Writing digits 0-9
Form digits 0-9 correctly and legibly
What a learner can do afterwards
- Write all digits 0-9 clearly with correct starting points
- Form digits the appropriate size relative to letter height
- Write numbers legibly so they can be read by others
1 · Read
Every digit has its own shape. You draw each one the same way every time. Then when you write your age or your house number, everyone can read it right.
Most digits start at the top. Put your pencil down at the top, then move down or curve around from there. Starting in the same spot every time is what makes your digits come out the same shape every time.
Ben writes a 5. He starts at the top with a short line down. Then he curves around at the bottom.
Digits come in shape families. The digits 1, 4, and 7 are made of straight lines. The digits 0, 3, 6, 8, and 9 are curvy. The digits 2 and 5 mix a line and a curve. When you write a 2, start with a curve at the top, slant down, then finish with a flat line at the bottom.
Round shapes need to close all the way. A 0 with a gap at the top can look like the letter C. The digit 8 has two loops, one on top of the other, and both loops close up tight. A 6 keeps its one loop down at the bottom, and a 9 keeps its one loop up at the top.
Digits have a size as well as a shape. Write your numbers as tall as your capital letters, so a digit stands the same height as a B beside it. Too tall or too tiny and your numbers stop matching the words around them.
Write each digit the same way every time, sized just right.
2 · Watch
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22 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.