Why Handwriting Still Matters, Including Cursive

Writing letters by hand can help children learn them

Writing a letter means producing its shape, rather than finding a key.

In a 2025 experiment, 50 Spanish-speaking kindergarten children practiced nine unfamiliar letters and 16 made-up words. They copied or traced them by hand, or typed them. The handwriting groups were more accurate on the later naming, writing and visual-identification tasks. [1]

This was short-term learning in one school, using an unfamiliar alphabet. It supports including letter formation in early learning; it doesn’t establish long-term reading gains or show that handwriting alone teaches reading.

Handwriting instruction supports more than neatness

Readable handwriting lets another person follow a child’s ideas. Fluency matters too: forming letters should become a manageable part of writing.

A 2016 meta-analysis examined experimental and quasi-experimental handwriting-instruction studies with K-12 students. On average, instruction improved legibility and fluency compared with no handwriting instruction or other instructional conditions. The analysis also reported gains in the quality, length and fluency of written compositions. [2]

The practical goal is readable, increasingly fluent writing that lets children concentrate on what they want to say.

Handwriting and typing both belong in a child’s education

Children use keyboards for plenty of worthwhile tasks. Being comfortable with typing gives them another way to write, revise and share their work.

The Institute of Education Sciences’ What Works Clearinghouse recommends developing fluency in handwriting, spelling, sentence construction, typing and word processing. Its elementary writing guide rates the evidence supporting that combined recommendation as moderate. [3]

A child might write a quick note or label a drawing by hand, then use a keyboard to revise a longer story. A classroom display can show how a letter is formed while children practice it on paper. There is room for both.

Why learn cursive if you can already print?

Cursive is another form of handwriting. Its practical value includes becoming familiar with connected letters and having another way to write.

Reading someone else’s handwriting

A family recipe, a relative’s letter or an older journal may be written in cursive. Knowing some cursive forms may give a child a starting point for making sense of that writing.

The Smithsonian’s historical-handwriting guide shows how older cursive styles vary and offers ways to decipher them. Older styles can take some study, even when a reader already knows modern cursive. [4]

Having another way to write

Writers can use printing, cursive or a mixture. Children who learn both styles have more forms available as they develop their own handwriting.

Is cursive faster? A 1998 study collected writing samples from 600 students in grades 4-9. Those using mixed printing and cursive wrote faster on a copying task than those using either style exclusively. The exclusively printed and exclusively cursive groups did not differ in speed or legibility. This was a comparison of students’ existing writing styles. [5]

Giving handwriting a purpose

A birthday message, a thank-you note or a letter to a family member gives children something of their own to say. Invite them to choose printing or cursive when either will suit the task. The message gives the practice a purpose.

Can writing by hand help with studying?

A 2024 meta-analysis brought together 24 studies from 21 articles on college students’ lecture notes. It found a small average achievement advantage for taking and reviewing handwritten notes, while typing produced a greater volume of notes. [6]

Handwriting can remain a study option beyond the early grades. These findings concern college lecture notes; the best way to take notes still depends on the student and the task.

What should handwriting practice look like?

Start with a clear model, a manageable amount of writing and one useful thing to notice. Here is a routine you can adapt for home or the classroom:

1. Choose one letter. Pick a letter that fits the child’s current learning.
2. Watch how it is formed. Notice the starting point and the direction of the movements.
3. Try a few on paper. Give the child time to look, write and look again.
4. Check one detail. Choose a starting point, shape, size or spacing to work on.
5. Use it in writing. Try a familiar name, a word or a short message when the child is ready.

Adjust the pace and support to the child. If writing remains unusually difficult, talk with the child’s teacher about appropriate help and ways to record their ideas.

Help children put handwriting into practice

Pencil Pete grew out of materials developed for classroom teaching. He demonstrates letter formation so children have a model to watch again when another look would help.

Try one of these existing demonstrations, then put pencil to paper. Choose the style that fits your lesson.

Pencil Pete’s printable worksheet packs provide step-by-step letter models and practice space for every uppercase and lowercase letter. Choose printing or cursive to match what your children are learning, or start with a free sample.

For classroom ideas, visit our teacher resources. Help the next generation learn handwriting and keep using it to share their own ideas.

New to teaching cursive? Start with this guide.

Common questions about handwriting and cursive

Sources

These sources support the explanations above. Some links lead to abstracts; full-text access may depend on the publisher.

1. Ibaibarriaga, G., Acha, J., & Perea, M. (2025). The impact of handwriting and typing practice in children’s letter and word learning: Implications for literacy development. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 253, 106195. Read the paper (PDF; opens in a new tab). DOI. Return to text.
2. Santangelo, T., & Graham, S. (2016). A comprehensive meta-analysis of handwriting instruction. Educational Psychology Review, 28, 225-265. Read the research abstract at Arizona State University (opens in a new tab). DOI. Return to text.
3. Institute of Education Sciences, What Works Clearinghouse (2012; revised October 2018). Teaching elementary school students to be effective writers. Recommendation 3 covers handwriting and other foundational writing skills. Read the practice guide and evidence ratings (opens in a new tab). Return to text.
4. Smithsonian Transcription Center (updated September 2020). Transcribing historical handwriting in the Smithsonian Transcription Center. Read the guide (PDF; opens in a new tab). Return to text.
5. Graham, S., Weintraub, N., & Berninger, V. W. (1998). The relationship between handwriting style and speed and legibility. Journal of Educational Research, 91(5), 290-297. Read the research abstract at Arizona State University (opens in a new tab). DOI. Return to text.
6. Flanigan, A. E., Wheeler, J., Colliot, T., Lu, J., & Kiewra, K. A. (2024). Typed versus handwritten lecture notes and college student achievement: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 36, article 78. Read the publisher’s abstract (opens in a new tab). DOI. Return to text.