Handwriting Teaching Resources
Explore free handwriting worksheets, classroom alphabet posters, and more activities for kids that have been teacher-created for teachers. There's even a handwriting worksheet generator to help students improve their handwriting!
Whether you're working on handwriting practice with your kindergarten class or teaching cursive writing to 3rd grade students, we've got you covered with teacher resources that have undergone the Teach Starter teacher team's rigorous review process.
New to teaching kids to write by hand? The teachers on our team have had to teach a brand-new grade level after years away, so we’ve put together a quick guide!
What Are the 3 Stages of Handwriting Development?
Teaching students to print in legible handwriting starts well before they're putting pencil to paper to spell out their names. There's a lot of handwriting practice along the way!
The process typically takes the form of three distinct stages:
- Pre-Handwriting Patterns — This stage of handwriting involves creating shapes with the pencil and learning the different directional pushes and pulls required to form letters. Students may practice tracing different types of lines and shapes to prepare them for letter formation.
- Single Letter Formation — Next, students progress to forming individual letters. You'll want to teach students to form groups or families of letters that have similar shapes and directional pushes and pulls. Once they've gotten one concept down, you can move on to forming other letters that are formed differently. In this stage, students learn both the formation of lowercase and uppercase letters.
- Joined Handwriting — This final stage of handwriting puts it all together — literally! In this stage, students will begin forming words on the page with their pencils and will soon write full sentences (and later paragraphs!).
How Can Kids Improve Their Handwriting?
Perhaps you're past the stage of teaching handwriting, but you have students who are lagging behind their peers and need a little help to create legible print? We've got you covered there too!
Here are a few tips from our teacher team to help kids improve their handwriting in your class:
- Find fun ways to practice handwriting. This is a skill students will need for the rest of their lives, but that doesn't mean it has to be boring. Even something as simple as having students practice writing jokes can make the experience more fun and engaging.
- Work on motor skill development. Good handwriting is tied to fine motor skills, and sometimes a student needs to practice manipulating more objects to build up those hand muscles.
- Change up the instrument. Does your student need to use a different kind of pencil or a pencil that is a different size? Do they need a grip added to their pencil? Sometimes a change in the writing instrument can make a big difference in the writing itself.
Worry that your student is falling behind? Check in with your school's special education provider. It may help to have the students evaluated by an occupational therapist to determine if further intervention is needed.
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Number 20 - Worksheet
An activity worksheet to use in the classroom when learning about the number 20.
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Back to School Tracing Skills
Practice tracing and fine motor skills with this set of 8 back-to-school tracing worksheets.
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Number 19 - Worksheet
An activity worksheet to use in the classroom when learning about the number 19.
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Number 18 - Worksheet
An activity worksheet to use in the classroom when learning about the number 18.
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Number 17 - Worksheet
An activity worksheet to use in the classroom when learning about the number 17.
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Number 16 - Worksheet
An activity worksheet to use in the classroom when learning about the number 16.
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Number 15 - Worksheet
An activity worksheet to use in the classroom when learning about the number 15.
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Number 14 - Worksheet
An activity worksheet to use in the classroom when learning about the number 14.
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Number 13 - Worksheet
An activity worksheet to use in the classroom when learning about the number 13.
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Number 12 - Worksheet
An activity worksheet to use in the classroom when learning about the number 12.
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Number 11 - Worksheet
An activity worksheet to use in the classroom when learning about the number 11.
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Move It! Handwriting PowerPoint Game
An active PowerPoint game to practice handwriting.
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Growth Mindset Worksheets (Grades K-1)
Print these growth mindset worksheets for kindergarten and first grade to learn about I Can and I Can't while practicing handwriting.
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Pen Licenses
They've done it! They have achieved the all important goal of being allowed to write with a pen. This moment deserves something special.
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Pre-Handwriting Worksheets
A collection of 18 pre-handwriting skill sheets with a range of different techniques and themes.
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Days of the Week - Handwriting Sheet
A handwriting sheet to practice writing the days of the week.
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Handwriting Hints Poster
Produce confident writers with this helpful handwriting poster.
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Alphabet Handwriting Sheets - Individual
Handwriting sheets for each letter of the alphabet.
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Alphabet Handwriting Sheets - Including Non-Examples
Handwriting sheets with opportunities for students to trace, identify and write the letters of the alphabet.
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Upper Grades Handwriting Sheets
Fifteen handwriting sheets for upper elementary.
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Handwriting Posters - Dirt, Grass, and Sky Background
Handwriting posters using a dirt, grass, and sky background.
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Handwriting Song Poster
A poster with The Handwriting Song to display in the classroom.
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Letter Formation Alphabet Posters
A set of letter formation alphabet posters to display in the classroom.
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Large Handwriting Charts - Capitals and Lower Case
Print capital and lower case letters displayed on large red and blue handwriting lines.
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Large Handwriting Charts - Capital Letters
Print handwriting displayed on large red and blue lines.
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Large Handwriting Charts - Lower Case
Print handwriting displayed on large red and blue lines.
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Holding Your Pencil Poster
A poster highlighting how to properly hold your pencil.
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Alphabet Handwriting Sheet
A handwriting sheet with the alphabet and some words for students to trace.
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Handwriting Sheets - Theme Pages 1
Ten themed handwriting sheets with your choice of fonts.
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Handwriting Paper with Dotted Middle Line - Portrait
Handwriting paper for beginning writers.
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Writing Lowercase Letters
Students practice writing the lowercase letter next to the provided uppercase letter.
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Handwriting Sheets - Uppercase, Lowercase, and Sentence Writing
A set of 26 handwriting sheets that include uppercase and lowercase letters as well as sentence writing.