Letter Tracer

Little levels (ages 4 to 6)

1. Straight letters L, T, I, H, E.
2. Round letters O, C, G, S, U.
3. Lines and bumps A, B, D, P, R.
4. Little letters c, o, a, t, l on the line.
5. Numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Big levels (ages 7 to 9)

1. b, d, p, q The tricky twins, with the line and bump on the right side.
2. Tails and tall g, j, y below the line; h, k, f up high.
3. Trace a word Cat, dog, sun, one letter at a time.
4. Numbers to ten 6, 7, 8, 9 and the two digits of 10.
5. Cursive letters Cursive l, e, c, a, o in one smooth stroke.
6. Longer words Ship, frog, cake.

The big ideas

• Letters are made of strokes in order. An L is a line down and then a line across; a B is a line and two bumps. Learning the stroke order and direction makes handwriting fast and even, and the same movements come back in every letter.

• Start at the top. Almost every letter starts at the top and comes down. The dot and arrow show where to begin, which stops the habit of drawing letters from the bottom up.

• b, d, p and q are twins. They share a line and a bump; what differs is which side the bump is on and whether the line goes up or down. Tracing them with the right stroke order is the surest way to tell them apart.

• Little letters sit on a line. Lowercase letters share a baseline and a middle line; tall letters reach up and tails hang below. Keeping letters on the lines is what makes writing readable.

• Cursive flows. Cursive letters are made in one continuous stroke and join to their neighbors, which is why they are quicker once learned. A few loopy letters are a gentle start.

Try it at home

1. Air writing Trace big letters in the air with a whole arm, saying the strokes out loud: down, across! Then try it with eyes closed.
2. Tray tracing Pour a thin layer of salt, sand or flour on a tray and trace letters with a finger. Shake to erase and go again.
3. Dot to start When your child writes, put a small dot where each letter should start. It fixes most backwards and bottom-up letters.
4. Name practice Write your child's name in large letters with a highlighter and let them trace over it with a pencil, then write it on their own underneath.

Ask after playing

• Which letter was the hardest to trace? Why?
• Where does the letter b have its bump, and where does d have its line?
• Can you trace the first letter of your name in the air?