Letter formation families
Group lowercase letters by shared pencil movements in the handwriting style being practised, and practise letters in those groups.
What a learner can do afterwards
- Group the practised letters by shared movements, such as the starting curve in c, a, d, g and o
- Explain that practising a family repeats a shared pencil movement
- Use the shared movement consistently while keeping each letter's own finishing strokes
1 · Read
You have practised lowercase letters. Now group some by the pencil moves they share. We call these groups families. Here we use unjoined handwriting. Our curve family is c, a, d, g and o. Each begins with c's curve: start near the top right, curve left, down and round to the right. Other handwriting styles may use different groups. Follow the handwritten model your teacher shows you.
Our line family is l, t and i. Begin each with a line down. Add t's cross-stroke and i's dot afterwards. l is tall; i is shorter than l. This group is about movement, not height. Our curve letters c, a, d, g and o begin with a curve instead.
For c, a and d, begin with the same curve. c stays open on the right. For a and d, close the loop. Then a adds a short line down and d adds a tall line down. Practising these letters together repeats the curve. Their starts match, but their whole shapes differ. Families group movements, not height or alphabet order.
Our hump family is n, m and h. Go down, follow part of the line back up, then go over a hump and down. n has one hump; m repeats it to make two. h starts with a tall line, but its hump begins lower down. Our line and hump letters both start down. Look at what comes next. a is a curve letter.
Practise letters that share pencil movements. Keep the shared movement steady, then finish each letter in its own way.
Watch the pencil move was written for this dataset. Practise with the handwritten model used by the learner's teacher.
More to read
Watch the pencil move
Choose n and m for a short practice. Ask a grown-up to write them using the same handwritten model as your teacher.
Watch the pencil go down, back up and over a hump. n has one hump. For m, the pencil makes another hump beside it.
Now write one n and one m. Ask the grown-up to watch your pencil, too. Compare your movements with the model. The printed letters on this screen name the letters; they do not show where the pencil starts or how it moves.
2 · Watch
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