Cursive Handwriting Practice Sheets: Free pdfs (SOR-Aligned) (2024)

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Benefits of Cursive Handwriting

There are definite benefits of cursive writing, especially for kids with dyslexia or dysgraphia. The International Dyslexia Association strongly advocates for teaching cursive writing, so we’ve listed out a few of the benefits below:

• It empowers people with the ability to read historical texts and expands their reading abilities in other areas of life. Imagine our children visiting Washington, D.C., walking up to the glass case that holds the Declaration of Independence, and not being able to read it.
• Cursive helps reduce some letter reversals. For example, b/d reverals may be minimized because each has a different stroke and movement pathway, even though they all begin on the baseline.
• Production is quicker because the letters flow together seamlessly (after explicit practice, of course). Students do not have to pick up their pencils between letters as they do with manuscript print.
• “When writing cursive, the word becomes a unit, rather than a series of separate strokes, and correct spelling is more likely to be retained” (Berninger, 2012).
• It’s a fresh start for students who may not have had explicit instruction in manuscript writing. So kids get the opportunity to learn correct letter formation. And most kids are super excited and motivated to learn cursive!

👉 Did you know? Research has shown that by middle school, most fluent writers have developed “a personalized mixture of cursive and manuscript” (Ball, 2016).

I have seen this firsthand with my older students, and I actually write like this myself!

SOR-Aligned Cursive Worksheets

So if you decide to teach cursive to your child or your students, we’re here to help!

Keeping in mind everything that was mentioned above, this resource doesn’t just have kids practicing cursive letter formation in isolation. Instead, these cursive worksheets are designed to help kids learn cursive in connection with phonics and spelling skills.

The worksheets promote ligaturing (connecting letters) in a way that reinforces their knowledge of graphemes.

For example, the worksheet for the letter Q has QU together. Why? Because the spelling rule is “Never a Q without a U.” Other worksheets are specific to digraphs, like sh and ch, since so many words include these graphemes.

We’ve created 11 free worksheets for cursive writing practice. Included are:

• Swing Up Letters (3)
• Overstroke Letters (2)
• Digraph Sh (2)
• Soft C (2)
• Soft G (2)

Tips for Teaching Cursive

When using these worksheets, teach your students to use Simultaneous Oral Spelling (SOS). This is a procedure where students say the letter names aloud while forming the letters.

This allows children to link sounds with their letters as they write, and it’s the perfect example of multisensory practice!

You should also teach cursive letters in groups according to their movement pathways. All cursive letters start on the baseline, but we can categorize them into two main types of letters: Swing Up Letters and Overstrokes Letters.

William Van Cleave suggests teaching these groups of letters in this order:

Swing Up Letters

• Easiest (i, t, u, p)
• Loops (e, l)
• Others (j, y, f, s, h, k)
• Flat (r)
• Bridge (b, v, w)

Overstrokes

• Humps (m, n)
• Easier (c, a, g, d, q)
• Bridge (o)
• Difficult (z, x)

Van Cleave also addressed other Best Practice Cursive Handwriting Tips:

1. Body: Kids are seated in a chair with a back for good posture. Their feet are flat on the floor. Arms and elbows are comfortably resting on the table or desk.
2. Paper: The paper is tilted at a 45-degree angle. If left-handed, the paper is tilted to the left. If right-handed, the paper is tilted to the right.
3. Pencil Grip: A good pencil grip is key! The pencil is placed with the thumb and pointer finger gripping it, and the middle finger is beneath it acting as a bridge to hold the pencil up. The pencil is laying flat on the soft skin between the thumb and index finger. If students struggle with this, a great tool is this pencil grip. If your students need more targeted help, grab our 7 free pencil control worksheets.

Conclusion

Remember, whether you decide to teach cursive handwriting or not, the most important thing is that we teach children letter formation using a structured approach and explicit movement pathways.

This is what research supports as a key link within the brain that helps create better readers and writers.

What to learn more about brain science? Watch this webinar by cognitive scientist Stanislas Dehaene. He talks about the connection between speech, meaning, and letterforms in the human brain. It’s fascinating!

References:

• Berninger, V.W. (May-June 2012). Strengthening the Mind’s Eye: The Case for Continued Handwriting Instruction in the 21st Century. Principal, 28-31.
• James, K. H. (2017). The Importance of Handwriting Experience on the Development of the Literate Brain. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 26(6), 502 508.https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721417709821
• Wiley, R. W., & Rapp, B. (2021). The Effects of Handwriting Experience on Literacy Learning.Psychological Science,32(7), 1086–1103.https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797621993111

Recommended Resources

• Free Letter Tracing Worksheets
• All About Spelling Inventories
• Uppercase and Lowercase Letter Practice
• 30 Best Tips for Teaching Letters and Sounds