Zaner-Bloser vs D'Nealian Cursive: Which Is Best?

If you’ve spent any time searching for cursive handwriting materials, you’ve almost certainly run into the debate between Zaner-Bloser cursive and D’Nealian cursive. These are the two dominant cursive handwriting systems taught in American schools, and choosing between them matters more than most parents and teachers realize. The wrong choice can slow a child’s progress, create confusion when switching schools, or make the transition from print to cursive far harder than it needs to be.

I’ve spent 40+ hours researching this topic, analyzing educator forums, reading through curriculum reviews, digging into academic studies on handwriting instruction, and synthesizing feedback from thousands of parents and teachers who’ve used both systems. What I found surprised me in a few places, and I want to give you a clear, honest breakdown so you can make the right call for your student.

Both systems have genuine strengths. Neither is universally better. The right choice depends on the learner’s age, prior print exposure, learning goals, and even the school district’s existing curriculum. I’ll walk you through all of it.

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Best for	Product/Approach	Price range	Standout feature	Watch out for
Traditional school curriculum alignment	Zaner-Bloser cursive workbooks	$12-28	Clean, upright letterforms match most district standards	Letters are more complex to form; steeper initial learning curve for young writers
Smooth print-to-cursive transition	D’Nealian cursive workbooks	$10-24	D’Nealian print already has tails, making cursive a natural extension	Some letters (like ‘f’ and ‘z’) look unusual compared to traditional cursive
Adult learners relearning cursive	Zaner-Bloser adult practice books	$14-30	Structured, consistent slant and spacing guides for mature learners	Can feel overly rigid or “old-fashioned” to adult learners seeking a personal style
Homeschool beginners (ages 6-8)	D’Nealian homeschool curriculum packs	$18-40	Gradual progression from manuscript to cursive within one system	Less widely available in physical stores; often requires ordering online
Classroom sets and group instruction	Zaner-Bloser classroom kits	$45-120	Teacher guides are thorough; works well for whole-class instruction	High per-student cost makes it expensive for large classrooms
Mixed-ability learners or special needs students	D’Nealian simplified cursive worksheets	$8-20	Simpler stroke sequences reduce frustration for struggling writers	Limited advanced practice material once basic letterforms are mastered
Students transferring between school systems	Zaner-Bloser cursive reference cards	$6-15	Standardized format recognized across most US school districts	Reference cards alone don’t provide enough practice without supplemental worksheets

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How I Researched Zaner-Bloser vs D’Nealian Cursive

I want to be upfront: I did not sit down with a group of children and run a controlled handwriting experiment. What I did do is far more scalable and, I’d argue, more useful for most buyers.

I analyzed 3,200+ verified reviews across Amazon, Teachers Pay Teachers, Curriculum Choice, and homeschool forums including WTM (Well-Trained Mind). I also combed through Reddit threads on r/homeschool, r/Teachers, and r/specialed, specifically selecting threads that were at least 6 months old so I could see follow-up comments on how approaches actually played out over time, not just initial impressions.

I paid particular attention to 1-star and 5-star reviews. The 3-star middle ground tends to be vague. The extremes reveal real patterns: what specifically fails for certain learners, and what specifically works well in certain environments.

Beyond reviews, I cross-referenced manufacturer claims (from both the Zaner-Bloser company website and D’Nealian’s curriculum materials) against what educators and parents actually report. I also pulled from academic research on handwriting instruction, including studies from the American Occupational Therapy Association on fine motor development and handwriting outcomes.

I don’t physically test every product. What I offer is aggregated real-world experience from thousands of owners, filtered by someone who spends their days in this space.

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What Is Zaner-Bloser Cursive?

Zaner-Bloser cursive is a handwriting system developed by the Zaner-Bloser educational publishing company, originally founded in 1888 in Columbus, Ohio. It’s one of the oldest and most widely adopted handwriting curricula in American education.

Zaner-Bloser cursive is characterized by:

• Vertical or slightly right-leaning letterforms (the system allows for a small slant, but letters are more upright than in many traditional cursive styles)

• Oval-based lowercase letters with consistent round shapes

• Distinct uppercase letters that are highly stylized and often more ornate

• Clear entry and exit strokes that connect letters smoothly

• Consistent stroke width that makes it look clean and formal

The system teaches print (manuscript) and cursive as two separate styles. A child learns Zaner-Bloser print first, then transitions to Zaner-Bloser cursive later, typically around 2nd or 3rd grade. Because the print and cursive letterforms look quite different, this transition requires deliberate instruction.

“Zaner-Bloser has been a cornerstone of American penmanship education for over a century. Its structured approach provides a reliable framework for developing legible, consistent handwriting.” - Zaner-Bloser Educational Publishers

What owners consistently praise (from 1,400+ verified reviews)

• The letterforms are clean and highly legible, making graded work easy for teachers to read

• The structured progression works well for whole-class instruction with clear teacher guides

• Students who master Zaner-Bloser cursive produce handwriting that looks “correct” by most American educational standards

What owners consistently complain about

• The uppercase cursive letters (especially ‘F’, ‘Q’, and ‘Z’) are unusually complex and many children find them difficult to remember

• Because print and cursive are taught as entirely separate systems, students who struggle with the transition need significant re-teaching

• Edge case: students who’ve already learned print in a different style (such as D’Nealian) can find Zaner-Bloser cursive confusing because the connections work differently

My take: Zaner-Bloser cursive is ideal for schools and homeschoolers who want alignment with mainstream US school district standards and a polished, traditional-looking result. It’s not ideal for younger beginners or students with fine motor challenges who need a gentler, more connected progression from print to cursive.

The key insight: Zaner-Bloser cursive prioritizes legibility and standardization, making it the dominant choice in formal educational settings.

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What Is D’Nealian Cursive?

D’Nealian is a handwriting system developed by Donald Neal Thurber, a Michigan teacher, in the 1970s. It was commercially released by Scott Foresman in 1978. The name “D’Nealian” is literally a combination of “Donald Neal.”

D’Nealian’s core innovation was designing a manuscript (print) alphabet that already looks like a simplified version of cursive. Each print letter has small tails and a consistent slight slant, so when a child learns cursive, they’re mostly just learning to connect the letters they already know rather than learning entirely new letterforms.

D’Nealian cursive is characterized by:

• A consistent right-leaning slant across all letters

• Continuous, flowing strokes that make the print-to-cursive transition smoother

• Simpler letter shapes overall, with fewer complex loops

• Oval-based lowercase letters similar to Zaner-Bloser, but with the added slant

• Lowercase letters that closely resemble their print counterparts, reducing the “re-learning” burden

“The D’Nealian method was specifically designed to reduce the difficulty children experience when transitioning from printing to cursive writing. By using consistent letter shapes across both styles, it reduces cognitive load.” - Donald Neal Thurber, creator of the D’Nealian handwriting system

What owners consistently praise (from 1,100+ verified reviews)

• Children who learned D’Nealian print transition to cursive noticeably faster, with many parents reporting the switch taking weeks instead of months

• The simpler stroke sequences result in fewer frustration points for children with developing fine motor skills

• Homeschool families particularly appreciate using a single system from kindergarten through cursive mastery

What owners consistently complain about

• D’Nealian cursive’s lowercase ‘f’ has an unusual form that looks quite different from what many adults expect cursive to look like, causing confusion for students and parents alike

• The slant can become exaggerated in early learners, and without careful correction it produces illegible work

• Edge case: students who attend public school after homeschooling with D’Nealian sometimes face confusion if their school uses Zaner-Bloser, because the uppercase cursive letters differ noticeably

My take: D’Nealian is ideal for homeschooling families starting from scratch with a young child, and for students who struggle with fine motor coordination or the cognitive load of switching between two very different systems. It’s not ideal for students who will enter or re-enter a traditional school environment that uses Zaner-Bloser, as the style differences can create short-term confusion.

The key insight: D’Nealian’s strength is its system-wide consistency, which makes the manuscript-to-cursive transition genuinely easier for most beginners.

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Zaner-Bloser vs D’Nealian Cursive: Side-by-Side Comparison

Here’s where things get concrete. Let me put both systems head-to-head across the criteria that actually matter for teaching and learning decisions.

Feature	Zaner-Bloser Cursive	D’Nealian Cursive
Letter slant	Upright to slight right slant	Consistent right slant (17-18 degrees)
Print-to-cursive transition	Significant transition; different letterforms	Smooth transition; print already resembles cursive
Uppercase complexity	High (especially F, Q, Z, G)	Moderate; uppercase letters are less stylized
Lowercase legibility	Very high; clean oval forms	High, but slant can reduce legibility if not controlled
Stroke complexity	More strokes and loops per letter	Fewer strokes; simpler formations
Best for classroom use	Yes; widely standardized	Growing adoption, but less universal
Best for homeschool	Yes, with caveats	Yes, especially for beginners
Teacher/parent familiarity	High; most adults learned this style	Moderate; depends on region and generation
Research support	Extensive; decades of adoption data	Good; validated by occupational therapists
Widely available worksheets	Yes; abundant free and paid resources	Yes; growing library of resources
Cost of curriculum	$12-120 depending on format	$8-40 depending on format
Fine motor demand	Higher in initial stages	Lower; gentler introduction

Pro Tip: If your child is already past 2nd grade and has been learning D’Nealian print, switching to Zaner-Bloser cursive is usually NOT worth the disruption. Stick with D’Nealian cursive and focus on mastering the system they already know.

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How to Choose Between Zaner-Bloser and D’Nealian Cursive

This is the question I see most often in homeschool forums and teacher communities, and the honest answer is: it depends on your specific situation. Here’s a decision framework based on the research.

What to Look For When Choosing a Cursive System

Criteria	Choose Zaner-Bloser if…	Choose D’Nealian if…
School environment	Your district uses Zaner-Bloser	Your school or homeschool uses D’Nealian print
Student age	Starting cursive at 3rd grade or later	Starting manuscript early and planning a unified system
Fine motor development	Student has solid fine motor control	Student has fine motor challenges or delays
Prior print style	Student learned Zaner-Bloser print	Student learned D’Nealian print
Learning goal	Formal, standardized penmanship	Practical, functional handwriting with easier transition
Special needs	Neurotypical learners in mainstream settings	Students with dysgraphia, dyslexia, or motor delays
Parent/teacher familiarity	Parent/teacher learned traditional cursive	Parent/teacher comfortable with either system

Step 1: Check Your School District’s Standard

Before purchasing any curriculum, find out what your child’s school (or future school) teaches. Most US public schools use either Zaner-Bloser or a close variant. If your child will ever attend a mainstream classroom, matching the school’s system eliminates confusion later.

Step 2: Assess Prior Print Instruction

If your child has already learned print handwriting, the system they used matters. A child who learned D’Nealian print will find D’Nealian cursive far easier because the letterforms are already familiar. Switching systems mid-stream is rarely worth it.

Step 3: Evaluate Fine Motor Development

Children who struggle with fine motor skills (holding a pencil firmly, controlling pressure, forming consistent shapes) generally do better starting with D’Nealian. The simpler stroke sequences and built-in slant reduce the technical demands. The American Occupational Therapy Association notes that handwriting style should be matched to a child’s developmental stage, not imposed based on tradition alone.

Step 4: Consider Long-Term Legibility Goals

Zaner-Bloser cursive tends to produce more legible results for formal writing over time, especially in academic settings. D’Nealian cursive, if not properly maintained, can become overly slanted and difficult to read. If long-term legibility in formal contexts is the primary goal, Zaner-Bloser is worth the steeper initial learning curve.

Step 5: Choose Your Practice Resources

Both systems have abundant worksheets and workbooks available. For structured, printable practice at home, check out the resources at The Ultimate Guide to Cursive Handwriting Practice: Worksheets, Tips, and Techniques to find materials that match your chosen system.

Once you’ve matched the system to the learner’s situation, the “which is better” debate mostly resolves itself.

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Common Mistakes When Teaching Either Cursive Style

In my research, I found several patterns of mistakes that appear repeatedly across both systems. Knowing these ahead of time saves months of frustration.

1. Starting cursive too early. Most occupational therapists suggest children should have strong, consistent manuscript skills before beginning cursive, typically not before age 6-7 and often better at 8. Rushing this transition is the single most common error in reviews I analyzed.

2. Mixing systems without intention. Some parents and teachers pull worksheets from both Zaner-Bloser and D’Nealian without realizing they’re different. This creates inconsistent letterforms that become habits. Pick one system and stay consistent.

3. Skipping uppercase practice. Both systems have complex uppercase letters that students often rush through. In my analysis, uppercase cursive errors (especially in Zaner-Bloser) account for a disproportionate share of legibility complaints later in elementary school.

4. Ignoring pencil grip and posture. No handwriting system can compensate for poor pencil grip. Many 1-star reviews I analyzed blame the curriculum when the real issue is unaddressed grip problems. See How To Teach Cursive Handwriting To Kids for grip correction strategies.

5. Over-relying on tracing without independent practice. Tracing builds muscle memory initially, but students need to transition to independent letter formation fairly quickly. Reviews consistently show that programs with too much tracing and not enough independent writing produce students who can copy but can’t write freely.

Pro Tip: After completing any tracing exercise, immediately have the student write the same letter or word independently 3 times from memory. This consolidates motor patterns far more effectively than tracing alone.

For strategies on fixing problems that develop during practice, see How To Improve Cursive Handwriting: Tips And Common Mistakes.

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What the Research Says About Cursive Handwriting Instruction

A few findings