Handwriting Helpers

Handwriting Helpers

Parents,

Here are the phrases I will use to describe how the letters are formed.  Please feel free to use this vocabulary with your child when you practice handwriting! If you ask your child to tell you where to start writing a letter, I hope the answer you receive is “At the top!”

FROG JUMP CAPITALS
These letters all begin at the top, on the left side:
F:  Big line down, frog jump!  Little line across top, little line across middle.
E:  Big line down, frog jump!  Little line across top, middle, bottom.
D:  Big line down, frog jump!  Big curve to bottom corner.
P:  Big line down, frog jump!  Little curve to middle.
B:  Big line down, frog jump!  Little curve to middle, little curve to bottom.
R:  Big line down, frog jump!  Little curve to middle, little line slides to bottom.
N:  Big line down, frog jump!  Big line slides to bottom, big line goes up.
M:  Big line down, frog jump!  Big line slides down, up, down.

 

STARTING CORNER CAPITALS
These capitals all begin at the top, on the left side:
H:  Big line down.  Lift pencil to top right corner for big line down.  Lift pencil  to the middle for little line across.
K:  Big line down.  Lift pencil to top right corner, kick to the middle. Slide  away.  (Ask your first grader to tell you the story of Mr. Kaye and Mrs. Kelly, the karate teachers!)
L:  Big line down, little line across.  (Do not pick up the pencil.)
U:  Down, travel, and up.
V:  Big line slides down and up.
W:  Big line slides down and up, down and up.
X:  Big line slides down, big line slides down.
Y:  Little line slides down to the middle, big line slides down.
Z:  Across, big line slides down, across.

 

CAPITALS THAT ARE CENTER STARTERS
These capitals all begin in the top center:
C:  Make a “magic C”.
O:  Make a “magic C”.  Keep on going around.  Stop at the top.
Q:  Make a “magic C”.  Keep on going around.  Stop at the top.  Add a little  line.
G:  Make a “magic C”.  Go up.  Add a little line.
S:  Make a little curve.  Turn.  Make another little curve.
A:  Big line slides down, big line slides down, little line across.
I:  Big line down, little line across top, little line across bottom.
T:  Big line down, little line across top.
J:  Big line down, turn, stop.  Little line across top.

 

LOWER CASE LETTERS
c:  Made like the capital letter partner, only smaller.  It fits between the 2 lines.
o:  Made like the capital letter partner, only smaller.  It fits between the 2 lines.
v:  Made like the capital letter partner, only smaller.  It fits between the 2 lines.
w:  Made like the capital letter partner, only smaller.  It fits between the 2
 lines.
s:  Made like the capital letter partner, only smaller.  It fits between the 2 lines.
t:  Start at the top, which will be above the double line on the Handwriting  Without Tears handwriting paper.  Go down.  Bump the bottom line. Cross  in the middle.
a:  Make a magic c. Up like a helicopter.  Bump.  Slide down.  Bump.
d:  Make a magic c. Up like a helicopter.  Up higher.  Slide down.  Bump.
g:  Make a magic c. Up like a helicopter.  Back down.  Turn to the left.
u:  Down.  Travel up.  Down.
i:  Down.  Dot. e:  Start.  Hit the ball.  Run the bases (1st base is the top line, 2nd base is where you started the e, 3rd base is the bottom line).  Stop.
 l:  Down.
k:  Down.  Kick!  Slide away. y:  Slide down.  slide down.
j:  Down.  Turn.  Dot. p:  Down.  Up and over.  Around.  Bump the p.
r:  Down.  Up and over. n:  Down.  Up.  Over.  Down.
m:  Start with n.  Up and over.  Down.
h:  Down.  Up and over.  Down.
b:  Down.  Up and over.  Around.  Bump the b.
f:  Up.  Down.  Cross.
q:  Magic c.  Up like a helicopter.  Bump.  Back down.  U turn.
x:  Slide down.  Slide down.
z:  Across.  Slide down.  Across.