A ten-minute routine

Short, regular practice works better than long sessions. Aim for most days, and stop while it still feels good.

1. Warm up 1 minLoosen up with a row of joins from the practice pack.
2. Trace 3 minTrace a few letters or words slowly, following the arrows in the workbook.
3. Write 4 minWrite the same letters or words without tracing.
4. Choose the best 2 minAsk which attempt is neatest and why. Let the learner answer before you do.

What to look for

Pick one of these to focus on in a session, rather than correcting everything at once.

Common problems and what to try

Letters float above or sink below the line

Run a finger along the baseline first. On the printable pages, the darker bottom line is the one to sit on.

Joins look jerky or broken

Slow down. Practice the join by itself, such as "ow" or "br", before writing the whole word.

Words run together

Leave a gap the size of a small o between words. The sentence pages are good for this.

Hand gets tired or sore

Check the grip is relaxed, with the pencil held a little way back from the tip. Shake out the hand and take a short break.

Neat, but very slow

That's normal at first. Speed comes once the shapes are automatic, so keep practice short and regular.

Frustration builds

Stop before it becomes a battle, and finish on something easy, like tracing their own name.

Left-handed writers

Place the paper slightly to the left and turn it so the top leans to the right. This keeps the writing hand below the line, so it doesn't smudge or hide the words. A slightly more upright slant is fine, as long as it stays consistent.

Using these resources with the workbook

• Name practice sheets make a motivating warm-up at any point.
• The practice pack is for when a join or word needs another go.
• The progress check works best once at the start and once at the end.
• The certificate is for when the last page is done.

The workbook is complete on its own. Everything on this site is optional extra practice.