Did you know your child should be able to write his name and identify it in print by the time he is enrolled in school? Learning to write letters is an important benchmark because it furthers the development of letter recognition and fine motor control. There is also a connection between writing and literacy in that writing improvement frequently correlates with reading improvement. While some students learn to write letters easily; others need direct instruction and practice. If your child is hesitant to write letters, start with something easy and meaningful like his name.

Print the pupil’s name on a sheet of paper with a felt-tip marker. Alternate capital and lowercase letters, such as ALEX, alex and Alex. Place tracing paper over the original and secure to a flat surface with tape.

Direct the child’s attention to the strokes by finger tracing the letters. Sound out the letter as in L is for “l-l-leaf, lettuce and love.” Provide cues for each case, “‘L’ goes from top to bottom and left to right” as well as the lowercase. Guide the child’s hand until he can trace independently then repeat the process with a pencil – model, guide and apply.

Learn to evaluate letters for accuracy rather than neatness. Ask the child if the traced letters match the original. Reteach as necessary, keeping in mind alignment, legibility and speed develop naturally with practice. The initial goal is to form the strokes.

After you have the child write the letters of his name, help him learn to distinguish it from others. Add similar names such as Alec or Alice to the original sheet then ask him to point to all the places where his name appears.

Tips to Learn Letters

To learn additional letters, locate worksheets with dotted manuscript at websites like TLS Books.com or free form letters at Beginning Reading.com.

Inquire which style of writing is part of the curriculum at the school your child will attend – Zaner-Blosser or D’Nealian. (Zaner Blosser emphasizes vertical letters while D’Nealian relies on slanted script as a transition to cursive.) Both styles have advantages and disadvantages, but advance knowledge can spare your child from having to learn a new series of letter strokes.

Write letters on a handwriting tablet. Hint- It’s the kind of paper that looks like a highway with a divided line down the center.

Remember children learn to write one letter at a time. If your child gets tired, draw and color pictures of objects that represent the sounds of letters – A is for “Airplane” and C is for “Candy”.