The BJU Press Handwriting series for grades one through six concentrates on handwriting with the emphasis placed on a clear, legible style. Children begin by learning slant print letter formation. Transition to a simplified cursive form takes place in second grade. The slant print is similar to D'Nealian, although it is not identical. Slant print makes the transition to cursive simpler.
Workbooks are appealingly illustrated in full color. I particularly like the way they use shaded, slanted gray sections on the lines to help students maintain correct slant in their own printing and cursive in the first two books.
The teaching information for the first-grade book is incorporated into the Home Teacher's Manual that also covers phonics and reading. However, you can probably manage without it. There are separate teacher editions for grades 2 through 6, but you should not need teacher editions for grade levels other than second grade. The second-grade teacher edition provides presentation methods as children make the transition from printing to cursive. The student book, alone, does not explain how to make the transition. Student books for grades three and up can be used on their own to practice or learn basic cursive forms.
These books offer students a great deal of practice, including models to copy. Bible verses, principles of salvation, and Christian character are incorporated into the lessons, which also correlate somewhat with content in other BJU Press texts for each grade level. However, books are not dependent on the use of other BJU Press texts. Biblical and cross-curriculum content is minimal in the first few books and starts to become obvious in the fourth-grade book.
Homeschool kits include one student manual and one teacher edition.
