Welcome to RainbowResource.com — Learning Tools for Homes and Schools Serving Home Educators Since 1989

Mom’s horrible handwriting inspired us to use an italic handwriting program with our kids. It’s difficult not to produce at least legible writing in Italics. Another plus is that manuscript flows into cursive - letters don’t completely change, they just join. Not only does this seem sensible to us, but the many compliments the children have received on their handwriting have further encouraged us in this approach. (Children begin moving into cursive writing in Level C.) The last level gets into calligraphy toward the end. From there, follow up with a good calligraphy book for Jr. High/High School and continue handwriting as an art form! Instruction Manual applies to all levels.

Customer Reviews

 
Dawn F. from St. Simons Island, GA wrote the following on 10/25/2006:
My daughter is a visual learner and I had heard that Italic handwriting may be easier for her. Boy, were they right! Her handwriting has improved while using this book, and each page has numbered lines, so I can easily only assign 2 or more lines so she doesn't get tired of writing. One of the things I really like about the book as well is that at the bottom of many of the pages, it has the student evaluate their own work. Also, the teacher's edition is very well done and gives pointers for all of the levels - so you don't have to buy a new teacher's book each year.

 
Melanie R. from Florida wrote the following on 06/25/2009:
I have been very pleased with this handwriting curriculum. I bought it on Karen Andreola's recommendation and have stuck with it for years. You can't beat the value and no teacher prep is necessary. Just pick up the book and start where you left off. I plan on using this curriculum all the way through my childrens' homeschooling years.

 
Janelle C. from Montana wrote the following on 04/26/2007:
This is the only handwriting curriculum we have used. My girls are 6 & 7 and have completed books A and B thus far. There is virtually no prep work on my part. The girls are even encouraged (by the curriculum) to check/critique their OWN work once they complete the 'lesson'. We chose this style because the transition to cursive is minimal and it is very legible. I do have the Instructors manual that accompanies this series. Other than tips on correct posture, pencil grip, and paper position, I haven't used it much. My 6yo child is a perfectionist and she LOVES these workbooks. My 7yo is not a fan of anything that requires effort (to put it lovingly) but her writing is very nice regardless. I expected to move through these books at 1 per year, but we completed books A and B in 5 months. I bought the blackline masters for both books but have found that copy work is a more effective and fun way to practice. I have had my girls doing copy work for several months to refine their skill, and we are already ready for book C. I am very pleased with this curriculum and will continue to progress through it!

 
christy o. from marquette,mi wrote the following on 05/01/2007:
This is the best handwriting curriculum on the market! My son was having fine motor trouble and this was a lot easier than any other program for him to use! When we began this program his handwriting was terrible! Now he has readable handwriting!! There is no teacher prep and the teacher's book is optional in my opinion. I do have it, but don't use it. A great value for the price!!

 
Rebecca P. from Clewiston, FL wrote the following on 06/04/2007:
We have been using "Italic" for the past several years and could not be more pleased with this product. At the time I chose this series, my son was in 2nd grade and really struggling with letter formation. There was very little consistency in his letter size and formation and very little carry over from the program we were using. I was dreading teaching him cursive, because I knew he would feel as though he were learning a completely new alphabet when he didn't even have print mastered. I decided to try the Italic program because of the consistent letter formation from print to cursive. The transformation was amazing. The books were very easy to use and the instruction was (and still is) embedded within the student's book. I had my son do about 6 lines everyday and had him go back over his work each day to encourage him to grade his own writing. He picked the best letter or word from each line and placed a star over it. In the early days, I would also occasionally have him pick the worst letter, erase it, and redo it. The books give more than adequate practice in each letter without becoming boring or monotonous. I now have 3 sons working through these books and have consistently seen results that are wonderful. They all have beautiful, elegant handwriting that always elicits comments from those who see it. The handwriting style taught in these books goes beyond producing legible writers; it produces writers that have a lovely, appealing style. Though I consider nice handwriting invaluable, the fact that this series is very inexpensive is a great plus. (Especially for families with multiple children) It is even less expensive than the program I was using that was definitely not working. Though there is a teacher's manual available, I did not purchase it so I cannot speak to its effectiveness. Our results have been sparkling with using only the student books. Some critics of this program cite the fact that if a child does not write standard loopy cursive, that reading it will be difficult. I have addressed this issue by regularly having our sons dictate journal entries which I write into their journals with my standard loopy cursive. They then read them out-loud back to me. We have had great success using this method. The website for Portland also offers assistance with this by having a section showing all the popular handwriting styles side by side with Italics. It is easy to print off and place in your child's notebook should they need a quick reference. Overall, I give this program an A+++ for value, results, and ease of use. Often, a person's first impression of us comes from our handwriting, and I feel confident is saying that Italics will not disappoint.

 
Dana B. from TX wrote the following on 07/28/2007:
I love this!!! I didn't start it until my oldest was in 5th grade. Her handwriting was horrible. She is dyslexic and just had a really hard time writing anything because it took her so long and then after all that work, you could barely read it. She was embarrassed to write anything that her friends might see. This series made a huge difference. We did short lessons each day & then practiced the lesson doing copywork. By the end of the first book (I think Book C) you could see a huge difference. It was a huge confidence boost. The rest of my kids have all done very well with it also. It has short lessons, it is cheap to buy and very painless to use. EXCELLENT!!!

 
Leila C. from Tennessee wrote the following on 09/18/2007:
We have used this series for a few years now. It is the only handwriting style I have ever taught my girls. The writing is beautiful and it is such a natural way to write. They really enjoy their books and there is pretty much no prep work for me. When we do our copywork I have the girls use their books as references if they get stuck on how to correctly write a certain letter.

 
Leigh F. from Steele, Missouri wrote the following on 10/25/2007:
ITALIC HAS PROVEN ITSELF TO US! I have used this writing program from the beginning with my boys, one is 15 yrs old now. It is not uncommon at all to hear compliments on his penmanship from adults around him. As he grew through the grades, his WRITING NEVER BECAME WORSE because there is such a small difference in the basic letter and the cursive counterpart. It is simple for the teacher and the student, and attractive to look at...so it is always legible. We also have the Blackline Masters (I am not sure if those are still available) which offer a lot of practice. When my youngest son needs more practice, we pull out notebook paper and make him go at it. He will be using notebook paper for years anyway. He loves his letters and flies through it. We have recently been approached by a friend whose third grade son has terrible handwriting. We just ordered his first workbook. He saw ours and wanted to try it right away. She is a public teacher and very impressed with seeing our Italic. Italic stays neat and legible even as children grow and have to take lots of notes. Speed is accomplished more quickly with Italic and the writing does NOT suffer. The best advice I can give is to begin it as early as possible, but do not be afraid of switching to it. I learned it in my thirties and love it too!

 
Ruth S. from DC wrote the following on 05/07/2008:
We have used the Italic Handwriting Series from book A-G! Each day they write and copy the letters exactly the way it is in bold. I never had either of my girls crying over handwriting with this series. They both have beautiful handwriting today!

 
Melanie R. from Florida wrote the following on 06/25/2009:
I have been very pleased with this handwriting curriculum. I bought it on Karen Andreola's recommendation and have stuck with it for years. You can't beat the value and no teacher prep is necessary. Just pick up the book and start where you left off. I plan on using this curriculum all the way through my childrens' homeschooling years.

 
Teri A. from North Carolina wrote the following on 08/02/2009:
In my pre-kid years, I was a serious calligrapher. In calligraphy circles, I always heard the lament that children ought to be taught italic handwriting in schools, because the letterforms are strong and legibility holds up well even when written quickly. Also, printed italic forms segue simply and easily into their cursive counterparts. There are no confusing loopy cursive letters to learn with this method. Now I'm homeschooling my kids, and there was never any question which handwriting method I would use. I'm very pleased with this Italic Handwriting Series. I even used it myself once upon a time to clean up my own handwriting. Cursive is begun about halfway through Book C. At the end of the final book in the series, calligraphy is even introduced.