Writing in cursive script is something I do without much thinking. Breaking it down and teaching it in my homeschool is another thing. I want my kids to write with quickly with ease. Cursive script is the fastest way to achieve that. We’ve been using Script-n-Scribe^TMIntroduction to Cursive: Roller Coaster Writer & Cards to teach my elementary kids cursive as a group. The set consists of a spiral bound workbook and a set of letter cards. The cards are printed on heavy stock and have highly visible print, making a great display board while you all learn.

The Roller Coaster Writer Cards are two sets; the first is the Bookface Print Phonograph Cards, with the block letters on the front, and the phonetic information for each letter on the back. Second, the Cursive Instruction Cards are also two sided with the visual representation of the cursive script and form building instructions on the back. Two sided cards makes instructing from the front of the room easy and helps you to maximize eye contact and flow.

Roller Coaster Writer leads your child through the letter forms by relating each stroke to the parts of a roller coaster. Each hill, ramp, drop, loop, and curve creates a part of the letter they are trying to produce. It was fun to instruct the kids in the different strokes and this definitely lends itself to some fun teaching time. The letter strokes are described as “climb hill and hold” or “short loop or tall loop.”  We let the little ones get their bodies involved and the book suggests several way to use large motor skill physical activities like sand writing and sandpaper, to reinforce learning the letter forms.

Once you child has mastered the cursive script forms of the lower and uppercase alphabet with numbers, they will be ready for Script-n-Scribe^TM The Letter Connector Workbook & Cards. This book works on the skill of combining individual letters into words and sentences. Have you ever been in a hurry and gotten stuck writing the “br” combination? That little loop gets me hitched up every time. This book covers letter combinations like this so you and your child don’t have to guess how letter combinations connect. You might be surprised to learn where your script writing has become sloppy. I learned that I was forming a few letters backwards because I am a lefty. I didn’t even notice I was doing that before following these specific directions.

I suggest laminating the cards so they will last a lot of use with little hands. If you have the room and like visual aids, the practice cards in this set can be hung up in your school room for ready reference after they are used for instructions. If you ever need help the script directions are on the back of each card for you read while your child uses their practice pages in their workbook.

The debate over whether to teach cursive is a hot topic, but no matter what side of the argument you are on, watching your teen struggle to endorse a check will help polarize your decision. My advice is don’t wait to teach cursive until late in their schooling. Especially since Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood has created an easy program for you to use. They also grant the purchaser of their materials permission to make unlimited copies of the workbook pages and the cards for their family’s use. This means that you can cover the pages a couple of times if you want to. With clear instructions, visual aids and plenty of practice pages, your kids will be writing letters to the Grandparents in cursive in no time.

-Product review by Amber Smith, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July, 2018