Learning cursive handwriting skills develops fine motor skills including hand-eye coordination. The student must focus on making the letter correctly and legibly, compared to typing which requires only hitting the correct key. Some researchers suggest teaching cursive before block print because it is easier to distinguish letters from each other. Prior to the 1970s cursive was taught to children in the first grade.
Learning to write in cursive also increases a child's ability to read cursive handwriting. Many historical documents, including the Declaration of Independence, were written in cursive. Not learning cursive will affect a student's ability to read and accurately relate information that has been written in cursive and rely on someone else to interpret the document for them.
Writing in cursive is faster than writing in block print. In cursive the tip of the writing instrument only leaves the paper to dot the letter "i" and "j," cross the letter "t" or move to the next word. In block print the writing instrument leaves the paper after the completion of every letter. Writing in cursive may be faster than typing for some students who struggle with keyboard skills. Cursive writing is good for note taking or writing essays for tests.
Papers with neat handwriting routinely receive higher grades than papers in sloppy or poor hand, according to Vanderbilt University professor Steve Graham, who says the "decline of handwriting in general and cursive in particular are distractions from the goal of improving students' overall writing skills." Students who focus on neat cursive will benefit from higher grades and deeper learning.
Certain personal notes, such as a thank-you card or condolence card, should be handwritten and not produced on a computer. Cursive is considered a more formal, traditional and aesthetically pleasing form of writing compared to block text.