Why Are American Elementary Students Learning Cursive Writing in the Digital Age?

Mandatory in 5 States Including California This Year
Experts Say Cursive Education Improves Cognitive and Reading Skills

The number of states in the United States teaching cursive handwriting to students is increasing. In an era where digital technology has become commonplace and opportunities to write by hand have become rare, such classes are considered meaningful.

Local media reported on the 28th (local time) that elementary school students in California will learn how to read and write cursive during class. This is in accordance with a state law enacted last October.

Accordingly, about 2.6 million California elementary students from grades 1 to 6 will learn how to write by hand, and students from grade 3 and above will receive cursive classes. Not only California, but five states have legally mandated cursive education just this year.

Experts welcome this policy. They say cursive education promotes cognitive development and improves reading comprehension, and writing in cursive directly helps develop muscles in the fingers and hands. Experts also believe that having students read historical documents written in cursive is a meaningful educational experience.

Leslie Zoroya, a language-related project manager at the Los Angeles County Office of Education, explained, “Using cursive instead of print engages different neural networks,” adding, “When writing letters, students think about the sounds the letters make and how the next letter connects.”

Sophie Gardia (9), an elementary school student in California, said, “I like cursive classes because writing and learning letters is fun.”

Meanwhile, a research team led by Professor Audri Vander Meir from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) announced on the 27th in the scientific journal Frontiers in Psychology that writing by hand increases brain connectivity more than typing on a keyboard, enhancing learning effectiveness.

The research team stated, “The visual-motor information gained from precisely controlling the hand when using a pen contributes to brain connectivity patterns that promote learning, making it much more refined than typing,” and added, “This proves that establishing guidelines to ensure students receive at least minimal handwriting education is an appropriate measure.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.