Last year I wrote a blog called, The Case for Handwriting. I'd like to present to you now: The Case for Cursive!
There's a meme that floats around Gen X social media that never fails to get a laugh: if Gen Z and Gen Alpha were to join forces and rise up against us, all we'd have to do is write our battle plans in cursive. It's funny (at least to most Gen X's) because it's not far from the truth. Two generations now have grown up unable to read or write in a script that was once as fundamental as learning to read.
But beyond the humor, there is a serious side to this story. A growing body of research suggests that cursive handwriting may be one of the most powerful tools we have for strengthening the brain. This is esepcailly true for the developing brains of kids.
Studies using brain imaging have shown that cursive activates areas of the brain that typing simply does not. The continuous motion of connecting letters engages the motor and visual systems simultaneously, forcing them to work together in ways that support learning and memory. Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology found that cursive synchronizes brain waves in patterns associated with memory formation priming the brain to learn (Askvik, Van der Weel, & Van der Meer, 2020). Cognitive neuroscientist Marieke Longcamp of Aix-Marseille Université has described handwriting as "probably among the most complex motor skills that the brain is capable of" (NPR, 2024).
Cursive writing also develops fine motor control, strengthens connections between the brain's hemispheres, and may even support children with dyslexia by reinforcing communication pathways between the auditory and language centers of the brain (Brain Balance Centers). Researchers at Indiana University found that children who practiced writing letters by hand showed far more "adult-like" neural activity than those who only looked at or typed letters (James & Engelhardt, 2012).
There's also a cultural cost to consider. Some of history's most important documents from the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, personal letters from historical figures like Abraham Lincoln, original manuscripts from authors like Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë, were written entirely in cursive. If a generation can't read cursive, the only option they have is to trust someone else's transcription of the documents.
They lose the ability to read these works firsthand, to study the original words as they were actually written, and to verify for themselves that what they're reading is true to the source. Think of how slippery a slope that could be. Despite this evidence, many schools phased out cursive instruction over the past decade.
But, it's not all bad news!! Over twenty states have now reintroduced cursive requirements in their curricula (Nature, 2026) and if your state isn't one of them contact your school boards and your state Dept of Education and let them know how important this is.
In order for our future generations to have equal access to history, we need to make sure that cursive writing remains a standard in the school age curriculums.
What about your state?
States that currently require cursive:
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Idaho (by school year 2025-2026)
States with no statewide requirement but with pending legislation or active consideration:
Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New York, and Wisconsin.
States that leave it to local school districts to decide:
Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
States with no requirement and no pending legislation:
Alaska, Hawaii, Kansas, Michigan, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.
MyCursive.com is a wonderful resource for all things cursive and is up to date on cursive writing legislation.
Sources:
Askvik, E. O., Van der Weel, F. R., & Van der Meer, A. L. H. (2020). "The Importance of Cursive Handwriting Over Typewriting for Learning in the Classroom." Frontiers in Psychology.
James, K. H. & Engelhardt, L. (2012). "The Effects of Handwriting Experience on Functional Brain Development in Pre-Literate Children." Trends in Neuroscience and Education, 1, 32–42.
As Schools Reconsider Cursive, Research Homes in on Handwriting's Brain Benefits." (2024). NPR
Lenharo, M. (2026). "How Learning Handwriting Trains the Brain." Nature.
Brain Balance Centers. "Brain Benefits of Learning to Write in Cursive."