Figures of speech of the English language are used for cursive writing practice, including synonyms, antonyms, simile, metaphors, word origins, onomatopoeia, proverbs, homophones, homographs, analogies, oxymoron, tongue twisters, pangrams and palindromes. Capitals practice: Native American nations, tribes and communities. History of letters and numerals.
The Italic Handwriting Series was the first, and for more than 12 years was the only handwriting program we carried at Timberdoodle. Known for its beautifully legible appearance and natural flow, Italic Handwriting was a long-time favorite with our customers.
We have since recommended A Reason for Handwriting, realizing that many of us would rather have our children copying Scripture than the meaningless sentences used in some secular handwriting programs. But there are also homeschooling families who either prefer not to use Scripture or have their curriculum funded through a public school system that won't pay for a Scripture-based program. For those families, and families who simply prefer the style and flow of Italic Handwriting, we are happy to reintroduce this series.
We've always been fairly low-key about the need for a handwriting course. Being a mail-order business, we have seen handwriting of every description and realize good or bad handwriting is seemingly no hindrance to success in life. Back in the day when most of our orders actually came by mail, we undeniably appreciated good handwriting, and would comment amongst ourselves when an order form was particularly readable.
The Italic Handwriting Series does more than teach fine skills. It resulted in something that was beautifully legible! This is the course we used with our children, and while the results admittedly varied depending on the child, Italic Handwriting was logical because the transition from printing to cursive was exceptionally smooth, and it is easy to write as it conforms to natural hand movements. Each Italic Handwriting book has the basics of how to form each letter and then age-appropriate exercises which students do in the workbook. New students should start the program at grade level.