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Handwriting Practice:

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D'Nealian Manuscript Handwriting   

We teach the students the D'Nealian style of letter and number formation. The many curved lines (tails) in this style provide an easy transition to Cursive writing.  We teach letters out of order to better facilitate understanding and proper form when writing.  Example- [a, d, & g] and [r, h, & n] are the same basic letter.  When helping your student to write, we encourage you to use the D'Nealian alphabet. When teaching your student to write his or her name, please teach him/her to use the proper form with a capital for the first letter and all the rest small letters.

Note: Many of our practice sheets show a dot where to begin each letter / number.

ALL LETTERS TOUCH THE FLOOR – No Harry Potter letters (floating above the line)

Only lower-case g, j, p, q, and y BREAK THROUGH THE FLOOR

(g, j, q, and y GO FISHING - Hooked tail)

ALL NUMBERS TOUCH THE CEILING AND THE FLOOR

NO LETTERS OR NUMBERS BREAK THROUGH THE CEILING – EVER!!! 

A – ceiling to floor down and in - ceiling to floor down and out (make a tent), - then left to right

a – dotted line. make the belly, back to the dotted line, down to make a tail

B – ceiling to floor and back up (leave a mouth at the top), make a belly, make a belly 

b – ceiling to floor and back up to the dotted line, make the belly

C – up to the ceiling, down and around, touch the floor and back up a little

c – up to the dotted line, down around, touch the floor and back up a little

D – ceiling to floor and back up (leave a mouth at the top), then down and around to the floor

d – dotted line. make the belly, up to the ceiling and back down to make a tail (lowercase a with a flagpole)

E – ceiling to floor - then give it a hat - give it an arm - give it a foot (left to right)

e – left to right then make the letter c – make sure the top half is closed

F – ceiling to floor - give it a hat - give it an arm (left to right)

f – up to the ceiling then straight down (make a candycane), then give it arms (left to right)

G – up to the ceiling, down and around, touch the floor and slide to the left

g – dotted line. make the belly, back to the dotted line then break through the floor and go fishing (like a lowercase a)

H – ceiling to floor – left to right – ceiling to floor

h – ceiling to floor then back up, make a hill at the dotted line then give it a tail

I – ceiling to floor - give it a big hat - give it 2 feet (left to right)

i – dotted line down and give it a tail, add a dot on top

J – ceiling to floor then give it a hook (left side hook)

j – dotted line down and go fishing, add a dot on top (left side fishing)

K – ceiling to floor - ceiling to dotted line then down and out to the floor

k – ceiling to floor then back up, make a loop and a kickstand to the floor (small capital R with a flagpole)

L – ceiling to floor then give it a foot (left to right)

l – ceiling to floor and give it a tail

M – ceiling to floor - make a letter v that touches the dotted line, then back down to the floor

m – dotted line to the floor then back up, make 2 hills touching the dotted line then give it a tail

N – ceiling to floor - ceiling to floor down and out and back up to the ceiling

n – dotted line to floor then back up, make a hill touching the dotted line then give it a tail

O – up to the ceiling and around, touch the floor and back around (like the number 0)

o – up to the dotted line and around, touch the floor and back around

P – ceiling to floor and back up (leave a mouth at the top), then make the belly

p – dotted line and break through the floor then back up, leave a mouth and make the belly

Q – up to the ceiling and around, touch the floor and back around, give it a tail (make a capital O then pop the balloon)

q - dotted line and make the belly, continue back to the dotted line and then go down to go fishing (like a lowercase a)

R – ceiling to floor and back up, leave a mouth at the top, make the belly then make the kickstand (like a capital P)

r – dotted line to floor then back up, make a hill touching the dotted line (like a lowercase n)

S - up to the ceiling and around like a snake then touch the floor and back up a little

s - up to the dotted line and around like a snake then touch the floor and back up a little

T – ceiling to floor and give it a big hat

t – ceiling to floor and give it a tail, then give it arms (left to right)

U – ceiling to floor making a cup then back up to the ceiling

u – dotted line to floor making a cup then back up to the dotted line, then back down to give it a tail

V – ceiling to floor down and out then back to the ceiling up and out (make a fang)

v – dotted line to floor down and out then back to the dotted line up and out

W - ceiling to floor down and out then back to the ceiling up and out, then do it again (make fangs)

w - dotted line to floor making a cup then back up to the dotted line, do it again, then back down to give it a tail

X – ceiling to floor down and out and give it a tail, then ceiling to floor down and in

x – dotted line to floor down and out and give it a tail, then dotted line to floor down and in

Y – ceiling to dotted line down and out, then ceiling to floor down and in (an X without a kickstand)

y - dotted line to floor making a cup then back up to the dotted line, then back down to go fishing

Z – on the ceiling left to right, ceiling to floor down and in, then on the floor left to right

z – on the dotted line left to right, dotted line to floor down and in, then on the floor left to right

   

NUMBERS

0 – up to the ceiling and around, touch the floor and back around (like the letter O)

1 – ceiling to floor (go straight down)

2 – make half of a heart and give it a foot

3 – half way round and around again

4 – half way down and side to the right, then cut it in half (leave the pigeon pooper branch!)

5 – half way down, half way around, then give it a hat

6 – curve on down, then circle around

7 – make the hat then down and in (7 is cool, leaning against a wall!)

8 – make an S, then go back home (close it up)

9 – at the ceiling, make a belly then back to the top, ceiling to floor

 

ALL NUMBERS TOUCH THE CEILING AND THE FLOOR

NO LETTERS OR NUMBERS BREAK THROUGH THE CEILING – EVER!!! 

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