Annie Wade, OT

Should your child learn how to write letters in ABC order? Many times kids will learn letters in alphabetical order, which makes sense! As an occupational therapist, I will often teach kids how to write letters in a different order based on a child's typical development. 

Pre-Writing Skills

Before kids learn how to write letters, they will learn what is called “pre-writing skills”. These pre-writing skills involve drawing horizontal and vertical lines first, then circles, a “cross”, squares and then diagonal lines and “x’s”. Taking that information and applying it to learning how to write letters of the alphabet provides us a more developmentally appropriate way to teach/learn letters.

Writing Capital Letters

The first letters to start with are capital letters that have vertical and horizontal lines.

E, F, H, I, L, T

Then, just as a child will next learn to copy and draw circles, a child can start learning capital letters that have curved lines.

B, C, D, G, J, O, P, Q, S, U

Finally, The last letters for capital letters are those with diagonal lines.

A, K, M, N, R, V, W, X, Y, Z

Practice Makes Perfect

The more your child practices, the better they will get at writing their letters. By practicing fine motor skills like coloring or playing with Legos, your child can also improve their writing skills. Some fun ways to specifically practice learning letters include:

• Use paint, chalk, or shaving cream to provide additional tactile experiences
• Find items from outside and in nature, such as drawing in snow or using sticks, to create the letters
• Create the letters using Play-Doh, or write the letters in Play-Doh

Additionally, you can check out some of our other blog posts for more at-home ideas!

Why Handwriting is Important + FREE Worksheets

Dollar Tree Handwriting Warm-Up Kits

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