In cursive, the letters of a word join, but words don’t. Finish a word with its exit stroke, lift the pencil, and start the next word a little way over: about the width of a small o.
Key idea
Join the letters inside a word; lift and leave a space between words.
Why it works
The space is the only way a reader can see where one word ends. Joined words look like one long, strange word.
Worked example: Write a big hat
Where do you lift the pencil in a big hat?
- Write a and its exit stroke. Lift.
- Leave a small space. Write big, lift, dot the i.
- Leave a space. Write hat, lift, cross the t.
Answer: After each word.
Common mistake
Joining the last letter of one word to the first letter of the next. Check: can you count the words by the spaces?
For the grown-up. Spacing in cursive works like the finger spaces of print, only a little smaller.