Letter Formation Direction Cards – Free Download
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Now that my daughter is five, we've been practicing handwriting skills more frequently than we have in the past. Since we are homeschooling, this allows us to take our time and introduce these skills at an age appropriate time. As we work on letter formations, I'm always forgetting how to give verbal directions on how to form each letter (mom brain, ha!). I decided to create these letter formation direction cards for myself using the wording from our Fundanoodle handwriting program.
Why Do Letter Formation Directions Matter?
It's important for consistency in letter formation to choose what type of wording you use to describe how to write a letter. Not only will the child associate how to write the letter by seeing it written (copying or tracing), but it also provides auditory feedback on how to form the letters. This helps them verbally and visually to practice the motor planning needed for each letter. When I was working in the school system, I often heard my students repeating the letter formation wording to themselves as they practiced.
There are a few programs out there that show you as the educator how to teach letter formations. We have chosen to use Fundanoodle's handwriting program, which was designed by Occupational Therapists and early education teachers. Unfortunately, it is no longer for sale to the general public, which makes me sad. 🙁
I really love how they chose to word their letter formation directions using action words. Action words are easier for a child to understand imitate how the letters are formed. Words like “zoom”, “zip” or “buzz” imply movement are fun to imitate through writing. These action words are combined with directional words such as “top”, “middle”, or “bottom” so the child knows where to put the pencil next.
Here is an example. For the letter “A”, the Fundanoodle program will have you say:
- Zoom down
- Hop to the top
- Zoom down
- Hop to the middle
- Zip across
Get Your Free Letter Formation Direction Cards
Thanks to Fundanoodle for allowing me to create these cards using their letter formation wording. I can't wait to use these are an add-on to our handwriting practice.
I plan on keeping these for my use to help remember how to verbally tell Ellie how to form her letters as we are working on handwriting in other projects or activities than our Fundanoodle workbooks. You could also laminate these and have your child practice tracing the letter on each card as added practice.
The cards are designed 7″ wide, 5″ high and can be printed on your computer at home. I suggest printing them back-to-back to save on paper. You also might want to consider using card stock and then laminating the cards so they hold up longer. The download itself is 30 pages long.
To get your letter formation directions cards, put your e-mail address into the form below and click the green button. You'll be redirected to a “thank you” page to let you know it was a success. Then head to your e-mail inbox to get the link to download your free printable download.
This printable is a digital download, you will need to use your printer to print it off and use it. Or you can have the file sent to an office supply store to have it printed for you.
You'll also receive an e-mail from me with some more tips on how to use these cards and how you can use Fundanoodle in your home, classroom, or therapy sessions.
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Heather Greutman, COTA
Heather Greutman is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant with experience in school-based OT services for preschool through high school. She uses her background to share child development tips, tools, and strategies for parents, educators, and therapists. She is the author of many ebooks including The Basics of Fine Motor Skills, and Basics of Pre-Writing Skills, and co-author of Sensory Processing Explained: A Handbook for Parents and Educators.
Look forward to trying the free download printable cards
Hello! I would love a copy of these but the link to enter an email address doesn’t seem to be working. Please let me know if there is another place I could provide my email for a copy. 🙂 Thank you!
Hi Sara,
Thanks for letting me know, I have updated the post above, so it should be working now.
Thank you
Thank you!
Is there a version that includes the arrows and numbers as well for each letter?
Thank you
Thanks!