Vertical Simplified Cursive

Characteristics

Origin	United States
Era	1970s onward
Region	US, occupational-therapy based programmes
Slant	upright
Loops	none
Lead-in strokes	none
Joins	simple joins, print-like
Taught today	programmes for children who struggle with conventional cursive

Rendered in Playwrite AU NSW, the closest available approximation; instructional labels are generic descriptors, not curriculum brands.

Vertical simplified cursive is an upright, unlooped model with plain joins, designed for children who struggle with the slant and loops of conventional cursive and well suited to left-handed writers.

Letterforms

The letters stand upright, with no slant to keep consistent. Ascenders and descenders are plain stems and tails rather than loops. The ovals of a, d, g, o and q are the print ovals. Capitals are close to their print forms. With slant and loops gone, the letter shapes are the ones a child already knows from printing, and the only new skill is the join.

Joins and lifts

Lowercase letters join through short, simple exit strokes; the bridge after b, o, v and w is the same as in other joined models. Capitals are written separately in most programmes that use this model, so the pen lifts after each. Dots and crossbars are added after the word.

Where it comes from

Simplified upright models appeared in US programmes from the 1970s for children who found conventional cursive hard, and the same idea underlies several Australian school scripts, which this site uses to render the model. The upright stance suits left-handers, whose pushing hand finds a right slant awkward, and children with motor difficulties, who are spared the loops.

Practising it

The worksheet generator prints this model in an upright school face, and the left-handed worksheets use it by default. The left-handed cursive guide covers grip and paper angle. Because the shapes are print shapes, most learners move straight to two-letter joins after a short review of the alphabet.

Frequently asked questions

Who should learn vertical simplified cursive?

Children who have struggled with conventional cursive, left-handed writers, and adults who want joined writing without loops. Its upright letters and plain stems remove the two things learners find hardest, a consistent slant and matching loops, while keeping the joins that make cursive fast. It is also a good model for a signature that has to stay legible.

Is vertical cursive slower than slanted cursive?

Not in practice. Speed in cursive comes from the joins, not the slant, and this model keeps the joins. Some writers find the upright letters a little slower at first because the hand naturally drifts to a lean; slant guides on the worksheet generator can be set to vertical to train it.

Can I mix vertical cursive with a slanted model?

Yes. The join rules are the same, so a writer taught one can read and write the other; the difference is cosmetic. Many adults write an upright hand that drifted from a slanted school model. Pick one for practice so the letters stay consistent, and switch later if you like.