Sitting, pencil grip and lowercase letters · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Sitting tall and holding your pencil

English · Handwriting & Transcription · ages 4-6
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Your letters should rest on the line when you write.

    Circle one:   True   False

  2. You sit down to write. Where should your feet be?

    • Up on the chair
    • Flat on the floor
    • Swinging in the air

  3. Your feet are flat on the floor and you are sitting tall. What do you do next?

    • Hold your pencil with your thumb and first two fingers
    • Swing your feet in the air
    • Squeeze your pencil as hard as you can with your whole fist

  4. Where do most lowercase letters start?

    • At the bottom
    • At the top
    • Wherever feels easiest

  5. You start at the top and move your pencil straight down. Which letter are you writing?

    • o
    • c
    • l

  6. If your hand feels tired when you write, you should squeeze the pencil harder.

    Circle one:   True   False

  7. Your letters are tiny, huge, tiny, huge on the same line. What should you fix?

    • Make every letter as tall as you can so people can see each one
    • Make every letter rest on the line and be about the same size
    • Skip a line between each letter

  8. Zara slumps down low in her chair and her writing wobbles. What should she do?

    • Hold the pencil tighter so her hand cannot move
    • Sit up tall with her feet flat on the floor
    • Lean down even closer to the paper

  9. Which row of letters will be the easiest to read?

    • One huge letter at the start, then tiny ones all the way after it
    • Letters that sit on the line and are about the same size
    • Letters that jump above and below the line

  10. Omar holds his pencil with four fingers and squeezes tight. His hand aches after one line. What should he change?

    • Squeeze with all five fingers
    • Press the pencil flat on the paper
    • Use three fingers and hold gently
LightMySky · lightmysky.comW1-mt_WBfj79OqXz-s1

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Sitting tall and holding your pencil W1-mt_WBfj79OqXz-s1

  1. True · Letters resting on the line look neat and are easy to read.
  2. Flat on the floor · Feet flat on the floor helps you sit tall and steady.
  3. Hold your pencil with your thumb and first two fingers · The getting-ready order is feet flat, sit tall, then take your tripod grip.
  4. At the top · Starting at the top helps your pencil move the right way down or around.
  5. l · The letter l is one straight line from the top down. c and o curve around.
  6. False · Squeezing harder tires your hand even more. A gentle hold is the fix.
  7. Make every letter rest on the line and be about the same size · Same-size letters resting on the line make your writing easy to read.
  8. Sit up tall with her feet flat on the floor · A tall back and flat feet steady the body, and a steady body makes steady writing.
  9. Letters that sit on the line and are about the same size · Same-size letters resting on the line are the easiest to read.
  10. Use three fingers and hold gently · A gentle tripod grip with three fingers keeps the hand comfy and in control.
Worksheet · LightMySky