Today is rung 9 of 13 on this topic
Forming letters the right way round
Can do: Writes lower-case letters starting at the correct point and moving in the correct direction.
Why it matters
Bad habits set in this year are painfully slow to undo, and a child who draws letters instead of writing them cannot get faster later, when speed is what matters.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Letters built bottom-up or in two disconnected halves, capitals used everywhere because they're easier, and reversals that persist past age six.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Write a, d, g and s for me." Watch the pencil, not the paper.
Solid looks like: Each starts at the top (or with the round part for a, d, g) and flows in one movement.
The full activity for this topic · 10 minutes
Sky, Grass, Worm
- 1Draw three lines and name them: sky at the top, grass in the middle, worm underground.
- 2Sort letters by where they live: t is a sky letter, a is a grass letter, g dips down to the worm.
- 3Say the movement aloud as they write: "Round, up, down" for a.
- 4Three of each letter — no more. Quality collapses after three and they practise the bad version.
- 5Have them circle their own best one. Self-checking is the actual skill.
If it's too hard
Trace over a dotted letter you wrote, or write it huge in flour or foam first.
If it's too easy
Write the letter inside a real word so formation has to survive under load.
Say this
"Start at the top. Say the words while your hand does it — round, up, down."