Handwriting Power-Up Programme

Hg
Pr-p
P
for Key
S
and be tage 2
yond
Contents
Starting the Handwriting Power-up Programme
p3 Introduction for parents
p4 Get set for handwriting: practice session checklist
p5 Ready, steady... go!
p6 Handwriting practice paper
p10 My handwriting pledge
p11 Handwriting Power-up Programme: it’s the starting line!
p15 Check your handwriting speed
p15 Assessment: Where is your handwriting at?
p16 STARTING LINE: Letter shapes and spaces
p17 STARTING LINE: Letter sizes and joins
p18 STARTING LINE: Letter slopes and speed
p19 How to use the exercises in the Handwriting Power-up Programme
p20 Pit stop – letter size and staying on the line
p21 Handwriting letter families
Letter shapes: long ladder letters Author:

p22 Writing the letters i, l, t, u, y, j Michelle van Rooyen
p52 Create your own scribble quilt Design:
Dani Corbett
Letter shapes: one-armed robot letters Editor:
p53 Writing the letters r, n, m, h, b, k, p Elena Dalrymple
p88 Directionality and breathing pit stop
Handwriting Power-up Programme
© Jade Creative Ltd t/a TheSchoolRun
Letter shapes: curly caterpillar letters
p89 Writing the letters a, c, d, f, g, o, e, q, s
p134 Pit stop – slanting letters and slanting lines
Letter shapes: zig-zag monster letters

p135 Writing the letters v, w, x, z
p155 Pit stop – capitals review
p160 Pit stop – spacing between words and within words
p162 Intervention 1: Spacing within words
p163 Intervention 2: Spacing between words
p164 Pit stop – layout advice
p165 Layout practice
Joined letters (cursive writing)

p166 Linking letters: stringing and joining
p171 Diagonal joins: short to short, short to tall, tall to short
p181 Horizontal joins: short to short, short to tall, tall to short
p187 Pit stop – sorting out distortions The right of Michelle van Rooyen to be
identified as author of this Work has been
p188 Pit stop – practising bigrams and trigrams asserted in accordance with sections
77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and
p194 Pit stop – building speed Patents Act 1988.
p195 Try some speed with fluency practice! All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
p196 Assess your progress be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, copied
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
p197 Pit stop – improving fluency and speed photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted
without written permission from the publisher. You
p199 Finishing line – style and stamina must not circulate this book in any format.
2
Introduction for parents
Most handwriting resources are designed for beginner writers aged between 4 and 8.
They’re colourful and beautifully illustrated, but packed with cartoon pictures and huge
letter spaces – no wonder older kids find them too “babyish”! That’s why we’re so proud
of TheSchoolRun's Handwriting Power-up Programme, a practical guide to improving
handwriting that’s aimed at older children (and adults).
In our age of digital communication, why is handwriting still such an essential skill?
Research shows that learning to write by hand has a positive effect on brain function
and development. Primary-age children write more, write faster and express more ideas
when they produce written work by hand: the ability to write letters automatically frees up
cognitive capacity for the quality and content of written communication. It’s a skill for life
– and makes school life much easier, too! Reading and writing go hand in hand in primary
school, and fluent handwriting also helps children become more fluent readers.
Though it’s vital, handwriting is not an easy skill to master. Individual children will find
different aspects of handwriting tricky, but by using occupational therapy approaches and
National Handwriting Association best practice advice this guide will help you identify the
areas your child is having trouble with so you can support them with the correct pen and
paper exercises and build their confidence. As you work your way through this eBook,
don’t forget how challenging handwriting practice sessions can be. In fact, why not print
out two copies of some of the exercises so you can complete them alongside your child?
You’ll improve your own writing, too!
SIZE MATTERS: The font size in this book is designed to be smaller than it might
be in other handwriting books because it is aimed at a KS2 (and above) audience.
For legible handwriting, the key is size consistency.
BE PATIENT: Patterning, sketching, doodling and colouring through the activities

in this book will help develop the building blocks of fluent, legible handwriting:
pencil control, accuracy, hand strength and visual perception skills.
SWITCH UP PRACTICE SESSIONS: If your child has trouble with an exercise, print
out a few copies of it and try it again, perhaps using a different pen each time. You
could also try the exercises out on different-sized paper, for example large flip chart
paper on the floor with a box of pastels or crayons. Or why not practise forming
letters with chalk markers on windows or mirrors?
HAVE FUN AND BE MINDFUL: A more “grown-up” approach to handwriting

development includes plenty of mindful activities which will get your child into
the right mindset for working on their skills. It can also be fun! Add to your child’s
stationery stash and get them a few coloured ink pens and fine fibre tip pens to
use, as well as their usual pen, to make doodling colourful and satisfying.
Michelle, occupational therapist, handwriting tutor and mum
3
Get set for handwriting:
practice session checklist
TOP
TIP Make sure you have done some big body moves like stretching,
1 walking or climbing up and down the stairs before you start. Take a few
deep breaths through your nose and breathe out slowly through your
mouth before picking up your pen.
TOP
TIP Set a timer. Work for no more than 15 to 20 minutes at a time and focus
2 on quality rather than quantity.
TOP
TIP
Check your posture! The way you hold your body when you're
3 writing can put extra strain on your muscles and make handwriting
uncomfortable and more difficult.
s Find a supportive chair that is the right size for you, with space
to move your feet into different positions, always in contact with the
support of the floor. A cushion might offer lower back support.
s Your table should also be at the correct height in relation to you so
your shoulders aren't hunched and you're not folding over onto it.
s Sit comfortably: avoid a C-shaped back and aim to tilt your hips
forwards rather than slouching into the back of the chair.
TOP
TIP
How are you holding your pen? The dynamic tripod grasp is the classic
4 handwriting position for children (and adults). If your fingers, hand,
wrist or even shoulders, back or legs hurt when you write, watch this
step-by-step video on TheSchoolRun for tips:
https://www.theschoolrun.com/video-dynamic-tripod-grasp-explained
Remember, there are a variety of efficient ways to hold writing tools. The
dynamic tripod grip is ideal but it is not the only "correct" pen grip. If you
are concerned, an occupational therapist will be able to offer expert advice.
TOP
TIP Tilt your paper to ensure you are not twisting your body. Make sure you
5 choose the right shade of paper and line width – turn to pages 6-9 for
different handwriting practice paper you can print to write on.
TOP
TIP Try not to press into the paper too hard as you write. Use just enough
6 pressure into the page and finger pressure
onto your writing tool to ensure a controlled but
comfortable handwriting experience.
  g
H 
4
Ready, steady... go!
Before you start writing, do a last check of your set up...
Why not cut out this handwriting checklist and keep it on your
desk during handwriting practice sessions?
!
Posture
Pen
Paper
Pressure
Handwriting practice paper

On the next few pages you'll find some blank handwriting practice
paper. This penmanship paper is available in different formats, with
shaded areas to show you where to place the bodies of letters.
Pages with shaded areas should be used for copy tasks. If you are
practising spelling or doing some free writing, use lined paper (like
p8) instead.
5
HANDWRITING PRACTICE PAPER: new writer
6
HANDWRITING PRACTICE PAPER: improving writer
7
HANDWRITING PRACTICE PAPER: confident writer
8
HANDWRITING PRACTICE PAPER: words practice
9
MY HANDWRITING PLEDGE!
Set the right handwriting expectations for you
➜
➜
Stamina Lots of "S factors" Stamina
➜
Style Style
impact our
➜
➜
Speed Speed
➜
➜
Presentation handwriting Presentation
SHAPE SPACE SIZE SITTING STRING SLANT

Avoid the extremes here Fast handwriting should
and aim to use YOUR best be used mostly for note
handwriting only for rare taking. It still has to be
occasions (for a card or legible to the writer in
handwritten presentation, one week, one month
for example). and one year’s time.
PERFECT ORDINARY RAPID

Only a Legible, comfortable & fluent Super fast
robot writing
can write is no use
perfectly Being BRAVE to you if
Being SMARTER = writing fast
all the = aiming for good no one
enough to get
time! presentation your thoughts (including
on paper you!) can
read it!
The right handwriting for every occasion
10
Handwriting Power-up Programme:
it’s the starting line!
Print out the following pages. Using the pen
or pencil you usually write with, complete this
starting line snapshot task.
Circle the letters or words which you feel are
tricky or need improvement.
1. Write your name and surname.
2. Write today’s date in words (for example, Monday 10 January)
3. Write the numbers one to ten: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
4. Write the alphabet in capitals:

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
5. Write the alphabet in lower case:

abcdef ghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
11
6. Pangrams are sentences which include every
letter of the English alphabet.
Can you copy this pangram for one minute in your

best handwriting? Now write it again, for another
minute, this time in your fastest handwriting.
In the box below, count how many legible words you have written each time
(for example, best = 6wpm / fast = 7wpm). Date this page so you can see
how much your handwriting has improved when you try this exercise again!
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Date:
Fast:
Best:
7. Write these words from dictation:
apple, birthday, chicken, egg, farmer, ground,

kitty, paper, squirrel, window.
Now circle the words you feel you can make look smarter / more legible.
12
8. Write these sentences from dictation:
A mad boxer shot a quick, gloved jab to the jaw of his dizzy opponent.
The five boxing wizards jumped quickly.
Sixty zips were quickly picked from the woven jute bag.
13
9. Write about you, your family, your pets, school or hobbies for 5 minutes.
14
Check your handwriting speed
On average, this is how fast we write when we are copying (writing down
your own ideas will always be slower than completing copying tasks):
7-8 years = 5-7 words per minute
9 years = 7-9 wpm Date:
_________ wpm
10 years = 8-13 wpm
11 years = 10-15 wpm
Adult = 20-23 wpm
How do you measure up? Count the number of legible words you wrote in
response to question 9 of the starting line snapshot task and divide by five
to work out your average words per minute.
Assessment: Where is your handwriting at?

To “mark” your starting line snapshot task, sit with an adult and look at:
1. LETTER SHAPES: do they start in the correct place and follow the
correct pattern?
2. LETTER SIZE RATIOS: are your letters all the same size?
3. SPACING INSIDE WORDS: are the letters crunched up or are there

gaps where there shouldn't be?
4. SPACING BETWEEN WORDS: is this consistent?
5. Whether your LETTERS ARE SITTING ON THE LINE.
6. If you write in cursive, HOW YOUR LETTERS ARE JOINED TOGETHER.
On your marks,
get set...
15
STARTING LINE: Letter shapes and spaces
Q1: Are the letter shapes correct?
NO YES
For letter help for i l Q2: Spaces

u y j t go to page 22
NO Are the letters Are there

inside your consistent
words evenly spaces between
spaced, with your words?
For letter help for
no smashes
r n m b h p k go to
or gaps?
page 53
YES
NO YES
Good
work!
For letter help for That's
acdf goeqs great!
go to page 89
NO
NO
Go to
For letter help for v w p160 for
x z go to page 135 spacing
activities
STARTING LINE: Letter sizes and joins
Q3: Are your words consistently sized?

Are your tall letters taller and your
tail letters below the line?
NO YES
Go to p20 for size Q4: Are your words all

exercises sitting on the line?
NO YES
Go to Q5: Are you comfortable

p134 to with joining up letters?
practise Can you read your
this skill joined handwriting?
NO YES
Go to p166 You're on
for help track!
STARTING LINE: Letter slopes and speed
Q6: Are all your letters sloping the

same way?
NO YES
Go to p134 for Q7: Do a speed test! Can you write

help with sloped faster and still be legible?
handwriting and
tips to help you
angle your writing
in the same way
NO YES
Go to p194 Q8: Style and

to try some stamina are
speed-building important in
activities handwriting. Can
you write for a
while before you
have to stop?
NO YES
If you find it hard to

Well
finish your work in
done!
time, turn to p200
for some tips
How to use the exercises in the
Each of the handwriting pages you will work on has the same format.
1. You’ll start with the warm up, dedicated to relaxing your fingers and
hand (and your mind!) ready for writing. You’ll be doing simple doodles and
sketches, colouring and designing page frames.
2. Next you’ll be practising individual letters. You might be writing randomly
all over the page and writing letter sequences on handwriting lines. You'll
need to pick the best examples of the letters you wrote. Remember, you can
use the back of your blank page for additional practice work.
3. Finally you’ll put all your practice letters into writing entire words. You’ll
be boosting your vocabulary, too, as we’ve picked some very unusual and
interesting words for you to copy. Look them up in the dictionary!
Challenge exercise
When writing longer words you may have trouble with the shapes of
some letters or problems with consistent spacing or trying to keep
all your letters on the line. So we’ve found an incredibly long word –
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis – and want you to practise
writing it in the boxes on this page every week. Date each of your attempts
and highlight the letters you would like to improve, then look back over them
to see how your writing improves over time.
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
Date:
Date:
Date:
Date:
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is a lung
Did you know?
disease caused by inhaling very fine ash and sand dust.
19
Pit stop – letter size and staying on the line
To be legible, letters need to be the correct size and sit neatly on the line
you are writing on.
“Tall” letters have ascenders, midsize letters are all short and the same
size and some letters have “tails” known as descenders.
stick or ascender
Ascender refers both to the upper part of the
letter and the name given to the type of letter.
body
abcdefg
tall letter/ascender line
short letter/x-height line
baseline
tail letter/descender line

tail or descender
Descender refers both to the lower part of the
letter and the name given to the type of letter.
1. Copy this long word. Is every letter sitting on the line? Are the ascenders,
descenders and bodies of the letters the correct size? Copying a chunk of
letters at a time (honorifi / tatibus) might be easier. Tick each letter you’re
happy with and circle the ones you could improve.
Honorificabilitudinitatibus
2. Maintain the letter sizes and stay on the line in the following sentence.
Honorificabilitudinitatibus is the longest word in the English

language that has alternating consonants and vowels. It means
invincible, glorious, honourable.
Often we come off the line when the spelling is tricky and we
are writing carefully, looking at the sequence of every letter
as we copy. It might help to practise the word on scrap paper
before you write it on lined paper.
Size ratio practice paper (see p6) can also help if you’re
working on getting the ratio and placement of letters correct.
20
Handwriting letter families
The letters of the alphabet can be divided into ‘movement groups’, based
!
on the movement made to start writing the letter.
l liutyj
c cadgqoesf
r rnmhkbp z z v w x
Each group has a lead letter: L for Long ladder letters, C for Curly caterpillar
letters, R for One-armed robot letters and Z for Zig-zag monster letters.
l l i u t y j Long ladder
letters
Curly caterpillar
letters
c c a d g q
o e s f
r r n m h k b p One-armed
robot letters
Zig-zag monster
letters
z z v w x
The handwriting practice activities on the following pages are

organised in these letter family groups.
21
i
i
Letter shapes:
Long ladder letters – writing the letter i
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter i in five different colours?
i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i
Warm up
Get your fingers and your pen ready for writing by filling in the empty circles
and boxes below with dots and vertical and horizontal lines. What pictures can
you create?
22
i
i
Can you place 20 more letters anywhere on the page?
Circle or star sticker your best ones!
Can you
create a
doodling frame by
the shape
letter i (s s for the
o the dot
and the
straight
line)?
Can you write a line of these letters?
i
i
i
23
Copy these words, then look at them with an adult and tick where you have
reproduced the shapes correctly. On the last two lines, write the word independently.
i
igloo igloo igloo igloo igloo igloo
igloo
i
ice ice ice ice ice ice ice ice ice

ice
i
idea idea idea idea idea idea idea

idea
i
24
i
indigo indigo indigo indigo indigo
indigo
i
itch itch itch itch itch itch itch

itch
i
island island island island island

island
i
25
i
ill ill ill ill ill ill ill ill ill ill ill
ill
i
in in in in in in in in in in in
in
i
intelligent intelligent intelligent

intelligent
i
26
Letter shapes: l
l
Long ladder letters – writing the letter l
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter l in five different colours?
l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l
Warm up
Get your fingers and your pen ready for writing by drawing lots of busy stick
people in the shapes below. How many people can you fit into each shape?
27
l
l
Can you
create a
adding a frame by
stick per
every em son in
pty circl
practisin e ? You’ll b
g the sha e
to write p e s w e use
the letter
l!
l
l
l
28
l
unintelligible unintelligible
unintelligible
u
classification classification
classification
c
lentil lentil lentil lentil lentil

lentil
l
29
l
musculoskeletal musculoskeletal
musculoskeletal
m
illumination illumination
illumination
i
little little little little little

little
l
30
l
label label label label label
label
l
million million million million

million
m
illuminate illuminate illuminate

illuminate
i
31
Letter shapes: t
t
Long ladder letters – writing the letter t
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter t in five different colours?
t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t
Warm up
Get your fingers and your pen ready for writing by doodling some shapes in
one continuous line, without lifting your pen from the paper. How much of
each of these shapes can you fill with one line?
32
t Can you place 20 more letters anywhere on the page?
t
Can you
create a
drawing frame by
some lon
dachshun g, thin
d dogs? A
dd one
to each c
ircle.
Did you k
now that
famously Picasso
drew his
dachshun pet
d, Lump, i
line? Loo n j u st one
k the pic
ture
up online
!
t
t
t
33
t
tortilla tortilla tortilla tortilla
tortilla
t
reptilian reptilian reptilian reptilian

reptilian
r
standstill standstill standstill

standstill
s
34
t
stretch stretch stretch stretch
stretch
s
ventilated ventilated ventilated

ventilated
v
tortoise tortoise tortoise tortoise

tortoise
t
35
t
tomato tomato tomato tomato
tomato
t
tinted tinted tinted tinted tinted

tinted
t
turncoat turncoat turncoat turncoat

turncoat
t
36
u
u
Letter shapes:
Long ladder letters – writing the letter u
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter u in five different colours?
uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
Warm up
These spiders need some webs to live on! Can you get your fingers and your
pen ready for writing by covering the windows in cobwebs?
p
p
37
u Can you place 20 more letters anywhere on the page?
Can you
filling ea
wavy doo
practisin
create a
ch circle
i
dles? You
g the sha
n
frame by
colourful
’ll be
pes for
u
the letter
u!
u
u
u
38
u
muumuu muumuu muumuu
muumuu
m
multicultural multicultural
multicultural
m
Zulu Zulu Zulu Zulu Zulu Zulu

Zulu
Z
39
u
Uluru Uluru Uluru Uluru Uluru
Uluru
U
structural structural structural

structural
s
unsuccessful unsuccessful
unsuccessful
u
40
u
insurmountable insurmountable
insurmountable
i
unctuous unctuous unctuous

unctuous
u
unusual unusual unusual

unusual
u
41
y
y
Letter shapes:
Long ladder letters – writing the letter y
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter y in five different colours?
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
Warm up
Have you ever tried delicious yakitori kebabs from Japan? Prepare your
fingers and your pen to write by drawing your own yakitori kebabs, vertically
and horizontally.
42
y
y
y
yyy
y
y
y y
Can you
create a
filling ea frame by
ch circle
lots of d w ith ys? U
ifferent se
make you c o l o u r s to
r design
pop!
y
y
y
43
y
yoyo yoyo yoyo yoyo yoyo
yoyo
y
yellow yellow yellow yellow

yellow
y
yappy yappy yappy yappy yappy

yappy
y
44
y
yippee yippee yippee yippee
yippee
y
yesterday yesterday yesterday

yesterday
y
yodler yodler yodler yodler

yodler
y
45
y
yolk yolk yolk yolk yolk yolk
yolk
y
yurt yurt yurt yurt yurt yurt

yurt
y
youthfully youthfully youthfully

youthfully
y
46
Letter shapes:
j
j
Long ladder letters – writing the letter j
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter j in five different colours?
j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j
Warm up
Wouldn’t it be amazing to see dragons flying across the sky? Can you draw
some dragons in the boxes below, making sure you curve their wings and tails
in j-like shapes?
47
j
j Can you place 20 more letters anywhere on the page?

Create a
frame fil
stretchin
Don’t for
vines tw
jungle-t
led with
g down t
get to m
o
a
ist and t
t
k
h
e
urn.
hemed
leafy vin
e
es
floor!
your
j
j
j
48
j
jimjams jimjams jimjams jimjams
jimjams
j
haji haji haji haji haji haji haji

haji
h
jumpy jumpy jumpy jumpy jumpy

jumpy
j
49
j
jingle jingle jingle jingle jingle
jingle
j
juniper juniper juniper juniper

juniper
j
jolly jolly jolly jolly jolly jolly

jolly
j
50
j
jabberwocky jabberwocky
jabberwocky
j
journey journey journey journey

journey
j
jump jump jump jump jump jump

jump
j
51
Create your own scribble quilt
Scribbling is a brilliant way to get your fingers and your mind ready for
writing. It’s also a great way to relax – why not try scribbling while you
listen to music?
Before you scribble, relax your hand by doing 10 fist squeezes, then 10 star
spurts (start with your fingers closed up in a fist and open them), then make
an o shape in the air with each of your fingers and your thumb.
You'll find loads of scribbling opportunities as you work through the
Handwriting Power-up Programme, but if you prefer you can also fill a
square of the scribble quilt below whenever you fancy a doodle.
52
r
r
Letter shapes:
One-armed robot letters – writing the letter r
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter r in five different colours?
r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r
Warm up
This basketball has been bouncing all over the page! Can you draw some
more bouncing lines for it? Remember to make each bounce slow and steady
so every bounce is the same and the ball doesn’t veer off the court!
53
r Can you place 20 more letters anywhere on the page?
Cover the
patterns
possible.
with som
can you
se circles
in as ma
We’ve sta
e pattern
complete
r
n
in wavy
y colours
ted you o
s to trac
the rest?
e-
as
ff
r
r
r
r
54
r
ruffian ruffian ruffian ruffian
ruffian
r
restless restless restless restless

restless
r
rugrat rugrat rugrat rugrat rugrat

rugrat
r
55
r
rascal rascal rascal rascal rascal
rascal
r
ring ring ring ring ring ring ring

ring
r
rounded rounded rounded rounded

rounded
r
56
r
riddle riddle riddle riddle riddle
riddle
r
rigmarole rigmarole rigmarole

rigmarole
r
rite rite rite rite rite rite rite

rite
r
57
n
n
Letter shapes:
One-armed robot letters – writing the letter n
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter n in five different colours?
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
n
Warm up
These ns are looking a bit white and boring! Warm up your fingers and pen,
n n
ready for writing, with the scribble challenge: how many different designs can
you create in 3 minutes? We’ve filled one n to get you started.
58
n Can you place 20 more letters anywhere on the page?
Time to m
with a m
line hatc
curls - y
shapes of
come up w
ake your
ixture of
hing and
ou’ll be p
the letter
n w
own fram
straight
elegant
ractising
the
hen you
-
e
n
ith your
design!
n
n
n
59
n
noodle noodle noodle noodle
noodle
n
nettle nettle nettle nettle nettle

nettle
n
nonchalant nonchalant nonchalant

nonchalant
n
60
n
nonsense nonsense nonsense
nonsense
n
noise noise noise noise noise

noise
n
nincompoop nincompoop
nincompoop
n
61
n
ninny ninny ninny ninny ninny
ninny
n
naufrageous naufrageous
naufrageous
n
nebuchadnezzar nebuchadnezzar
nebuchadnezzar
n
62
m
m
Letter shapes:
One-armed robot letters – writing the letter m
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter m in five different colours?
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Warm up
Fill your page with beautiful butterflies – they look a bit like ms, don’t they?
See if you can draw yours without lifting your pen off the page, then add some
colours and patterns to make them your own and warm your fingers and pen
up to write.
63
m Can you place 20 more letters anywhere on the page?
It’s dood
your fra
le time! C
me with
an you f
m
ill
m
m m
m
m
mm
m
alternat m shapes
ing colou in
some big rs? Draw
ones, sma
ones and ll ones, t
minute o iny
as they’r nes - as
e all wel l o ng
l shaped!
m
m
m
64
m
flimflam flimflam flimflam flimflam

flimflam
f
mummy mummy mummy mummy

mummy
m
monogrammed monogrammed
monogrammed
m
65
m
metamorphism metamorphism
metamorphism
m
maggot maggot maggot maggot

maggot
m
murmuration murmuration
murmuration
m
66
m
maliferous maliferous maliferous

maliferous
m
mammal mammal mammal

mammal
m
moment moment moment moment

moment
m
67
Letter shapes:
h
h
One-armed robot letters – writing the letter h
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter h in five different colours?
h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h
Warm up
Get your fingers ready for writing with some doodling. Can you go from
scribble to spiral in one drawing, without taking your pen off the paper?
68
h
h
Fill some
of these
with cha frame cir
otic scri cles
with ord bbles and
erly spir some
als. Do y
like the e ou
nd result
?
h
h
h
69
h
honey honey honey honey honey
honey
h
hitchhiker hitchhiker hitchhiker

hitchhiker
h
haphazard haphazard haphazard

haphazard
h
70
h
highlights highlights highlights
highlights
h
through through through through

through
t
heavy heavy heavy heavy heavy

heavy
h
71
h
hodgepodge hodgepodge
hodgepodge
h
humongous humongous humongous

humongous
h
philanthropy philanthropy
philanthropy
p
72
Letter shapes:
b
b
One-armed robot letters – writing the letter b
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter b in five different colours?
b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b
Warm up
We’re turning hs into bs to get our fingers and pen ready for writing. Look at
the step-by-step h into b diagram – how many almost-hs can you turn into bs in
three minutes?
bbb
STEP
1
STEP
2
STEP
3
73
b
b
b
bbb b
bb
There is s
o much b
going on abbling
! Can you
this page d ecorate
frame wi
bubbles o t h speech
f every k
fill them i n d and then
with bab
bling?
b
b
b
74
b
flibbertigibbet flibbertigibbet
flibbertigibbet
f
bubblegum bubblegum bubblegum

bubblegum
b
jabber jabber jabber jabber

jabber
j
75
b
babbling babbling babbling
babbling
b
hobnob hobnob hobnob hobnob

hobnob
h
bib bib bib bib bib bib bib

bib
b
76
b
gobbledygook gobbledygook
gobbledygook
g
bobbing bobbing bobbing bobbing

bobbing
b
bobble bobble bobble bobble

bobble
b
77
Letter shapes:
k
k
One-armed robot letters – writing the letter k
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter k in five different colours?
k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k
Warm up
To prepare your fingers and pen for writing, cover this page in loopy fish.
Can you draw your schools of fish as a single loop, without lifting your pen
from the page?
78
k
k
Doodle al
l over th
with diff is frame
erent-col
Remember oured loo
not to ta ps!
off the p k e y our pen
age as yo
u loop.
DIFFERENT
STYLE!
Do you prefer some
alternative ways to
write the letter k? Try
some of these, too.
k k k
k
k
k
79
k
kicked kicked kicked kicked kicked
kicked
k
backpacking backpacking
backpacking
b
knickknack knickknack knickknack

knickknack
k
80
k
blackjack blackjack blackjack
blackjack
b
knickerbocker knickerbocker
knickerbocker
k
krumkake krumkake krumkake

krumkake
k
81
k
zikkurat zikkurat zikkurat zikkurat
zikkurat
z
kinetic kinetic kinetic kinetic

kinetic
k
kickboxing kickboxing kickboxing

kickboxing
k
82
p
p
Letter shapes:
One-armed robot letters – writing the letter p
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter p in five different colours?
p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p
Warm up
Warm up your fingers with some poppy drawing. We’ve prepared one for you –
colour in the best ones you draw!
83
p
p Can you place 20 more letters anywhere on the page?
Hearts co
same sha
Create yo
ntain so
pes as th
ur own V
me of the
e letter p
.
design in alentine’
this fram s
it in hea e, coverin
rts of di g
How man fferent s
y can yo i z es.
u fit int
the fram o
e?
p
p
p
84
p
whippersnapper whippersnapper
whippersnapper
w
appreciation appreciation
appreciation
a
poppy poppy poppy poppy poppy

poppy
p
85
p
apple apple apple apple apple
apple
a
pippin pippin pippin pippin

pippin
p
apprenticeship apprenticeship
apprenticeship
a
86
p
popular popular popular popular
popular
p
poppet poppet poppet poppet

poppet
p
popping popping popping popping

popping
p
87
Directionality and breathing pit stop
It’s time to practise a few directionality exercises.
Look at this lazy 8 shape we’ve drawn:
Ü
Breathe in Breathe out
Ü Ü
Ü Ü Ü
Ü
Starting in the middle and moving to the top left, can you go over it a few times
in each of three colours? Don't forget to move your pen in the correct direction.
88
a
a
Letter shapes:
Curly caterpillar letters – writing the letter a
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter a in five different colours?
a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a
Warm up
Create some blooming rose bouquets to warm up your fingers for writing. Use
anti-clockwise spirals to create your roses – we’ve shown you how, to help get
you started.
STEP STEP
1 2
clockwise anti-clockwise
spiral spiral
89
a Can you place 20 more letters anywhere on the page?
Time to d
spirals. H
them to
raw som
ow can y
create a
colourful
o
e more
u decorat
brilliant
frame?
and
e
a
a
a
a
90
Copy these words, then look at them with an adult and tick where you have a
abracadabra abracadabra
abracadabra
a
balaclava balaclava balaclava

balaclava
b
jacaranda jacaranda jacaranda

jacaranda
j
91
lava lava lava lava lava lava

lava
l
baccalaureate baccalaureate
baccalaureate
b
megalomaniacal megalomaniacal
megalomaniacal
m
92
abacus abacus abacus abacus

abacus
a
academic academic academic

academic
a
amazonian amazonian amazonian

amazonian
a
93
c
c
Letter shapes:
Curly caterpillar letters – writing the letter c
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter c in five different colours?
c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c
Warm up
Get your fingers and pen ready for writing with some crazy, psychedelic
swirls. Can you make them look even more eye-catching by colouring in
between the swirls?
94
c Can you place 20 more letters anywhere on the page?
The patte
all draw
rns in th
n anti-cl
clocks! Ca
n you ad
is frame
ockwise -
d to them
are
on
?
c
c
c
c
95
Copy these words, then look at them with an adult and tick where you have c
cacophony cacophony cacophony

cacophony
c
focaccia focaccia focaccia focaccia

focaccia
f
coccyx coccyx coccyx coccyx

coccyx
c
96
succinct succinct succinct succinct

succinct
s
peacock peacock peacock peacock

peacock
p
coconut coconut coconut coconut

coconut
c
97
cacao cacao cacao cacao cacao

cacao
c
calculator calculator calculator

calculator
c
cache cache cache cache cache

cache
c
98
d
d
Letter shapes:
Curly caterpillar letters – writing the letter d
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter d in five different colours?
d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d
Warm up
Go on a galaxy quest to get your fingers warmed up and ready to write. Fill the
space with anti-clockwise spirals and choose some amazing colours to make
them shine in the darkness of space.
99
d
d
How man
y colourf
can you ul spiral
add to th s
Don’t for is frame?
get to m
anti-cloc ove your
kwise as pen
you draw
.
d
d
d
100
Copy these words, then look at them with an adult and tick where you have d
befuddled befuddled befuddled

befuddled
b
dodder dodder dodder dodder

dodder
d
skedaddle skedaddle skedaddle

skedaddle
s
101
daydreamed daydreamed
daydreamed
d
dawdled dawdled dawdled dawdled

dawdled
d
bobsled bobsled bobsled bobsled

bobsled
b
102
doddle doddle doddle doddle

doddle
d
dander dander dander dander

dander
d
doodle doodle doodle doodle

doodle
d
103
Letter shapes:
f
f
Curly caterpillar letters – writing the letter f
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter f in five different colours?
f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f
Warm up
The Fibonacci spiral can be observed in nature – we can see it everywhere,
in flowers, pineapples, waves and even the stars in the sky. Can you practise
drawing some Fibonacci spirals on these templates?
104
f
f Can you place 20 more letters anywhere on the page?

Can you
fern fron
draw in
cover thi
ds? Make
all the li
off the m
s frame i
sure you
ttle loop
s
n
ain stem
!
DIFFERENT
STYLE!
Do you prefer some
alternative ways to
write the letter f? Try
some of these, too.
f f f
f
f
f
105
f
fluffiness fluffiness fluffiness
fluffiness
f
riffraff riffraff riffraff riffraff

riffraff
r
kerfuffle kerfuffle kerfuffle kerfuffle

kerfuffle
k
106
f
lift-off lift-off lift-off lift-off
lift-off
l
effortful effortful effortful effortful

effortful
e
insufficient insufficient insufficient

insufficient
i
107
f
affectionate affectionate
affectionate
a
office office office office office

office
o
fulfill fulfill fulfill fulfill fulfill

fulfill
f
108
g
g
Letter shapes:
Curly caterpillar letters – writing the letter g
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter g in five different colours?
g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g
Warm up
It’s time for tea(cups)! Can you prepare your fingers and pen for writing by
embellishing these plain teacups with some colourful spirals? Remember to
start your spiral at the top of the handle and draw anti-clockwise over the top
of the cup.
109
g
g
Can you place 20 more letters in the border of the page?
Can you
see the tr
Finish th ee on thi
e drawin s page?
beautiful g with so
spiral br me
style of anches in
artist Gu the
famous m stav Klim
ural, The t’s
Tree of Li
fe.
g
g
g
110
g
zigzagging zigzagging zigzagging

zigzagging
z
wigwam wigwam wigwam wigwam

wigwam
w
giggle giggle giggle giggle giggle

giggle
g
111
g
begging begging begging begging

begging
b
aggregate aggregate aggregate

aggregate
a
glug glug glug glug glug glug

glug
g
112
g
baggage baggage baggage

baggage
b
gauging gauging gauging gauging

gauging
g
goggle goggle goggle goggle

goggle
g
113
o
o
Letter shapes:
Curly caterpillar letters – writing the letter o
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter o in five different colours?
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Warm up
Warm up your fingers by doodling some spheres! Use curved lines only to
make them look 3D!
114
o Can you place 20 more letters anywhere on the page?
How man
can you
with cur
there isn
y differe
decorate
ved lines
’t a stra
be seen o i
n your d
?
g
M
h t
nt ways
these cir
a
cles
ke sure
line to
esign!
o
o
o
o
115
Copy these words, then look at them with an adult and tick where you have o
cookbook cookbook cookbook

cookbook
c
hoopoe hoopoe hoopoe hoopoe

hoopoe
h
cocobolo cocobolo cocobolo

cocobolo
c
116
cocoon cocoon cocoon cocoon

cocoon
c
goosefoot goosefoot goosefoot

goosefoot
g
corroborator corroborator
corroborator
c
117
coconut coconut coconut coconut

coconut
c
octopus octopus octopus octopus

octopus
o
oodles oodles oodles oodles

oodles
o
118
e
e
Letter shapes:
Curly caterpillar letters – writing the letter e
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter e in five different colours?
e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e
Warm up
Draw lots of curly hair on each of these heads and get your fingers warmed
up for writing the letter e!
119
e Can you place 20 more letters anywhere on the page?
Draw coi
this fram
colours t
led lines
e, using d
o create
tapestry
.
all aroun
i f f
a vibran
erent
t
d
e
e
e
e
120
Copy these words, then look at them with an adult and tick where you have e
elephant elephant elephant

elephant
e
energy energy energy energy

energy
e
exist exist exist exist exist exist

exist
e
121
eager eager eager eager eager

eager
e
bumblebee bumblebee bumblebee

bumblebee
b
edible edible edible edible edible

edible
e
122
event event event event event

event
e
eloquent eloquent eloquent

eloquent
e
erode erode erode erode erode

erode
e
123
q
q
Letter shapes:
Curly caterpillar letters – writing the letter q
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter q in five different colours?
q q q q q q q q q q q q q q q q q q
Warm up
Q is for quill – let’s draw some to warm your fingers and pen up for writing!
124
q Can you place 20 more letters anywhere on the page?
Can you
decorate
with feat
Use differ
technicol
hery pat
ent pens
oured eff
this page
terns?
for a
q
ect!
q
q
q
125
q
quilt quilt quilt quilt quilt quilt

quilt
q
quinquennial quinquennial
quinquennial
q
quagswag quagswag quagswag

quagswag
q
126
q
queen queen queen queen queen

queen
q
quintessential quintessential
quintessential
q
quintuplet quintuplet quintuplet

quintuplet
q
127
q
quench quench quench quench

quench
q
quota quota quota quota quota

quota
q
quandary quandary quandary

quandary
q
128
s
s
Letter shapes:
Curly caterpillar letters – writing the letter s
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter s in five different colours?
s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s
Warm up
Get your fingers ready for writing with some scribbling! Can you use these
scribble pads to scribble from light to dark?
129
s Can you place 20 more letters anywhere on the page?
s
ss
s
ss
s
How man
y s shape
fit onto s can you
this page
Could it border?
be over 10
Challenge 0?
yourself!
DIFFERENT
STYLE!
Do you prefer some
alternative ways to
write the letter s? Try
sss
some of these, too.
s
s
s
130
s
sassy sassy sassy sassy sassy
sassy
s
sardoodledom sardoodledom
sardoodledom
s
scotophobia scotophobia
scotophobia
s
131
s
squishy squishy squishy squishy
squishy
s
senseless senseless senseless

senseless
s
business business business

business
b
132
s
solipsistic solipsistic solipsistic
solipsistic
s
scissors scissors scissors scissors

scissors
s
sunset sunset sunset sunset

sunset
s
133
Pit stop – slanting letters and slanting lines
Attractive handwriting is achieved by a slant which is mostly consistent.
Writing with a right slant might be more common, but there is no evidence to
suggest that it is faster or more fluent.
cursive right slant

vertical horizontal
Do a quick slant check of your handwriting. Does every letter slant in the
same way?
Inpreilites
What you’re aiming for is not this
But this I Incomprehensibilities
Now you try!
Do you find that your writing slopes?

?
se n te n ce s slope upward
s an d
?
Do your word
pe
slo
ns
our words and s ?

Do y lope
gi
ente s
ar
nces chang e
m
ur
Do your letters and words change slope?

yo
Do your w
ords and s
Do
entences s
lope down
wards?
If your handwriting is slanting off the Mid-line

point
line it is important to check your position
when you are sitting in your chair at the
table, as well as the tilt of your paper.
If your paper is straight, you are more
likely to slant upwards off the line (or
below the line if you are left-handed).
So TILT your PAGE (see the diagram on
the right) to help you stay on the line.
Left-handed Right-handed
Paper Tilt Paper Tilt
134
v
v
Letter shapes:
Zig-zag monster letters – writing the letter v
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter v in five different colours?
v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v
Warm up
Can you draw some dandelions and then make a wish on them? The straight
lines will warm up your fingers ready for writing.
135
v Can you place 20 more letters anywhere on the page?
Fill these
hatching
beautiful
How man
can you
straight
circles w
lines to c
frame fo
y differe
achieve j
lines in d
thickness
es?
u
n
s
t
t
d
u
e
ifferent
ith
reate a
r the pag
signs
sing
e.
v
v
v
v
136
v
vivid vivid vivid vivid vivid

vivid
v
pavlova pavlova pavlova pavlova

pavlova
p
inventive inventive inventive

inventive
i
137
v
vintage vintage vintage vintage

vintage
v
ovoviviparous ovoviviparous
ovoviviparous
o
vocabulary vocabulary vocabulary

vocabulary
v
138
v
vitelline vitelline vitelline vitelline

vitelline
v
vintage vintage vintage vintage

vintage
v
vocal vocal vocal vocal vocal

vocal
v
139
w
w
Letter shapes:
Zig-zag monster letters – writing the letter w
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter w in five different colours?
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Warm up
Get your fingers and your pen ready for writing by filling in the empty triangles
and pyramids below with straight lines. What’s your favourite finished shape?
140
w Can you place 20 more letters anywhere on the page?
Fill these
smaller t
triangles
riangles
with
w
wwwwwww
and
wwww
w shapes
w
to create
mesmeris a
ing desig
n.
w
w
w
141
w
awkward awkward awkward

awkward
a
northwestward northwestward
northwestward
n
stowaway stowaway stowaway

stowaway
s
142
w
warp warp warp warp warp warp

warp
w
wonder wonder wonder wonder

wonder
w
wilt wilt wilt wilt wilt wilt wilt

wilt
w
143
w
weft weft weft weft weft weft

weft
w
wibble wibble wibble wibble

wibble
w
wuthering wuthering wuthering

wuthering
w
144
x
x
Letter shapes:
Zig-zag monster letters – writing the letter x
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter x in five different colours?
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Warm up
Learn to draw your own kissing fish by following our step-by-step guide. You’ll
be practising the shapes we use to write the letter x and getting your fingers
ready to write!
1 2 3 4
145
x Can you place 20 more letters anywhere on the page?
How man
on the fr
Challenge
x-writin
see who c
y xs coul
ame in t
a grown-
g compet
an get th
on the pa
i t
u
i
d you fit
wo minu
p
o
e most x
ge!
tes?
to an
n and
s
x
xx x
xxxx
xxxxx
xxxxxx
xxxxx
xxxxx
xxx
x
x
x
146
x
paxwax paxwax paxwax paxwax

paxwax
p
beeswax beeswax beeswax beeswax

beeswax
b
xylophone xylophone xylophone

xylophone
x
147
x
text text text text text text text

text
t
convex convex convex convex

convex
c
xenomorph xenomorph xenomorph

xenomorph
x
148
x
vex vex vex vex vex vex vex vex

vex
v
maxixe maxixe maxixe maxixe

maxixe
m
xylan xylan xylan xylan xylan

xylan
x
149
z
z
Letter shapes:
Zig-zag monster letters – writing the letter z
Rainbow writing
Can you trace over the letter z in five different colours?
z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z
Warm up
There are storms on the way… can you finish these clouds with lightning bolts
(and maybe draw an umbrella or two to protect people from the rain?)?
150
z Can you place 20 more letters anywhere on the page?
Fill these
bubbles w
everyone
thought
ith Zzzzz
zs -
’s asleep!
z
Zzzzzz
Zzzzzz
Zzzzzz
z
z
z
151
z
zigzag zigzag zigzag zigzag zigzag
zigzag
z
dazzle dazzle dazzle dazzle dazzle

dazzle
d
zenith zenith zenith zenith zenith

zenith
z
152
Can you copy these words? Look at them with an adult and tick each one if
you have reproduced the shapes of z correctly.
z
zodiac zodiac zodiac zodiac zodiac
zodiac
z
guzzle guzzle guzzle guzzle guzzle

guzzle
g
quartz quartz quartz quartz

quartz
q
153
z
razzmatazz razzmatazz razzmatazz
razzmatazz
r
freeze freeze freeze freeze freeze

freeze
f
puzzle puzzle puzzle puzzle puzzle

puzzle
p
154
Pit stop – capitals review
Capital letters are based on geometric shapes. They are not built for fast writing!
Can you write these words in capitals? Tick the ones that look great, then work on the
ones which need improvement. Practise tricky letters a few times, then re-try in a word.
NEWS
GOOD DAY
WOW
EXCITED
HAPPY
BIRTHDAY
STOP
GO
NOW
ZEBRA
CROSSING
JUMP
KEEP
MOVE
QUIET
155
A
A
B
B
C
C
D
D
E
E
F
F
G
G
H
H
156
I
I
J
J
K
K
L
L
M
M
N
N
O
O
P
P
157
Q
Q
R
R
S
S
T
T
U
U
V
V
W
W
X
X
158
Y
Y
Z
Z
Use this space for some more capital letter practice.
159
Pit stop – spacing between
words and within words
Copy this sentence:
I’m practising the spacing within my words.
Are you able to draw a thin line between each letter or are the letters
“eating” each other?
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓✓ ✓
I’m practising the spacing within my words.
✓ ✓✓✓
Now the opposite problem. Can I plant flowers or trees between your letters
and inside your words?
Look at this email from m y do ctor. I mean, where did he even

g et that font?
Now we’ll look at the spacing between words. Copy this sentence:
I’m practising the spacing between my words.
The space between each of your words should be the size of one o or two
os and should be consistent – do a check!
= too much space. = space of an o
Hurrah! After many days of rain at

last the sun is shining again. The
weather is very disappointing today.
160
Have a look at a sample of your handwriting where you have written at least
half a page.
Could you draw rivers in the spaces between your words, as we have done
below? If so, the spacing between them is too big and inconsistent.
Christopher Columbus was born in Italy in 1451.

His real name was Cristoforo Columbo, but we
know him by the English version of his name.
People always say he is famous for discovering
America, however he discovered the islands
around Central America. He didn’t actually
set foot in North America.
It is believed that North America was
discovered by Leif Erikson, a Viking explorer in
about the year 1000. He called North America
‘Vinland’ because it was covered in wild grapes.
Columbus was born to a family of wool
weavers. While still only a teenager, he became
a sailor and went on several voyages around
Europe and north Africa. The reason for
these voyages was to buy things from other
countries that could be sold back at home.
You'll find tips and strategies to help you fix spacing problems within words
and between words on the next few pages.
Are you ready to get started?
161
Intervention 1: Spacing within words
I love pl aying footbal l with friends.

It's hard to read the sentence above, isn't it? That's why it's important to
space the letters within words correctly. Write a few words on the lines
below. Do any of the letters smash into each other ( because
there's too little space between them) or can you plant a tree or flower inside
a word? ( too much spacing).
Copy the sentence below, taking care to space your letters evenly:
I am practising letter spacing.
Try some more sentences of your own, being careful to space the letters
within each word consistently.
162
Intervention 2: Spacing between words
Try these three techniques to help you practise keeping your space between
words consistent.
1 Using a ruler and the wedge of a highlighter or a marker, draw thick lines
vertically down your page. Write only one word in each column on every line.
These lines help me leave

spaces between words.
2 Leave enough space for an o between each word.
Todayoisotheofirstodayobackoatoschool
3 Use squared paper to help you space out your words within a sentence.
Us e g raph pa p e r to spac e
out y o u r wo r d s .
Us e g raph pa p e r to ke e p
ma t h s p r ob l e m s a l i gned .
1 1
1 2 3
- 1 9
1 0 4
163
Pit stop – layout advice
Want to improve the legibility of your handwriting? Try following these easy
layout rules.
Rule 1 – if your letters are quite large when you form them, try skipping
every other line or use wider lined paper.
Christopher
Columbus was
✓ Christopher
Columbus was
born in Italy in
1451. His real name
born in Italy in was Cristoforo
Columbo, but we
1451. His real name know him by the
Rule 2 – Respect your paper’s left Rule 3 – manage mistakes to improve
and right margins. Draw a boxed your presentation.
area on your page in pencil to
remind you not to write right up to Scratchy scrawls just draw more
the edge of the page, because this unwanted attention to mistakes,
is often where squashing occurs. so avoid them. Instead stop, take
a breath and strike through your
mistake with a single line.
IP
SKNES
LI
Write smartly
Christopher
✘
Write on every other line
✘
✘
Columbus wis was
✘
✘
✘
i
born in on Italy in
✘
✘
✘
1451. His reel real
✘
✘
✘ Christopher
✘
✘
✘
Columbus wos was
✘
✘
born on in Italy in
✓
1451. His reel real
164
Layout practice
Can you lay out the windows in these houses evenly?
Now rewrite this piece of writing with the correct spacing between
the letters, the words and the lines.
I ch eck ed out a b ook on an ti-gravity. I can’t p ut it d o w n.
Last week I atten dedalecture on H alley’s Comet. It w e nt completely over my

head.
Orion’sBeltis a huge waste of s p a ce.
The scientists’ new paper about alien life

forms did n ’t getpublished. It was too far out.
165
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Linking letters:
stringing and joining!
Now that you’ve practised every letter of the
alphabet we’re moving on to handwriting using a
combination of printed and joined letters.
Handwriting that is comfortable, easy to read and
fast is often a combination of joined and unjoined
letters. There are four join categories to master,
so you'll learn them one at a time and join more
and more letters as the pages progress.
Let’s start with some doodling to warm
up our fingers and pen.
Can you create a doodle loop border all
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
around the sides of this page? Use different
colours to make it look fantastic!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
166
Time to practise some vertical loops! Can you continue each of these
decorative loops all the way down the page?
167
Now we’re moving on to horizontal loops! Look at each of these patterns,
then replicate them on the lines below.
" " " " " " " " " "
!!!! !!!!! !!!! !!!!! !!!! !!!!! !!!! !!!!! !!!! !!!!!
"""""""""""
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
o
168
Before we move on to joining letters it’s time to create some letter string
doodle monsters!
Take a sheet of blank A4 page and fold it in half, lengthwise, then turn it
horizontally. Open up the page.
Can you write your name, in your best cursive writing, using a pencil? You’ll
need to make your letters very big, reaching the top of the paper. Trace
over your name a number of times using the pencil. Now fold the page and
rub over your pencil marks so they smudge onto the blank side of the paper.
Turn your page vertically. You have drawn your very own string doodle
monster!
Colour it in and give it eyes and legs to finish it off.
1 2 3 4 5
169
There are four main types of handwriting joins.
Just like learning the individual letter shapes, these join patterns need lots
of practice so that you can motor map them. Meet the joining friends:
Diagonals
Short to short n n c
Short to tall h t l
Horizontals
Short to short n a
Short to tall k
Over the next few pages, focus on the specific joins within the word (for
example, antihistame). This means that you will be printing (not joining)
most of the letters in the word. The joins you need to practise will appear in
colour, while the letters to print will be in red.
170
Diagonal joins:
short to short, short to tall, tall to short
Warm up
Get your fingers and your pen ready for writing by looping all across this line.
Practise writing each of these joins along the line, spacing them neatly.

h
l
j
m
n
p
r
u
v
w
171
Challenge task!
The ix join is really tricky, but you can choose your favourite way to write it.
Option 1: stop before x and print x instead of joining it
x
Option 2: try a different shape for x, linking up to the top of the left diagonal
and then lifting your pen to mark the right diagonal
x
Option 3: link the right diagonal and then lift your pen to write the left diagonal
ix
ax
Option 4: shape your x in a rounded way, like two cs back to back
cc
 cc
 cc
Now try these links in words, using your favourite style of x. When you’ve
written them, pick the best ones in each row and star them!
x
x
xy
xs
172
Practise writing each of these joins along the line, spacing them evenly.



Practise writing each of these joins along the line, spacing them carefully.
anna!e
anna!e
responsiby
responsiby
alics
alics
How did you get on? Choose the best joins you've written in each row by
circling or ticking them.
173
Warm up
Get your fingers and your pen ready for writing by filling these rectangles
with loops.
Practise joining short to short diagonals along the line, spacing them evenly.

i



p
r
u
v
Now try the joins included in words:
discrtness
rnves!iga!ion
olu!ionary
rection
174
Warm up
Prepare for writing by swirling above and below as you write a line across the
page. Colour in your loops and add some pattern letters, too!
Practise joining some more short to short diagonals along the line, making
sure you keep the spacing tidy.
i
p
r
v
z
izootiologic
atro!y
atr
osshatchg
175
Warm up
Time for some more warm-up looping! How many of these can you do in
different colours?
!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!
Practise joining tall to short diagonals along the line, spacing them evenly.
y
r
b
*TOP TIP
l * Take care to leave

enough room
between c and l so
your join doesn't
become
a d!
wharrowg
coatibiliy
quauplication
tiforeose
176
Warm up
Can you fill these circles with loops in different colours?
Practise joining diagonals, short to short anticlockwise, spacing them neatly.
a

o


rpporment
tremusns
differentn
eltronec
uenlly
177
Warm up
Get your fingers and your pen ready by designing a garden in the box below.
Practise joining short to tall diagonals along the line, spacing them evenly.
b
l
h
k
t
t
l
cn
l
t* *Cross both
of your t’s
with just one
single line
stroke.
178
Now try the joins in these words. Don’t forget to pick the best ones and star
them when you’ve finished!
woegoneness
m!iprocessg
notwistaing
uerstrk
cosmopolan
unobjeion
professionism
uowlgele
infle
coueraak
179
Warm up
Make a loopy picture in each of these frames!
Practise joining both tall and short letters to the tall letter d using diagonal
joins, spacing them evenly.
d
d
d
d
Now try the joins included in these words:
correpoing
mleso
worliness
photograble
180
Horizontal joins: short to short,
short to tall, tall to short
Warm up
Doodle some leaf strings round your page. Remember to
tilt your page so you are patterning from left to right! TOP TIP
Feel free to join up
more of each word
than indicated if
Practise joining with a horizontal line, joining short you wish to, using
letters to other short letters, spacing them evenly. the diagonal joins
you've already
practised.
u
r
i
y *TOP TIP
The r to e join is
very challenging
– you need to dip
e
* the exit stroke of
your r downwards
to prevent an
oversized e.
cnterpposal
etches
enmentay
expssn
tombishness
181
Warm up
Doodle these patterns to warm up your fingers and your pen!
Practise joining short letters to tall letters, using a horizontal line.
l
k
d
l
b
laessness
tspen
cinan
graax
autiphies
182
Warm up
Doodle these patterns to warm up your fingers and your pen!
Practise joining short letters to tall letters using a horizontal line, spacing
them evenly.
d
d
d
d
tariness
melramatisg
hazaous
183
Joining the letter f
Due to the many variations of f, this can be a problematic letter to join from.
Practise the joins on the next few pages, but if you find it very tricky you can
also leave f unjoined.
Warm up
Do you remember some of the different ways we can form f? Practise them to
refresh your memory.
Practise joining to the lower point of f

f
f
f
f
f
f
184
Now try these words:
drtsn
vengf ul
saponf ican
manacture
haf -heard
Now join to the higher point of f:

f
f
f
f
And join to the higher point of f in these words, too:
peectionism
proessional
straf lowers
185
Finally, join from f at the cross bar
i
f
i
y
o
a
s
Try these words:
ervesct
indemnican
oversimpliing
transrman
colourst
handkerchie
186
Pit stop – sorting out distortions
Sometimes joining to and from particular letters can cause distortions.
b
p Look what happens to these letters: b starts
to look like a k and p is not closed and s is a bit
q like a mirror version of digit 3.
r If you notice that joining to or from certain

s letters causes distortions, leave them unjoined!
z
Try writing these words and taking your pen off the page and having a break
after the “culprit letters”. Lift your pen and start the next letter from the top.
Try writing these words joined but breaking after the culprit letters.
Culprit letter b: obvious, exhibit, habitat
Culprit letter f: offense, qualify, perform
Culprit letter p: prepare, suppose, superb
Culprit letter q: sequala, piquant, superb
Culprit letter r: writing, measure, express
Culprit letter s: discuss, classic, diverse
Culprit letter z: freezer, buzzard, squeeze
Culprit letter x: explode, exploit, subtext
187
Pit stop – practising bigrams and trigrams
The following two- and three-letter patterns are known as bigrams and
trigrams. These are the most common in English, so it makes sense to motor
map them by practising to write them well.
Remember to keep your letters in the right size ratios and to write on the line.
Letter patterns practice
h h h h h h h h h h h h h
            
n n n n n n n n n n n n n
n n n n n n n n n n n n n
t t t t t t t t t t t t t
e e e e e e e e e e e e e
188
r r r r r r r r r r r r r
n n n n n n n n n n n n n
i i i i i i i i i i i i i
            
n n n n n n n n n n n n n
t t t t t t t t t t t t t
            
d d d d d d d d d d d d d
189
r r r r r r r r r r r r r
r r r r r r r r r r r r r
l l l l l l l l l l l l l
            
o o o o o o o o o o o o o
            
o o o o o o o o o o o o o
a a a a a a a a a a a a a
190
t t t t t t t t t t t t t
d d d d d d d d d d d d d
t t t t t t t t t t t t t
a a a a a a a a a a a a a
m m m m m m m m m m m m m
o o o o o o o o o o o o o
            
d d d d d d d d d d d
191
a a a a a a a a a a
t t t t t t t t t t
g g g g g g g g g g
n n n n n n n n n n
o o o o o o o o o o
r r r r r r r r r r
         
         
192
         
t t t t t t t t t t
         
t t t t t t t t t t
h h h h h h h h h h
n n n n n n n n n n
Before you know it these handwriting patterns will be automatic and you
won’t need to think about how you form the letters each time!
193
Pit stop – building speed
As you learn to write and practise your handwriting you will develop
muscle memory of the movements of each word and you'll be able to write
faster and more confidently. Work on building speed only if you are unable
to complete your written work in time.
Your speed will be best when you copy a familiar or easy text. You will
write significantly more slowly when you are copying work that is
unfamiliar and a lot more slowly when you are writing your own words.
This is because creative writing requires lots of multi-tasking as your
brain juggles different demands.
Practise using this chapter if speed is a concern. You can also use the
following pages to help you focus on fluency, the ability to write at a
constant and rhythmical pace.
However fast you need to write, remember that what you write needs to be
legible, both for you and for your readers!
To complete this section you will need a digital or kitchen timer and pens
which glide (but don’t smudge) across your page.
• Watch out! Fast handwriting can result in letters becoming "impostors".
Often an a becomes a u or an o at speed. Can you spot any other letters
which can become impostors?
• If you're writing fast, your letters may not be fully finished and backed
to the line – for example, an n might be written like an r! This will impact
your legibility and the number of spelling mistakes the reader thinks you
have made.
It’s worth taking the time and really slowing down while you’re practising
your handwriting in order to form legible shapes and place your letters on
the line correctly.
Once you're confident, add the speed back in again, at the appropriate
pace for you and for the kind of work you're doing.
194
Try some speed with fluency practice!
1. Find lined paper to write on. Pattern for one minute at a time but leave gaps
between your patterns – these sequences are like pretend words.
%%% %%% %%% %%% %%%
!!! !!! !!! !!!
    && && && &&

### ### ### ### $$$$ $$$$ $$$$ $$$$
''' ''' ''' ''' ''' '''
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
2. How many bigrams and trigrams can you write in one
minute? Try for at least 15 of each bigram / trigram.
th th th th th th th ing ing ing
en en en en en en has has has has has has
me me me me me nde nde nde nde
3. These are the top 100 high frequency words:

the, and, a, to, said, in, he, I, of, it, was, you, they, on, she, is, for, at, his, but, that,
with, all, we, can, are, up, had, my, her, what, there, out, this, have, went, be, like,
some, so, not, then, were, go, little, as, no, mum, one, them, do, me, down, dad, big,
when, it's, see, looked, very, look, don't, come, will, into, back, from, children, him,
Mr, get, just, now, came, oh, about, got, their, people, your, put, could, house, old, too,
by, day, made, time, I'm, if, help, Mrs, called, here, off, asked, saw, make, an.
Pick 3 to 5 at a time and write out each set for one minute. Complete three
sets. For each minute of practice, note how many words you write legibly.
4. Copy these pangrams for one minute each.

1. Brown jars prevented the mixture from freezing too quickly.
2. Fred specialised in the job of making very quaint toys.
3. My girl wove six dozen plaid jackets before she quit.
5. Ask an adult to dictate each of these sentences to you and write as

quickly as possible.
1. A mad boxer shot a quick, gloved jab to the jaw of his dizzy opponent.
2. The five boxing wizards jumped quickly.
3. Sixty zips were quickly picked from the woven jute bag.
6. Write about your favourite subject for five minutes. How many words can
you get down on paper? Count the number of legible words you wrote and
divide by five to work out your average words per minute (free writing score).
195
Assess your progress
Now that you have completed the Handwriting Power-up Programme, how
do you feel about your handwriting? Look at one of your recent pieces of
writing and ask yourself these questions…
Writing self check
abc Are my letters formed correctly?

ABC Are my letters sitting on the line?
go Is the spacing between my letters correct?
a go Is the spacing between my words consistent?
Ink Are my letters the right size in relation to each other?
n Are my letters joined correctly?
 How many (legible) words can I write in one minute?
Fitness and stamina check

Can I get my writing tasks finished in the given time?
Does writing hurt or feel awkward / uncomfortable?
Is my handwriting consistent in style and layout from the

beginning to the end of the page?
Strong icon: Vecteezy.com
196
Pit stop – improving fluency and speed
Looping is joining from descenders and ascenders into other letters using a
loop and not a pen lift. Looping is a way of joining which may improve your
handwriting fluency and speed, though it isn't the best fit for every writer.

Here are some ideas to try out!
The crossing point of the loop is at or on the writing line.
Try looped and non-looped versions of these letters.
Which is faster and easier for you?
je je je je je je je je je je In one minute I can write ___ unjoined jes
        In one minute I can write ___ joined jes
je 
ji i
ju u
yi i
yu u
ye 
gi i
ge 
gu u
Now try some whole words, looped and un-looped:
 mjams
dillydallng
finrprints
197
More loops:
ja a
jo o
ya a
yo o
ga a
go o
Words to try:
bberwocky
stronomy
ctosecond
Looping ls:
ll ll
ili ili
ele ele
ala ala
olo olo
ulu ulu
Try these words:
unfailingly
telephone
unpalatable
198
Looping fs (don't forget there are alternative ways to loop your fs): f f f
if
ifo
af
uf
afe
off
wf
TOP TIP
Try these words: if you decide to
keep your letter f
printed rather than
dening looped you can
cross bar a double
f with a single
line.
coee
Experiment with a more rounded v and w: write a "sharp" v and then a
"round" v followed by a vowel (a, e, i, o, u).
How many can you write in a minute?
Then repeat the experiment with "sharp" w and then "round" w.
vi
i
wi
i
Try these words:
chiy
aard
199
Finishing line – style and stamina
Stamina is how long you are able to write before tiring.
Handwriting takes physical and mental strength and a lot of determination!
Check how long you can copy a page from a book or magazine for before
you experience pain or are too tired to continue.
Can you keep going and keep your writing legible for an entire A4 page?
Test yourself on a piece of handwriting practice paper.
Handwriting stamina strategies:

1. Strong muscles will help you write comfortably for longer. Handwriting is
a full body activity so you need a strong core. Repeated fine motor activities
will strengthen the muscles and increase the joint stability not just of your
hands but of your forearms and shoulders too.
2. Having the correct tools will also support your

handwriting proficiency. Try different pens and types of
paper textures and sizes to find the right fit for you.
3. Vary your pen grip while you are writing if you need to – this
allows you to continue writing but using slightly different muscles.
Videos on TheSchoolRun offer advice to help you find the right
pencil grip for you:
https://www.theschoolrun.com/handwriting-aids-pencil-grips
4. Reduce the pressure – conserve energy by pressing more lightly into

the page and holding less tightly onto your pen. This allows written work
to be completed in a pain-free manner (and on time). Try deep breathing
and pattern warm-ups before you put pen to paper. You could also invest
in an artist's mouldable eraser and squeeze it in your non-writing hand
during your handwriting task.
5. Being seated in a comfortable place, with the correct posture for

handwriting, is vital in being able to write legibly and for longer.
6. To improve stamina, start with shorter pieces of writing and work your
way up to longer sessions.
200

Handwriting Power-Up Programme

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Handwriting Power-Up Programme

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Hg

Letter shapes: long ladder letters Author:

Letter shapes: zig-zag monster letters

Joined letters (cursive writing)

BE PATIENT: Patterning, sketching, doodling and colouring through the activities

HAVE FUN AND BE MINDFUL: A more “grown-up” approach to handwriting

Michelle, occupational therapist, handwriting tutor and mum

Handwriting practice paper

SHAPE SPACE SIZE SITTING STRING SLANT

PERFECT ORDINARY RAPID

1. Write your name and surname.

2. Write today’s date in words (for example, Monday 10 January)

3. Write the numbers one to ten: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

4. Write the alphabet in capitals:

5. Write the alphabet in lower case:

Can you copy this pangram for one minute in your

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

apple, birthday, chicken, egg, farmer, ground,

The five boxing wizards jumped quickly.

7-8 years = 5-7 words per minute

9 years = 7-9 wpm Date:

11 years = 10-15 wpm

Adult = 20-23 wpm

Assessment: Where is your handwriting at?

3. SPACING INSIDE WORDS: are the letters crunched up or are there

4. SPACING BETWEEN WORDS: is this consistent?

5. Whether your LETTERS ARE SITTING ON THE LINE.

6. If you write in cursive, HOW YOUR LETTERS ARE JOINED TOGETHER.

Q1: Are the letter shapes correct?

For letter help for i l Q2: Spaces

NO Are the letters Are there

Q3: Are your words consistently sized?

Go to p20 for size Q4: Are your words all

Go to Q5: Are you comfortable

Q6: Are all your letters sloping the

Go to p134 for Q7: Do a speed test! Can you write

Go to p194 Q8: Style and

If you find it hard to

tail letter/descender line

Honorificabilitudinitatibus is the longest word in the English

The handwriting practice activities on the following pages are

Can you write a line of these letters?

ice ice ice ice ice ice ice ice ice

idea idea idea idea idea idea idea

itch itch itch itch itch itch itch

island island island island island

intelligent intelligent intelligent

Can you write a line of these letters?

lentil lentil lentil lentil lentil

little little little little little

million million million million

illuminate illuminate illuminate

Can you write a line of these letters?

reptilian reptilian reptilian reptilian

standstill standstill standstill

ventilated ventilated ventilated

tortoise tortoise tortoise tortoise

tinted tinted tinted tinted tinted

turncoat turncoat turncoat turncoat

Can you write a line of these letters?

Zulu Zulu Zulu Zulu Zulu Zulu

structural structural structural

unctuous unctuous unctuous