The letter formation families The four families are: • • • •
The Curly Caterpillar family: anti-clockwise round, exemplified by the letter c o c a d g o q and e s f The Long Ladder family: down and off in another direction, exemplified by the letter l o i l t and u y j k The Robot family: down and retrace upwards, exemplified by the letter r o r n m and h b p The Zigzag family: straight, sharp turn, exemplified by the letter z o vwxz
Letter formation for left-handers The formation of some letters is slightly different for some left-handed children, who ‘pull’ the lines right to left, whereas right-handers will ‘push’ lines left to right. These letters are lower-case t and f and capitals A, E, F, H, J and T.
Joining letters in Key Stage 2 In Key Stage 1, Happy Handwriting teaches five main joins between letters: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Diagonal joins to letters without ascenders (for example: ai) Diagonal joins to letters with ascenders (for example: ch) Horizontal joins to letters without ascenders (for example: wa) Horizontal joins to letters with ascenders (for example: wh) Joins to round (anti-clockwise) letters (for example: ad).
Although Years 4 and 5 are when most children learn to produce joins efficiently, some children in Years 5 and 6 may still be establishing these joins as automatic movements. In Years 5 and 6, Happy Handwriting also offers additional practice of the tricky or less frequent joins. All Key Stage 2 writers also need to know which letters not to join for maximum efficiency, and to focus on the size and spacing of letters and joins.
Break letters Happy Handwriting uses a lower-case script where most letters have an exit stroke or ‘flick’, then moves into a mostly joined script where joins are natural and promote fluency and flow in writing. In Happy Handwriting, these letters do not join to letters following them: b, g, j, p, q, x, y, z, s. Most adults use an efficient semi-joined script when they write, and Happy Handwriting prepares children to learn this as early as possible.
Learning the alphabet Knowing the names of the letters helps with phonics and spelling. Call a letter by its name, rather than the sound associated with it. If children learn the letter name when they learn the movement for the lower-case letter, they can then learn the capital letter which has the same name. Alphabetical order of letter names is an easily learned sequence that lasts a lifetime. It enables children to use dictionaries and alphabetical order – and it is one system that is not changing in this digital age! Happy Handwriting encourages you to sing the classic alphabet song – even in Key Stage 2 – to ensure everyone is secure in their alphabet knowledge, and to do the additional alphabet activities on page 77 of this guide. There are even more alphabet activities available in the Happy Handwriting printable resources. Happy Handwriting
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