Handwriting

Handwriting in Year 1

What your child will learn

In Year 1 your child will learn to:

• Sit correctly at a table, holding a pencil comfortably and correctly.
• Form lowercase letters in the correct direction, starting and finishing in the right place.
• Form capital letters.
• Form digits 0–9.
• Understand which letters belong to which handwriting ‘families’ (letters that are formed in similar ways).
• Leave spaces between words.

Pencil Grip

Tripod grip for left hand:               Tripod grip for right hand:

Correct Pencil Grip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPg9qpq6Hhg&t=18s

Pencil Grip Development https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWAaMk7u8zk

Letter Formation

Throughout school we use the same approach to teach children how to form their letters - see below.

It is important that the children are starting and ending their letters in the correct place so that when they come to join, their handwriting flows. There are some letters that we join and some that remain unjoined (see Break letters below).

Break Letters

Letters can join to these letters but they don’t join to another letter: g j y q x

Letter which is never joined to or from another letter: z

Practise pages

Practise lines for Year 1 Handwriting

Print out these tramlines for your child to practise letter formation and handwriting.