The short answer: To practice letters at home the way your child's school teaches them, use big lined paper, start every letter at the top of its shape, and form each letter with the same strokes in the same order every time, saying them out loud ("big line down, back to the top, bump around"). First find out whether the school uses a ball-and-stick style or a slanted style, and match it. Show one letter, let your child trace it, then finish with them writing it on their own. Tracing alone is only half the job.
Why "the way school does it" matters
The Common Core kindergarten standards, which many states have adopted or adapted, ask children to "print many upper- and lowercase letters" (Language standard L.K.1.a) and to "write numbers from 0 to 20" (Math standard K.CC.A.3).
At the same time, teachers say children are arriving with less practice holding a pencil. In a January 2026 EdWeek Research Center survey of 1,163 early educators and administrators who work with pre-K through 3rd grade, more than half said children's fine motor skills had declined over the past two years, and 77% of respondents named increased screen time as a contributing factor. In EdWeek's 2024 State of Teaching survey, most pre-K–3 teachers (from 68% in low-poverty schools to 83% in high-poverty schools) said using scissors, crayons, pencils or pens had become more challenging for their students.
Classroom time for handwriting is short, too. In a national survey by Graham and colleagues (2008), teachers in grades 1–3 reported an average of about 70 minutes a week on handwriting, and only 12% said their teacher training had prepared them well to teach it. That study is older; a 2017 study of New York State public schools in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy (Collette et al.) found less handwriting time since the Common Core, and methods that varied from classroom to classroom.
So a lot of letter practice happens at home. If it uses the same shapes and starting points as school, your child learns one way to make each letter instead of two. As one forum member who teaches kindergarten put it: "It is a lot easier to teach [them] to form letters correctly in kindergarten than to 'undo' poor handwriting later."
What you'll need
- Paper with big, three-line ruling. A solid top line, a dashed middle line and a solid bottom line, spaced wide enough for kindergarten-size letters.
- A pencil or crayon your child can hold comfortably. Short pencils and broken crayons nudge little fingers toward the tip.
- A model of your school's letters. The alphabet chart from the take-home folder, a class handout, or a photo of the alphabet strip on the classroom wall. (Not sure which style it is? See "Which style does your school use?" below.)
- A table and chair that fit. Feet flat on the floor or on a box, elbows resting on the table.
- A few calm minutes. Not right before bed or after a long day. Stop while it's still fun.
Step by step: teaching one letter the school way
A practical order for home is model, trace, then write alone. The pictures are real pages, but the method works with any lined paper.
1. Match your school's style first
Before you teach a single letter, find out which handwriting style your child's school uses. Two print styles families commonly run into are a vertical ball-and-stick style and a slanted style with small tails, and letters like a, b and d look different in each. If home and school don't match, your child has to choose every time they write. A one-line note to the teacher answers it.
While you wait to hear back, start with the word your child cares about most: their own name.
2. Name the three lines
Point to the lines and give them names your child can remember: the top line, the middle line (the dashed one) and the bottom line. Some teachers call them the sky, the fence and the grass. Then use the same words every time: "The tall line starts at the top line."
3. Start at the top, every time
This is one of the most useful habits to build at home. Letters start at the top of their own shape (the top line for tall letters, the middle line for short ones like c, a and o) and move down or around. A letter started at the bottom can look fine, but it's easier to build the top-down habit now than to change it later.
Point to the start before your child writes, and say the strokes out loud. For capital B: "Big line down. Back to the top: bump around to the middle. Bump around to the bottom." Watch the first stroke more than the finished letter. A wobbly B that started at the top is a better start than a neat one that started at the bottom.
4. Model, trace, then write on their own
Show the letter once, let your child trace it a few times, then take the step that's easy to skip: have them write it on a blank line with no dots at all.
The page at the top shows the last two steps: trace, then write alone. Every letter, number and name page includes lines to write without tracing.
There's a reason for that last step. In a small brain-imaging study, James and Engelhardt (2012) found that 5-year-olds who practiced letters by writing them freehand later showed more activity in reading-related brain areas when they looked at letters than when they had practiced by tracing or typing. Tracing can introduce the path; the study supports adding a freehand attempt rather than stopping at tracing.
5. Teach letters in families, not A to Z
Grouping letters by their first stroke can make the routine easier to explain. With capitals, many families start with letters made only of straight lines (L, F, E, H, T, I), then add curves (D, P, B, R) and diagonals (A, K, M, N, V, W, X, Y, Z). With lowercase, the "c family" (c, a, d, g, o, q) all start with the same curve, and the "tall line" family (b, h, k, l, t) all start with a line down from the top.
6. Bring in their name early
Many children want to write their own name early, and it's often one of the first things they're asked to write at school. Teach the first letter as a capital and the rest in lowercase ("Emma," not "EMMA"), since that's how names are usually written in class. Use the same start-at-the-top routine for each letter.
7. Write numbers 0–20 the same way
Numbers follow the same rules: start at the top, same strokes every time, then write alone. The kindergarten math standard (K.CC.A.3) asks children to write numbers from 0 to 20, so pair writing a number with counting real things, like crackers on a plate or toy cars in a row.
8. Keep it short and end on a good letter
Short, focused practice beats a long, tearful session. Choose a small set of letters, praise one specific thing ("You started at the top!"), and stop while your child still wants more.
What to practice by age and grade
Every child moves at their own pace, and grade ages vary by state and district. These are general starting points, not deadlines.
Pre-K (usually ages 4–5)
- Pre-writing strokes first: straight lines down, lines across, circles, crosses and diagonal lines. These are the building blocks of letters.
- Capital letters made of straight lines, then curves.
- Their first name, starting with the capital letter.
- Lots of hand play away from paper: play dough, stickers, tongs, sidewalk chalk with a grown-up nearby, drawing in a tray of salt or sand. Teachers in the EdWeek surveys describe children who struggle with crayons and pencils, so time spent strengthening little hands counts.
- Don't push lowercase if your child isn't ready. Interest matters more than speed at this age.
Kindergarten (usually ages 5–6)
- Upper- and lowercase letters. The kindergarten standard L.K.1.a asks children to "print many upper- and lowercase letters."
- Numbers 0 to 20 (K.CC.A.3), written top to bottom.
- Name with a capital first letter and lowercase after.
- Sitting letters on the bottom line, with tall letters touching the top line and short letters stopping at the middle.
- Short words once letters feel easy: write "bus," "bed," "cat" on their own.
Common mistakes (and what to do instead)
Starting letters at the bottom
This is one habit worth noticing early. Children often start at the bottom because pushing up feels natural, or because of how they're holding the pencil (occupational therapy guidance from Your Therapy Source notes that a thumb tucked under the pencil can lead to bottom-up strokes). Instead: put a dot where the letter starts, say "start at the top," and watch the first stroke. Praise the start, not the finished shape.
Mixing up b and d
Writing b and d backwards is very common in young children. Occupational therapy guides (for example, The OT Toolbox) describe reversals as typical up to about age 7. Instead: teach b and d on different days and in different families. Lowercase b starts at the top line with a line down ("line down, back up, bump around"). Lowercase d starts at the middle line like a c ("make a c, then a tall line up and down"). If reversals still happen often in 2nd grade, or anything about your child's writing worries you, talk with their teacher or pediatrician.
Fighting about pencil grip
Young children often hold a pencil in their fist, and a more mature grip tends to develop as hands get stronger. Instead of correcting every time, give your child a short pencil or a broken crayon (which nudges fingers toward a fingertip hold), show your own grip without making a big deal of it, and build hand strength with play. If writing seems to hurt, or your child avoids it completely, mention it to the teacher.
Only tracing, never writing alone
Tracing follows a path someone else made; writing alone asks your child to remember it. That fits what James and Engelhardt (2012) saw in 5-year-olds' brain activity. Instead: end every practice with a letter written on a blank line.
Which style does your school use?
This guide covers the two print styles below. The goal is to match the one your child sees in class. We couldn't find a reliable national count of which style schools use more, so check with your child's school rather than guessing.
| Ball-and-stick (vertical) | Slanted (continuous) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it looks like | Straight-up letters built from lines and circles | Letters lean slightly, with small "tails" at the end of many lowercase letters |
| Lowercase a | A circle plus a straight line | An oval with a tail at the bottom |
| Lowercase b / d | A straight line and a round circle | Made in one continuous motion, often with a tail |
| Why schools pick it | Simple shapes that look like book print | Built to lead into cursive later |
| Often described as | "Zaner-Bloser style" | "D'Nealian style" |
Zaner-Bloser and D'Nealian are names and trademarks of their respective owners. We use them only to describe the style, and Quiet Days Printables isn't affiliated with Zaner-Bloser, Inc. or with the owner of the D'Nealian trademark.
Some schools use their own simple vertical style, which is closest to ball-and-stick. How to tell: look at the lowercase a and d on a worksheet or the classroom alphabet strip (circles and straight sticks = ball-and-stick; a slight lean with tails = slanted), or ask the teacher.
Frequently asked questions
At what age should my child start writing letters?
Many children enjoy pre-writing strokes (lines and circles) in the preschool years and begin letters in pre-K. By the end of kindergarten, the Common Core standard L.K.1.a expects children to print many upper- and lowercase letters. Follow your child's interest and the teacher's guidance.
Should I teach capital or lowercase letters first?
Capitals are made of simpler lines and all start at the top line, so many families begin there. Kindergarten covers both, and your child's name is usually written with a capital first letter, then lowercase.
Is it normal for my 5-year-old to write b and d backwards?
Yes, it's very common. Occupational therapy guides describe reversals as typical up to about age 7. Teaching b and d with different starting points can make them easier to tell apart; if reversals continue often into 2nd grade, talk with the teacher or your pediatrician.
Are tracing worksheets enough?
Tracing is a helpful first step, not the whole job. In James and Engelhardt's small 2012 study, freehand writing, not tracing or typing, was linked to more activity in reading-related brain areas in 5-year-olds. Finish each practice with a letter written alone.
How do I know which handwriting style my child's school uses?
Check the lowercase a and d on school worksheets: circles and straight sticks mean ball-and-stick; a slight lean with small tails means slanted. Or ask the teacher.
How long should a practice session be?
Short. A few focused minutes on a small set of letters is plenty. Stop before your child gets frustrated, and end with something they did well.
Sources
- EdWeek Research Center, "Toileting and Tying Shoes: Young Students Increasingly Lack Basic Skills," Education Week, March 2026 (survey of 1,163 early educators and administrators, pre-K–3rd grade).
- Education Week, "Young Kids Are Struggling With Skills Like Listening, Sharing, and Using Scissors," The State of Teaching 2024 (nationally representative survey of teachers; this question answered by pre-K–3 teachers).
- Common Core State Standards: English Language Arts L.K.1.a; Mathematics K.CC.A.3.
- James, K. H., & Engelhardt, L. (2012). The effects of handwriting experience on functional brain development in pre-literate children. Trends in Neuroscience and Education, 1(1), 32–42.
- Graham, S., Harris, K. R., Mason, L., et al. (2008). How do primary grade teachers teach handwriting? A national survey. Reading and Writing, 21, 49–69.
- Collette, D., et al. (2017). Handwriting and Common Core State Standards: Teacher, Occupational Therapist, and Administrator Perceptions From New York State Public Schools. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71(6). doi:10.5014/ajot.2017.021808
- The OT Toolbox (letter reversals); Your Therapy Source (pencil grasp and letter formation). Practitioner guidance, not research studies.
- Kindergarten teacher quote: Well-Trained Mind parent forum.