Did you know that those born after 1980 actually text almost as much as they talk. And as for the art of handwriting, forget about it! They’ve never really seen the need to put pen, or even pencil to paper! Sadly, we are witnessing the death of handwriting, not because it was never learned, but rather because no one is ever asked to use this skill past the third grade.
Don’t you miss seeing lovely cursive penmanship with curly, slightly leaning letters? The Coca-Cola logo is a great example of just simple cursive letters that identify a brand.
It isn’t just computers that sucked the life or ink out of handwriting, standardized tests contributed as well. Teachers have limited time to teach so are forced to concentrate on the skills needed for these tests and handwriting isn’t a part of them so attention to that part of the daily classroom learning was been sadly pushed aside.
Think back to your elementary years. Learning how to write in cursive was exciting and something you looked forward to learning. It meant you were more grown up! It is now up to each and every one of us to work with the younger generations to keep this art alive. What can you do to help? Consider these suggestions:
1) Sit down together and write thank you cards. Children learn by example so set a good one! They can be simple thanks for just about anything, not just gifts.
2) Make your shopping list out in cursive. Ask each family member to add whatever they need in cursive as well. Bet you won’t end up having to buy nearing as many unnecessary items!
3) Write to someone you’ve not contacted in a while. Have children add a line or two to a note you’ve started, in cursive of course.
4) Have everyone add their weekly activities to a monthly calendar in cursive. Bet appointments won’t be forgotten!
5) Stuff a happy note in a backpack, purse or briefcase and make someone’s day!
There is really no end to the opportunities to dust off your handwriting skills if you slow down and take a few minutes. You may actually find that it is fun too! Do you have suggestions for helping to keep this art alive?