House Bill 58 requires students to be able to print letters legibly by the end of third grade and write in cursive by the end of the fifth grade. Below are some helpful tips on how to teach your students cursive:

Step 1: Introduce one cursive letter at a time

Think of your students as re-learning to write the alphabet one letter at a time. Each letter should be introduced slowly and practiced consistently before moving on to the next step.

Step 2: Begin with teaching lowercase cursive letters

Begin by teaching only the lowercase letters of the alphabet. Start with letters that are similar in form to print letters such as c, a, d, and g. You may also group letters together by formation patterns and difficulty. Begin with the simplest letters and end with the most difficult and infrequently used ones.
1. c, a, d, g
2. h, t, p, e, l, f, q
3. u, i, j, k, r, s
4. o, b, v, w
5. m, n, y, x, z

Step 3: Then teach uppercase cursive letters

Once the lowercase letters are mastered, begin pairing them with the uppercase version in this order.
1. A, C, O, U
2. V, W, X, Y, Z
3. P, R, B, H, K
4. N, M, J, F, T
5. I, D, L, G, S
6. E, Q

Step 4: Have your students copy simple sentences

After introducing and practicing upper- and lowercase letters, have your students start copying simple sentences. Be sure to observe and demonstrate how to connect letters together.