It started with a to-do list.
In an attempt to gather my thoughts and organize my life at work a few months back, I grabbed my trusty notebook and started writing out my priorities for the day, week and month. As I was writing and talking out loud to myself (in true Kaylee fashion), a random thought popped in my head… “Can I still write in cursive?”
So, for the next item on my long list of things to do, I attempted old school cursive handwriting. What a weird feeling! My hand was wobbly as I attempted the curvature of the letters. Some letters came out large, and some were small. You could see the shakiness from my hands on the paper. In general, though, it wasn’t bad. It was fun and transported me back to my elementary days where I and my classmates practiced cursive letters daily. I remember the uppercase letters “Q” and “F” being the hardest.
I have written as much as I can in cursive since that day – notes to friends, simple reminders on sticky notes, pretty much whenever I have a pen and paper around.
As my cursive has improved, I have noticed how enjoyable it is to write again and quite simply the surprising beauty of it. The curved letters have a sway to them. There is a rhythmic push and pull. Writing a line of unbroken letters is calming for my fast-paced mind and offers more visually to the eye. I think I have noticed my comfort with it because it’s more natural to a human brain —- there’s fluidity and nuance. It echoes a stream trickling with water much like a brain has stream of trickling thoughts and emotions.
With my newfound joy of writing in cursive, I did some research about the benefits of it. (there will be a blog post one day about my love for research and truth seeking… my fiancé will get a kick out of that ha)
There is a considerable amount of scientific research proving how reading and writing in cursive is beneficial for the brain, especially in children. Learning in cursive quite literally changes the structure in a child’s brain enhancing their development and fine motor skills. They retain information faster, better and longer. A plethora of studies have demonstrated that cursive increases use of deeper parts of the brain not accessed through basic printing or typing. Students who read and write in cursive have higher intelligence and cognitive function. It’s not just good for scoring higher on tests, it’s good for everyday functions of life – emotional regulation, memory retention and critical thinking.
Many tutors and teachers actually use cursive training to assist students with dyslexia. Individuals with dyslexia typically struggle with letter reversal and spelling. Cursive instruction can not only improve, but reverse dyslexia because it creates new pathways in the brain, therefore, helping an individual’s decoding process.
The US educational system has seen the negative effects of dropping cursive instruction from school curriculums. Our children are experiencing lower rates of literacy, decision-making skills and self-regulation. Now, many states are passing their own bills for cursive to be taught again in the public school system. In fact, only 14 states required cursive handwriting curriculum in 2016; that number has increased to 24 in 2025 proving this is more than a trend, this is a restoration in teaching.
I hope more and more people return back to reading and writing in cursive, if not for the obvious benefits of the mind, then just for the simple beauty of it 🙂
A Prairie Girl at Heart 