Review of Classical Conversations' PreScripts

Mary-Catherine has been chomping at the bit to learn cursive, so I was very excited to get the chance to review Classical Conversations'  PreScripts Cursive Words and Drawing. This brand-new writing program is different from any other that I have seen.  It combines beautiful cursive letters, words, and scripture with drawing basic shapes and simple pictures (see generous samples on the website).



The writing lessons serve two purposes: first, they provide examples for how to form cursive letters, connections, and words. Second, they provide models of good literature - the best, in fact: The Holy Bible! Furthermore, interspersed throughout the writing lessons are small drawing lessons to break up the boredom that may be brought on by writing (which can happen especially with younger children).  The book is recommended for ages 5-10 and costs $12.99.

Mary-Catherine (8) and PreScripts

Mary-Catherine was so excited to get her new handwriting book that she began work on it as soon as it arrived. Like many kids, she had played around with cursive, but this was her first formal introduction to it. She loved that the book didn't require her to repeat each letter endlessly. Rather, it introduced her to how to form a letter, allowed her to practice it a little, and then immediately had her begin writing in cursive. By tracing, writing, and then copying, she was launched quickly into cursive!

The second part of the writing program, the drawing, was not very appealing to Mary-Catherine. She wanted to stick with writing cursive. Thanks to the flexibility of homeschooling, she was able to just plow through the book and do the cursive lessons. The drawing is a nice respite if your child needs it, but it is not, in my opinion, integral to the program. If Mary-Catherine's twin brother had been using PreScripts, he would have loved doing the drawing portions of the program, so this program offers great flexibility for different kinds of kids.

In Summation

Mary-Catherine loves PreScripts. She has not spent 15 minutes or so per day on handwriting; she has spent far more. She takes her handwriting book with her everywhere so that she can work on it if she has a spare minute. She loves seeing which scripture verse will be next, and she loves seeing how new cursive words will connect. Most of all, she is very proud that she is learning cursive and she loves showing off her beautiful (and durable!) book.

This book is a great value. You don't have to use Classical Conversations for it to be a great addition to your curriculum. If you have a reluctant writer, the drawing intervals could be a great incentive to get through a lesson, but it is a beautiful writing program all on its own.  The Crew reviewed several levels of PreScripts, so if your child is younger or older, be sure to check out all of the Crew reviews.