Our lucky little learners make such huge strides in Kindergarten, it is amazing to witness the growth! But when summer is done, and 1st grade begins, it is time to tap into that muscle memory with letter formation and handwriting. This post will walk you through a few routines and resources to get your students' 1st grade handwriting up to par.

1st Grade Handwriting Tips & Tricks

For handwriting tips and tricks in first grade, who better to turn to than our Lucky Little Learners 1st Grade Teachers Community?! Our Lucky 1st Grade Teachers group is full of strategies and ideas for all subject areas. Here are some of the top tips for letter formation:

1– I do, We do, You do

Julie K. says, “Explicit teaching, then tracing. Then let them do one line at the same time and stop while you check everyone before letting them finish the third row on their own. This is for their printing books, not all the time. It pays off!”

To break that down, use the I do, We do, You do method.

I do: Model correct letter formation for students.

We do: Have them trace the letters

You do: They will complete the rest of the practice page on their own.

2– 1st Grade Handwriting is a Mountain to Climb

Shirley T. has tons of tips:

“Make it something you highly value and a mountain you are willing to climb.

-Explicitly teach the strokes.

-Expect each child’s personal best.

-As you practice strokes, evaluate many, expect correction, model, and ask them to identify their best one.

-Do few, well, and often.

-When checking work, (sentences or words at any point) have kids evaluate for neatness.

-Praise and show off growth and examples of their personal best work.

-‘Hire’ a professional hand writer to write things on the board.

-Kids who consistently do their best get handwriting awards. Premake the awards so the award is timely.

-Make handwriting a personal goal.”

3- Correct Mistakes as You Go

Cynthia J says not to let all handwriting mistakes slide: “Have students erase and fix handwriting mistakes, and spend one on one time doing so as it happens. Practice doesn't seem to help to unteach the incorrect ways. One on one time or small group the correct way and then reinforce every single time it is seen written incorrectly. It takes a lot of time and patience but as a first grade teacher for many years,, this seems to be the best way.”

Perhaps create a flexible small group focused on handwriting needs during your literacy time, moving kids in and out of it as needed.

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Handwriting Resources

Now… how to take all of these amazing teacher tips and put them into action? The following resources will get you off on the right path.

Instructional Videos

The YouTube channel, 123ABCtv, has amazing step by step videos for each letter! When students are ready, they can follow along and learn correct letter formation. The more practice, the better!

1st Grade Handwriting Pages

Lucky Little Learners has always got your back when it comes to engaging and meaningful resources. And, did you know, if you are an All Access member, you have a direct line to make product requests? If we don't have something you need, our team will get to work creating it!

Letter Formation Mats

The member request hotline is how our Letter Formation Mats came to be! These mats are perfect for introducing or reviewing proper letter formation. Bonus tip: after learning and practicing each letter, display these as posters around the room.

Write the Alphabet

When students are ready, have them review writing all of the upper and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

Reversals Got You Down?

If B & D reversals are a constant issue in your classroom, try teaching explicit examples, like the ones on our anchor chart.

Do you need more 1st grade teaching tips? Hit the 1st Grade Post Collection button below to browse our growing 1st grade library.

Happy teaching!