Why waste time teaching kids to write print Hebrew?

I actually often use print (block) letters for things like mitzvah notes, since my kids get a kick out of identifying their names and letters.
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It's kadosh. You want a Jewish kid to not know how to form the letters of the Torah?
DH couldn't have written a sefer Torah if he didn't know how to write print Hebrew!

Platinum Member Joined: Oct 14 2009 Posts: 5877

Don't know about Israel, but here in NY most schools actually do not devote much time at all to print handwriting. They do have the kids form print letters until they learn script in first grade or so, and this is very helpful in reinforcing the letter shapes so they will be able to learn reading more easily. But it's not stressed very hard, they don't teach penmanship in print.

Moderator Joined: Mar 29 2005 Posts: 18276

My son learned to read print letters in kindergarten (4-5), write script in pre-1a (5-6). There was no teaching of writing print letters.

They just reviewed writing script letters now at the end of 1st because they barely wrote at all this past year and many boys forgot some letters.
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Gold Member Joined: Jul 07 2009 Posts: 1720

Silver Member Joined: Jun 14 2010 Posts: 692

The torah and sifrei kodesh are written in these letters. They are beautiful and a form of art in themselves. I don't see it as a waste. Half of the things kids are taught in school are not relevant to many kids later in life, but that's not a reason not to teach it. And anyway, once the kids are being taught to read it, how difficult is it to teach how to write it?

Diamond Member Joined: Jan 19 2006 Posts: 4427

None of my kids learned to print hebrew block letters. If any one did it, they did it for fun. The year after they learned to read they learned hebrew script, By the end of first grade they were already reading and writing script letters. By the end of second grade, hey were already fluently reading rashi script. Who doesn't know script hebrewby third grade?

Diamond Member Joined: Feb 28 2010 Posts: 4861

All my kids learned print in kindergarten and grade one.
I think it's a good way of doing things, it forms a solid base when they are learning the same way of writing as reading. Why confuse them with another format, right at the very beginning?
Besides, Hebrew print is such a major part of our history and culture, I can't imagine why anyone would want to cut it out of the curriculum. Shouldn't our kids be totally fluent in writing their own tongue?

Moderator Joined: Aug 14 2005 Posts: 4539 Location: Ohio

My kids learned it when they were first learning. (Pre-k through first part of first grade.) It makes sense because all the materials they are learning from--books, posters, whatever, use the block letters. Writing letters that look the same as what they are learning makes it a single skill.

Then, when they KNOW the letters, don't have to think that a beis makes a "b" sound, they switch to script (first half of first grade). Trying to combine the two skills would make learning much more difficult for those letters that look nothing alike in print and script.

Kids who go to an afternoon school after attending public school, in my experience, never learn script.
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Moderator Joined: Mar 29 2005 Posts: 18276

I only can write "big letters". For some reason I find script very difficult, also to read.
DD knows both but is much better at big letters.
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And I don't know any school in America that teaches print. It must be an Israeli meshugas.

My son, not in America, learned script in 1st grade, not print.

Platinum Member Joined: Mar 24 2008 Posts: 6528

I'm in America. My son did not learn to write print hebrew. He picked it up from reading it, but the rebbe spent no time teaching it.

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Platinum Member Joined: Aug 01 2005 Posts: 16882

it's not taught in the US. Maybe Israel is diffferent as that is the writing of the country, but in the US, print Hebrew is only taught in art class.
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Diamond Member Joined: Aug 07 2006 Posts: 2556

According to my daughter (entering 8th grade), she did learn Hebrew printing in first grade. This is in a MO school in the US.

Platinum Member Joined: Jan 01 2006 Posts: 48145

Isn't it a shaylah to print more than a few words ? Doesn't it take on the status of a Sefer Torah or something ?