FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Should Kentucky's kids learn how to write in cursive? Lawmakers are considering a bill that would require it.
Senate Bill 167 would require cursive writing to be taught “as a course of study” in elementary schools. The bill states that "beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, cursive writing shall be included as a course of study in all elementary schools and shall be designed to ensure proficiency in cursive writing by the end of grade five."
During discussion of the bill, Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, said getting rid of cursive in 2010 was a bad decision.
"We are producing students currently who are cursively illiterate in their own language and are not able to read a card from grandma or from primary source documents," Tichenor said.
While some people believe that cursive is old-fashioned and outdated, others argue that it still provides great benefits.
"There's this increase of brain activity happening when we're writing versus when we're keyboarding," said Dr. Christina Bretz, the Senior Internal Learning Manager at Learning Without Tears.
As an occupational therapist, Dr. Bretz puts a lot of focus on handwriting. She said research shows it's incredibly important.
"Cursive is beneficial because it increases those specific neural pathways in the brain - specifically with language and with reading," she said.
Bretz said that cursive also helps increase fine motor skills.
"They're using both sides of the brain with holding down the paper with one hand and writing with the other," she explained. "So, it's also increasing sensory processing skills that we see too."
"We also know that it's going to improve the recall of information," Bretz added. "When we write something down, we remember it."
Bretz also pointed out that cursive improves writing speed and increases attention to tasks.
