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.