning to write in cursive doing another stint with a cursive workbook won't really make your child transition to copywork any easier. I know this because I did years of cursive workbooks with my older son, yet he never could copy in cursive on paper very well. Truly, just systematically having a child copy a bit in cursive each day will make a big difference in a child's ability to copy. It does take time, and it is slow at first, but they do get the hang of it.

So, my advice would be to buy or find on the internet a bookmark or a card of the cursive letters (with arrows marked on each letter showing which way the letter starts). Then, tape the card onto your child's artbox or somewhere where he can refer to it easily as he writes. We used the cursive card from "A Reason for Handwriting", and it works well for us.

Next, Preparing Hearts will assign one section of copywork each day to be done in cursive. It rotates from box to box through the week so that students are copying from a variety of sources. After 9 weeks, you will be amazed at how much your child has improved! As an intermediate step, if you need to copy the assigned copywork in cursive on paper as a model for your child and have your child write below your cursive writing for awhile that works well too.

Blessings,
Carrie

[abrightmom]

Carrie,

Thank-you for explaining that. It's a good plan and it makes sense as you've laid it out so we will go for it. I appreciate you so much.