© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®

T he first group of letters is familiar from printing and these letters use the basic c to c connection. Children can easily identify these letters. In both print and cursive, these letters start on the mid line with the Magic c stroke.

Magic c Cursive Letters

Magic cBump the lineUp like a helicopterBump!Back down bumptravel away

Magic cBump the line

Magic cUp like a helicopterUp higherBack down bumptravel away

Magic cUp like a helicopterBump!Back down, turnAim for cornertravel away

© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®

T hese letters are also familiar from printing. T he h and p have been de-looped for simplicity. Letters h, t, and p end on the baseline. T hey are easy to connect to letters that start on the baseline.

Letters Without Loops that Connect at the Bottom

Travel up like a helicopterSlide down bumpClimb back up and overAnd down bumpTravel away

Travel up like a helicopterSlide down bumpTravel awayCross

Travel upBump!Slide downClimb back upAnd over and aroundBump the poleTravel away

© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®

T his group doesn’t look like the printed letters. Letter e is the most frequently used letter. All three use similar stroke patterns and strategies. We keep the loops on e, l, and f because making a loop helps the pencil move in the right direction to connect to the next letter.

Letters with Loops that Connect at the Bottom

Travel then upTurnDownStay on your sideBump, travel away

Travel then upTurnDownStay on your sideBump, travel away

Travel then upTurnDownU turnAim for cornerTravel away

elf

© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®

Most children recognize these letters from printing. T hey are fairly easy to learn. T he letters u and y begin with similar strokes, and letters i and j begin with similar strokes.

Familiar from Print

Down, travel, upBump!Back down, turnAim for cornerTravel away

Down, travel, upBump!Back down bumpTravel away

Travel upBump!Back down bumpTravel awayDot

Travel upBump!Back down, turnAim for cornerTravel awayDot

© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®

T hese three letters are not familiar from printing. T hey can be challenging, but if taught using the step-by-step directions, they will not present any difficulty. T he letter k has been de-looped to keep it clear and simple.

Not Familiar from Print

Travel up likea helicopterSlide down Bump! Climb back up and over and aroundKick! Slide away

Travel upBump!SmileDown bumpTravel away

Straight jet take-offBumpDown, make a J turnTouch, travel away

© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®

Tow Truck Letters

Down and upDown and upEnd with tow

Magic cKeep on goingCircle aroundEnd with tow

Slide downBump!And upEnd with tow

Start with anTravel and upEnd with tow

T his group has a special name - the Tow Truck Letters. T hese four letters are the only lowercase cursive letters that do not end on the baseline. T he ending sticks out like a tow, and it never bends down to pick up another letter.

© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®

T he number of bumps in these letters is important and tricky. When a Tow Truck Letter comes before m or n, use the printed style of these letters. Children should know the difference between the printed and cursive letters.

Tricky Letters

Travel, up and overDownAgainAgain

After Tow Truck Letter, use printed m

Special Situation

Travel, up and overDownAgain

After Tow Truck Letter, use printed n

fro

© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®

T hese letters are used infrequently and can be challenging, so we wait until the end to introduce them. Although q uses a Magic c stroke, it is taught here to avoid confusion with g.

Infrequently Used

Climb upSide downCross

Magic cUp like a helicopterBump! Back downU turnAim for corner,Travel away

Make your halfMake another halfTurnAim for corner,Travel away

Slide downCross down

Magic cUpBack down

Magic c Magic cAroundEnd

DownTravel upBack down

Slide downUpEnd

DownTravel upBack downSmall J turnEnd

Half heartUp, over, downSmall J turnEnd

DownTravel upAgainEnd

Lowercase Partners

© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®

T hese letters are taught first because they are easy. T hey look just like their lowercase partners, only bigger! T he fancy strokes and extras have been eliminated, making them clean, clear, and easy to learn.

© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®

Familiar from Print Capitals

Ready downDownUp overEnd

Ready downUp over down

Ready downUp around

Ready downUp aroundSlide down

Ready downKickSlide down

Ready downUp over downOne more

Ready downUp aroundAround again

T hese letters are familiar from printing. T hey use a common introductory strokepattern: ready, down. It’s like picking up a hammer (ready) and hitting a nail (down).

Jet takes offPrint sEnd

Ready downTurn

Curve upDownBig J turnEnd

c in the airc again

Curve upStraight downSmall J turnEnd

Half heartSmall turnFlip over

Down small turnFlip overCurve up end

Ready downTurnCross

Not Familiar from Print Capitals

Start likein the airDown small turnFlip over

Curve upTop like +Down big J turn End

© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®

T hese letters are new and require special attention to consistent modeling and practice. T here are Letter Stories in the Teacher’s Guide for G and S. E is unfamiliar but easy. We give children the option to use a printed or a cursive Q.

df i j

qs

t

g el