Below is a collection of what I think are some of the best cursive writing apps to use with young learners to help them learn the art of cursive writing. Using these applications, kids will get to learn how individual letters are combined to create words, learn how to trace letters (both lowercase and uppercase) of the alphabet, engage in different writing activities to practice cursive writing, play interactive tracing games to learn cursive letters, and many more. For learning spelling, check out the best spelling apps for kids.
Benefits of Cursive Handwriting
According to Psychology Today, the benefits of cursive handwriting are profound and impactful, particularly in enhancing brain functions:
- Enhances Learning and Memory: Cursive writing helps synchronize brain waves in the theta rhythm, crucial for memory and learning. This synchronization supports optimal conditions for the brain to absorb new information.
- Activates Key Brain Regions: Engaging in cursive handwriting stimulates significant electrical activity in the brain’s parietal lobe and central regions, areas vital for processing sensory information and spatial navigation.
- Builds a Unique Neural Circuit: Research indicates that handwriting activates a specific “reading circuit” in the brain not triggered by typing or tracing letters. This circuit is essential for successful reading and is crucial during early education.
- Supports Complex Language Skills: Mastery of cursive handwriting is linked to the involvement of a network of brain structures that are unique to writing alphabet characters. These skills are foundational for developing advanced language capabilities like orthographic knowledge and text composition.
- Improves Sensory Integration: Writing by hand involves a larger sensory involvement—it’s not just about the tactile feeling of the pen on paper, but also visual and auditory feedback. This multi-sensory engagement enhances cognitive processing and memory retention.
- Promotes Fine Motor Skills: The precise and controlled hand movements required in cursive writing help refine motor skills, which are crucial for other academic and life activities.
Cursive Writing Apps
Explore these resources to find the perfect fit for your students, and don’t forget to share any additional recommendations with the Educators Technology community to help us continually improve and expand this list.
1- Cursive Writing, by Yosuke Oki
As its name indicates, Cursive Writing app is all about teaching kids the art of cursive writing. Kids will learn how to handwrite both lowercase and uppercase letters, combine and connect cursive letters, watch cursive animations, and practice cursive words.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad / Price: $2.99 / Age: 4+
2- Cursive Writing, by Jiwoo Studio
This cursive writing app is ideal for kids of all ages. It helps them learn cursive writing and develops their first writing skills in fun and engaging ways. The app provides over 234 words, ‘which show the users how individual (lower and upper case) letters are combined into words’.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android / Price: $0.99 / Age: 4+
3. Montessorium: Intro to Cursive
Montessorium: Intro to Cursive offers guided and interactive activities to help kids learn to read, and write in cursive. Some of these activities include: Letter Names (helps with learning names and symbols of capital letters), Letter Sounds (helps with learning the sounds of letters), Sandbox (offers free form writing practice), and more.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad / Price: Free / Age: 4+
4. Cursive Letters Writing Wizard
Cursive Letters Writing Wizard offers numerous resources to help kids practice and learn to write in cursive. These include fun games that animate the letters at the end of tracing, over 50 animated stickers to help with tracing, sound effects, support for both uppercase and lowercase letters, shapes tracing activity for toddlers, and many more.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
5. Cursive Writing by Horizon
This is a fun game that teaches kids to write in cursive. The app offers guided instructions in the form of arrows that kids need to follow to correctly trace alphabet letters.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
6. Calligraphy
Calligraphy introduces kids to the fundamentals of calligraphy and helps them practice calligraphy lettering. Calligraphy also offers various classic fonts, background effects, canvas and gradient effects, symbols, and several other elements.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android /Price: Free /Age: 4+
7- Learn English Cursive Writing
Learn English Cursive Writing is an app that helps kids learn cursive letters, words, and sentences. Some of the features the app provides include smooth writing brush, colour palette with huge collection of colours, alphabets in both capital letters and small letters, and many more.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android alternative/ Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
8. Lazy Dog
Lazy Dog is a cursive app that helps users practice different handwriting styles. The app offers a number of helpful features including the ability to track progress with individual letter scores, print worksheets, calligraphy supplies, and more.
Compatibility: Android / Age: 4+
9. Stylograph
Stylograph is another calligraphy app to help with developing cursive writing skills. It offers a wide range of fonts, colors, tools, and writing styles. Other interesting features provided by Stylograph include the ability to trace characters and get instant feedback on writing, instant accuracy check, share writing with others, and more.
Compatibility: Android / Age: 4+
10- Calligrapher
Calligrapher provides kids with an intuitive canvas where they can practice their calligraphy and handwriting skills. There are 4 types of pencils to use: a simple pen, pen, thin pencil, and wide pencil. Kids (or better their parents or teachers) can also change the settings of the app the way they want. They can set colors, backgrounds, line thickness, transparency, zoom, and many more.
Compatibility: Android / Age: 4+
Final thoughts
Helping young learners master cursive writing can be both fun and engaging with the right tools. This collection of cursive writing apps offers a variety of interactive activities and features to support children in learning the art of cursive. From tracing letters to practicing words and sentences, these apps make the learning process enjoyable and effective.
