Home Schooling

Why it is Important to Teach Correct Letter Formation!

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It can often be assumed children will pick up how to write letters if they see them often enough (by osmosis). This is just not the case.  Correct letter formation has to be taught. Seeing a completed letter or word or watching it being typed up and appear on a screen does not show children how to form the letters.

For children to develop a good handwriting style it is important to learn how to form letters correctly to begin with as this makes the transition from single letter formation to joined letter handwriting much easier. This enables them to develop a speedy, fluid and legible handwriting style.

Department of Education; The writing framework: July 2025; page32 & 33; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-writing-framework now recognizes and highlights the importance of teaching correct letter formation from the very beginning, so, starting in foundation stage:

“It should be:

• daily, until pupils can write legibly and easily

• taught in small steps, with lots of opportunity for practice

• cumulative: teachers should build on what pupils have learned previously 

• consolidated before teaching moves on so that pupils do not practise letters incorrectly

• revisited when further practice is needed

• demonstrated by the teacher

• additional to any handwriting that forms part of teaching phonics”

Letters are created through joining lines and curve shapes in a particular way. They have a designated start point and set directional pushes and pulls of the pencil to reach the designated finish point. This is why from the very start (2012) Teach Handwriting has always taught letter formation in groups/families rather than in alphabetical order (a Year 1 national curriculum statutory requirement in 2015). Certain groups use the same, or similar, shape and directional push and pulls of the pencil to form the letter, for instance the letter c has the same start point and anti-clockwise directional movement shape that is needed to create the letters a, d, g, o and, though a little more complicated, the letters s and e. Teaching letters in groups and families can also help to limit letter reversals such as b and d.

Another interesting and very important useful point included in the “Department of Education; The writing framework: July 2025; page 33; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-writing-framework, for Year 1 is that:

“Wide-lined paper is essential at this stage. Mid-line guides can also help pupils to position letters. Pupils should be introduced to paper with narrower lines once they can write legibly and easily on wide-lined paper.”

Which I believe, acknowledging the fact that children can form their letters correctly if taught correctly but may not be ready for narrow line height paper due to their developmental stage of their fine motor skill.

Also, it explains how in Year 2:

“To join letters easily and legibly, pupils first need to form the shape of each letter correctly, starting and finishing each one at the correct point and ensuring that its size is properly related to other letters in the same family.”

Due to how handwriting has or hasn’t been taught over the generations we all have our own way of handwriting. When supporting and teaching young children we need to develop a consistent approach so that they do not get confused or frustrated by adults giving them conflicting information.

For parents this means finding out from your child’s school which letter font they are teaching so that you can support them more effectively at home. This may mean that you have to learn a new way of writing some letters.

This also applies to teachers and teaching assistants; “Department of Education; The writing framework: July 2025; page 32; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-writing-framework states:

“Teachers’ own handwriting should provide a model of high standards, across the curriculum and not just in handwriting lessons, but particularly when pupils are learning to write.”

As the adults in the situation, we have to accept that it is for us to make the changes. Just because something is different to the way we were taught, or do it, doesn’t mean it is wrong, it is just different! 

Our free letter animations are not just to support children with their learning but also to provide parents and teachers (all adults really) with the knowledge and support to help children develop a consistent handwriting style.

Parent animation link: https://teachhandwriting.co.uk/parents.html

Teacher animation link – click through on the Key Stage you are teaching: https://teachhandwriting.co.uk/teach-handwriting-teachers.html

Stage 2 to #Handwriting Success – Single Letter Formation (non-pencil activities)

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Over the last couple of weeks, we explained that pre-handwriting patterns are the first stage of learning to handwrite. Once a child has mastered these, they are ready to start learning how to form letters.

But where do you start?

Our view is to focus on lower-case letters first and only the capital letters for the first letter in a child’s, examples: Peter Rabbit, Sally Green, George Blue or Mary Shell.

Why?

  • One reason is that about 95% of what children write, and are exposed to, is in a lower-case form and only 5% in capital.
  • Lower-case letters are far less complicated, requiring fewer pencil lifts to complete the letters.
  • As both lower-case and capital letters require a child to form curved lines, a skill which most children have to practice, writing lower-case letters is no more difficult than writing capitals.
  • In a young child’s writing, all the letters are initially the same size, whether they are capitals or lower case; it is part of the normal developmental path of handwriting. So, the view that teaching capitals letters is easier because they are bigger is not true.
  • Young children who have learnt mostly capital letters first find it difficult to stop, as it is so ingrained into the memory, often using them half way through words and sentences. Even when they are older this inappropriate use of capitals creeps back into their work especially if they are tired or concentrating hard on composing their work.

A child’s first major achievement, in their eyes, is to write their name. So, although concentrating on lower-case letters, teach them how to form the capital letter for the first letters of their name to get them excited about handwriting.

As they master the lower-case letters introduce the remainder of the capital letters. It is important that both are taught so that a child can develop a speedy, fluid and legible handwriting style.

As with the pre-handwriting patterns, part one of learning correct letter formation is through non-pencil activities. This is because it supports the storage of the larger gross motor memory movements; the stage of development that EYFS are working at. They can then tap into those gross motor memory movements as their fine motor skills are developing; taking the stored large movement to a smaller and smaller scale.  

Once again ‘The writing framework’ acknowledges that:

“On joining reception, some children may need teaching and practice in using and manoeuvring their thumb, wrist and shoulder muscles in the way they need for handwriting. Initially, handwriting lessons could include learning the movements needed to form letters, practising these movements at a range of sizes…”

Department of Education; The writing framework: July 2025; page 24; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-writing-framework

It is through play that you can really engage a child in learning how to correctly form their letters, and has always been an important foundation stone in our Foundation Stage Teach Handwriting Scheme (https://www.teachhandwriting.co.uk/handwriting-teaching-manuals.html#hs-fs ) and strongly promoted on our website https://www.teachhandwriting.co.uk ) and blog (https://teachhandwriting.blog/ ) since 2012.  

Our non-pencil – ‘Big to Small’ activities are an easy fun way to start developing these skills early on through play: https://teachhandwriting.co.uk/big-to-small.html

Stage 1 to #Handwriting Success – Pre-handwriting Patterns

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Last week we looked at non-pencil pre-handwriting pattern development, working on large scale movements through play activities.

The next stage in the progression is to move to pencil and paper activities.

Again ‘The writing framework’ states that:

“Teaching should then progress to specific handwriting lessons and practice. This might initially include systematic teaching of and practice in moving the pencil to master the horizontal, diagonal, vertical and circular strokes needed for writing.”

Department of Education; The writing framework: July 2025; page 25; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-writing-framework

Here at Teach Children Ltd we always recommend teaching the handwriting patterns in groups, as this helps to further develop the specific movements (pushes and pulls) required to form the patterns and helps commit them to the motor memory. A child can then recall these motor memories to support them as they begin to form letters.

Pre-handwriting patterns that encourage a child to move their pencil from left to right are very important for left-handed writers. They need to be taught this so that they can make the cross motion in the H, T, J, G and I from left to right, as their natural instinct is to go from right to left. If this is not corrected when writing E and F the cross lines will not be “anchored” to the letter.

Once the handwriting patterns have been mastered a child will have the confidence and skills base necessary to start forming letters, numbers and symbols.

Have you got your Free Pre-handwriting Pattern Animations & Worksheets?

For Teachers: https://teachhandwriting.co.uk/pre-handwriting-patterns.html

For Parents: https://teachhandwriting.co.uk/patterns.html

Stage 1 to #Handwriting Success – Non-pencil – Pre-handwriting Patterns

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Learning to handwrite does not start with pen and paper but through play (non-pencil activities), as children explore shape and motion (how the body moves) through their senses – touch, sight and body awareness. Play is such an important element of your child’s physical, emotional, social and academic development.

Pre-handwriting patterns are the first stage in supporting a child to handwriting success. They help the child to learn the shapes and directional pushes and pulls required to form letters. All letters are a combination of these shapes and lines.

Young children can start to learn these patterns through their play, long before they are ready to pick up a pencil, moving toys back and forth across the floor or whirling them around in the air. To a child it is just play and fun, but you are doing something far more powerful and constructive by helping them to develop the motor memory patterns and directional movement skills they will need for handwriting.

Later, as their coordination and gross motor skills develop, they make more controlled and varied movement patterns in their play. Changing directions, speed and size are all prerequisite skills needed for learning pre-handwriting patterns.

Once again ‘The writing framework’ acknowledges that:

“On joining reception, some children may need teaching and practice in using and manoeuvring their thumbs, wrist and shoulder muscles in a way they need for handwriting. Initially, handwriting lessons could include learning the movements needed to form letters, practising these movements at a range of sizes…” 

Department of Education; The writing framework: July 2025; page 24; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-writing-framework

It is through play that you can really engage a child in learning how to correctly form these movements or what we refer to as pre-handwriting patterns and have always been an important foundation stone in our ‘Foundation Stage Teach Handwriting Scheme (https://www.teachhandwriting.co.uk/handwriting-teaching-manuals.html#hs-fs ) and strongly promoted on our website https://www.teachhandwriting.co.uk/index.html ) and blog (https://teachhandwriting.blog/ ) since 2012.  

Our non-pencil – ‘Big to Small’ activities are an easy fun way to start developing these skills early on through play: https://teachhandwriting.co.uk/big-to-small.html

The Three Stages to Learning Handwriting

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There are three distinct stages for children to progress through to develop a good handwriting style:

Stage 1 – Pre-handwriting Patterns

Pre-handwriting patterns support a child towards handwriting success. They help the them to learn the shapes and directional pushes and pulls required to form letters. All letters are a combination of these shapes and lines.

Stage 2 – Single Letter Formation

For children to develop a good handwriting style it is important to learn how to form the letters correctly.

Beginning with lower-case letters and only the capital letters for the first letter in a child’s name, examples: Peter Rabbit, Sally Green, George Blue or Mary Shell.

Learning the correct lower-case letter formation also makes the transition from single letter formation to joined letter handwriting much easier.

Stage 3 – Joined Handwriting

Learning to join letters for handwriting enables children to develop a speedy, fluid and legible handwriting style.

Games to support Alphabet Letter Knowledge

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Learning the correct letter names helps to reinforce that when talking about the letter ‘a’ (ay) for example it has a set shape regardless of the sound that it will be representing in the word. This further supports children’s handwriting development as the communication of your requirements is unambiguous.

Learning the unique letter names of the alphabet is a pre-phonics skill; as well as an early learning goal. It has to be remembered that a letter is a shape which only represents a sound when it is placed within a word or sentence (has a context). Also, a letter or combination of letters can represent more than one sound and so the only unique way of identifying alphabet letters when we talk about them is to use their names.

It is important to remember that just because a child can correctly recite the ‘Alphabet’ song it does not mean they know the letters of the alphabet. It is surprising how many children can do this but when shown letters from the alphabet cannot name them at all. They may be able to tell you the sound the letter makes but have no idea of the letters name.

Snap

Number of players: 2 – 4

How to Play

You will need a set of flash cards. Anyone can deal. The cards are shuffled and dealt out as equally as possible between the players. Keeping their pile of cards face down in front, so they cannot see what they have got, each player takes it in turn to turn over the top card of their pile and place it face up into the middle of the table to make one stack of cards.

When two consecutive cards are placed on the stack that match, any player can call “Snap”, whoever says it first wins the stack of cards and places them face down at the bottom of the pile of cards they already have. They then lay down the next card into the middle of the table.

If a player says “Snap” incorrectly they have to give the player wrongly ‘snapped’ a card from the top of their own pile, given face down.

When two players say “Snap” at the same time the pile in the middle is moved to one side and called the ‘Snap Pool’. The game continues as before with a new central stack, if the top card placed down on the new central stack is the same as the top card on the ‘Snap Pool’ then the player who say “Snap Pool” first, wins the ‘Snap Pool’ pile. However, the central pile game just continues as before until ‘snap; happens again.

A player who runs out of cards has to drop out of the game.

The winner is the last player with cards.

Pelmanism (Memory Game)

Number of players: 2 – 6

How to Play

You will need a set of flash cards. The cards are thoroughly mixed and spread face down on to the table or floor. They can be arranged in a regular pattern or randomly, but they must not overlap.

One player turns over a card, leaving it in the same place, they say what it is and then turn over another saying what it is. If the two cards match then the player keeps them and has another go. If the cards do not match then the cards are turned back over in the same location as before and it is the next players turn.

The game is finished when all the cards have been matched and the winner is the one with the most pairs.

Detective Game

Number of players: 2 upwards

How to Play

  • Spot the Letter ‘?’ – Look for letters or words in everyday places such as street names, posters, in the home or shops, signs or menus etc…
  • Letter of the Day! – Pick a particular letter or word to be the search letter or word for the day, choose one that your child will be able to find in everyday places such as street names, posters, in the home or shops, signs or menus etc…

Give us a Clue – To find a particular letter or word through directional clues of where to look, using phrases such as it is next to…, below or above…, in font of…, the last…. etc.

Jumping games

Leap Frog 

Number of players: 2-6

How to Play

You will need something to mark the beginning of an imaginary start line and finish line (the imaginary pond edges). The aim of the game is to get from one side to the other using the lily pads (cushion, cones, anything that can mark a spot).

Place about 10 lily pads, marked with the target words/letters/sounds (could be paper with them written on or flash cards), randomly between the start and finish lines, making sure your child can jump between them safely and that the lilies will not slip. Explain that only by jumping on to the correct lily pad are they safe from falling into the water.

There is a caller and a jumper (the frog), the caller says a letter/word or sound that the frog has to jump to.

As they jump from one lily pad to the next, they have to say the letter/word/ sound correctly if they do not want the lily pad to sink. If they make completely the wrong choice they sink into the water and have to start again. The aim is to get across the pond without getting wet.

For every correct jump the frog earns 2 points, if they land on the right lily pad but do not say, or incorrectly say, the word/letter/sound (so get wet feet) they earn 1 point. If they make a completely wrong jump, they do not earn any points from that go and have to start again. The winner is the player with the most points.

You may need to show and model the game to your child to start with, but once they have the hang of it there will be no stopping them.

Children enjoy it when you play the game as well, they just love being able to catch you out so sometimes making mistakes on purpose can really help to focus them in on the game.

Skittles & Throwing games

Skittle Alley

Number of players: 2 – 6

How to play

You will need: up to 10 skittles (can be plastic bottles with a little sand/water/gravel in to make them stable, but not too heavy that they cannot be knocked over) and a range of balls (different sizes), flash or picture cards and some tape or blue-tac. This game is best played on a smooth surface.

The aim of the game is to knock over the skittles that match the criteria set. It could be the letter named or matching capital letter to given lower case letter. This game can be used for all sorts of letter and sound work.

Tape flash/picture cards to the skittle (bottles). Think about distance between the thrower and skittles to take into account the ability of your child’s rolling or throwing skills. Also make sure the skittles are a sensible distance apart so that particular skittles can be targeted and that the ball used is not too big (will knock over too many skittles in one throw).

(Skittle Ally Cont…)

Scoring – 2 points for every correct skittle knocked down, 1 point for correctly aiming at, but not knocking down the correct skittle. Your turn is over if you completely miss the skittles or knock over the wrong one.  The winner is the one with the most points after each player has had 6 turns. One turn is 3 throws.

Drawing – a Pre-skill for Handwriting

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Drawing pictures is a great way to help your child develop their pre-handwriting stokes and shape formation skills. It is amazing how, by using these simple shapes, you and your child can create fantastic pictures.

Try using basic shapes as circles, rectangles and triangles to begin with and then add some swirls, curves and spirals to give extra detail.

Check out our play resources page for more great pre-handwriting picture ideas: https://teachhandwriting.co.uk/more-activities.html

The Right Handwriting Tool for the Job!

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As with learning any new skill the right tool at the right time can make a real difference to the whole learning experience as well as the outcome. Learning to handwrite is no different.

Young children due to their gross and fine motor skills ability require chunky shafted tools so that they can grip them effectively. This means they have a greater control over the tool and can achieve a more satisfactory outcome. If they are using a tool that is too thin, they will find gripping it difficult and have to keep changing their grip. They will have less control of the tool making the experience disappointing at best and discouraging at worst.

To help young children to store patterns and letter shapes formation into their motor memory it is important that the tools used provide a resistance rather than one that flows effortlessly over the writing/drawing surface. The greater the resistance the more the body can neurologically acknowledge (feel) the movement and help to send appropriate information to the brain.

Some of the best tools for young children to begin learning to draw patterns, shapes and correctly write letters:

  • Chalk on boards, walls or paths
  • Flip chart pens or large felt tips on course paper such as sugar paper
  • Using appropriately sized paint brushes on course paper or surfaces
  • Finger painting or finger drawing in sand, paint or cornflour mix
  • Finger tracing and then trying to draw the pattern, shape or letter straight afterwards.
  • Try chalking the shape or letter onto a blackboard and have the child use a damp sponge to wipe it off again (make sure the child starts in the correct place and moves correctly around the shape or letter to the correct finish point).
  • Appropriately sized crayons and pencils on course paper or card (non-shiny side of cereal boxes and corrugated card can be good fun and different to use).

As children begin a more formal approach to learning to form their letters correctly then appropriately sized and lead grade pencils are the best tool for the job. Pencil come in all widths, lengths and shapes. The key is to find the style of pencil which best suits the child and their stage of pencil grip development. Remember one size doesn’t fit all!

When a child has learnt to join their letters and has a good and consistent letter size and places all their letters on the writing line correctly in relation to each other, then it maybe they are ready to be moved to pen. It is important before moving a child to pen that they are writing with speed (appropriate for their age) and fluidity (comfortable writing all the letters of the alphabet lower and upper-case correctly). A child whose handwriting is slow and laboured may need additional support and time before being moved on to pen.

The Move from Pencil to Pen

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A while ago we looked at why pencils, rather than pens, are a good first tool for learning to handwrite.

Children can’t wait however for that magic day when the teacher moves them from pencil to pen. It really is a big moment and means more than just “I can write neatly”, for them it is an acknowledgement of their maturity (growing up) and a status symbol of intellect and ability in their eyes and those of their peers.

Moving from pencil to pen can have a dramatic effect on a child’s confidence and self-esteem.  I have seen how moving a child from pencil to pen can give them a new found confidence and self-belief in their own ability, because I showed my belief in them by making that gesture. They may not have had the perfect font style in pencil but moving to pen did improve their ability to form letters more freely and become more consistent in their formation.

It is difficult to put an age on when a child should move from pencil to pen because every child is different. Schools have different policies on when this should happen, with most tending to make the move at around the age of 8/9 years old. It should really depend on the child’s ability rather than their age, as well as the potential benefits the move may have to confidence and self-esteem.

It does not make sense to keep a child working with pencil until they have a perfect handwriting style because that may never happen. For many a neat, beautiful handwriting style may never be a reality.

Advantages of pens:

  • A good quality pen will give an even ink flow.
  • A more consistent hand pressure is required, helping to develop and maintain a fluid handwriting style (reducing hand strain).
  • Fibre tip and roller pens can give the same look and writing experience as a good quality fountain pen, but are far less messy (especially for left-handed people).
  • With the right pen everyone’s handwriting can look good, (I love my fountain pen for that reason).

Limitations:

  • Cheap biro pens require a lot of hand pressure and give an inconsistent ink flow (so not very different from pencils).
  • Cheap fountain pens can be scratchy and messy
  • Some schools will insist on using a particular type of pen which is not always good for all.

My tip would be to test a few pen types and weights to find out which ones your child finds the most comfortable and enjoyable to use. I realise this can be an issue if your child’s school insist on one type of pen. But if you can prove your child’s handwriting ability is great with a different style, I think it is worth talking to them about it.

Moving from pencil to pen is an important point in a child’s education, affecting their confidence and self-esteem, and like any transition stage it should be approached with thought and care.

How to improve your child’s handwriting

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School Reports – Handwriting Improvements Needed!

So, the school report has been received and you have been told that your child needs to improve their handwriting.

This is all well and good, but what exactly needs improving?

What are they finding difficult and how on earth do you write a continuous cursive z? 

So, you eventually get some handwriting practice sheets home or off the web. But no amount of time spent doing them seems to make much difference. It seemed to take longer to get them started than they spent practising handwriting. In fact they seemed worse because they were unhappy and frustrated with their own progress, so the more you try to push them the more resistant they become. Eventually you think there has to be a better way than this?

Doing more of what you are already struggling with is not always the answer. Handwriting is a complex skill to learn and there are a number of reasons why a child may be struggling.

There is a lot of information and free resources on our ‘Parent’ page which has been designed to help you: https://teachhandwriting.co.uk/parents.html

Try not to get over whelm, take things slowly and keep it simple.

Some things you might want to check and work on first before thinking about your child’s letter or join formation:

  • How are they sitting, is it a good position, it makes a difference;
  • Paper position and tilt can have a real impact especially if they are left-handed writers;
  • Are they using an efficient pencil grip for their age.

If your child is finding some or all of these elements difficult it might be that you need to work on their physical strength as well. Again, you will find information and games to help build this at the same time. And with the summer holidays coming up it is a great time for you to play games and do activities which then help them to develop the strengths and skills which may be holding them back and making handwriting a difficult task to master.

It is important to check and know which letter formations are being taught in school and that this is what you teach at home. Otherwise, you will only be causing more frustration and stress for your child.

Please note that if the letter formation being shown in the @Parent@ section is not the one being taught in school, check our @Teacher@ section of the website as you may find it there: https://teachhandwriting.co.uk/key-stage-1-handwriting-routes.html