Handwriting Teaching Resources
Explore free handwriting worksheets, classroom alphabet posters, and more activities for kids that have been teacher-created for primary teachers. There's even a handwriting worksheet generator to help students improve their handwriting!
Whether you're working on handwriting practice with your prep students or teaching cursive writing to year 3, 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 put pencil to paper to spell out their names. There's a lot of handwriting practise 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 practise 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 the formation of 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 be writing 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 practise 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 just needs to practise 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? You may want to meet with your school's special education experts. It may help to have the students evaluated by an occupational therapist to determine if additional intervention is needed.
Handwriting Fonts and Lines Across Australian Schools
In Australia, the fonts taught and used in schools change depending on which state or territory you are in. It can also change depending on the agreed guidelines of the school you are teaching at.
If you're teaching handwriting in Australia, it is important that you become familiar with the handwriting font used in your state or territory and the guidelines used in your school. This includes when to introduce cursive writing and the use of pens.
There are three main types of lines and the use of the lines in Australia:
- Blue dotted thirds, with the body of the letter in between the two dotted lines
- Blue dotted thirds, with the body of the letter in between the second dotted line and the last solid line
- Red and blue lined thirds, with the body of the letter in between the two blue lines
- Free Plan
Writing the Alphabet Chart - Tracing
A chart to assist students when learning how to form letters.
- Plus Plan
Upper Primary Handwriting Sheets
Fifteen handwriting sheets for upper primary.
- Plus Plan
Handwriting Sheets - Theme Pages 1
Ten themed handwriting sheets with your choice of fonts.
- Free Plan
Writing Numbers 0-20 - Tracing
A worksheet to assist students when learning how to form numbers.
- Plus Plan
Cursive Writing - Cursive Alphabet Handwriting Practice Sheets
A set of 6 sheets to practise writing letters in cursive.
- Plus Plan
A to Z Handwriting Sheets with Upper and Lower Case Letters and Examples
A set of 26 A to Z handwriting sheets with upper and lower case letters and examples.
- Plus Plan
Alphabet Handwriting Sheets - Individual
Handwriting sheets for each letter of the alphabet.
- Plus Plan
Season Handwriting Sheets
Handwriting sheets about the seasons.
- Plus Plan
Handwriting Posters - Dirt, Grass and Sky Background With Arrows
Handwriting posters using a dirt, grass and sky background with arrows.
- Plus Plan
Handwriting Sheet - Days of the Week
A handwriting sheets for the days of the week.
- Plus Plan
A to Z Alphabet Handwriting Worksheets for Fine Motor
A set of alphabet handwriting worksheets to help children develop their fine motor skills and their knowledge and recognition of letters and sounds.
- Free Plan
Handwriting Lines with Cat - Dotted Line
Use the cat to help your students set their handwriting out correctly.
- Plus Plan
Handwriting Paper with Red Guidelines - Portrait
Use this Handwriting Paper to help students to write with their neatest handwriting.
- Plus Plan
Cursive Practice - Sentences
A set of 6 sheets to practise writing sentences in cursive.
- Plus Plan
Handwriting Book Cover - Version 2
A Handwriting book cover to use on your students' workbooks.
- Plus Plan
Handwriting Paper No Dotted Blue Line - Landscape
Use this Handwriting Paper to help students to write with their neatest handwriting.
- Plus Plan
Pre-Writing Pencil Control Tracing Sheets
A set of four animal-themed pre-writing tracing worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Writing Numbers 0-10 - Tracing
A worksheet to assist students when learning how to form numbers.
- Plus Plan
Handwriting Song Poster
A poster with The Handwriting Song to display in the classroom.
- Plus Plan
Lined Handwriting Paper for Older Students
A variety of lined handwriting paper, suitable for school fonts, to help students write neatly.
- Plus Plan
Handwriting Rhyme Poster
A fun poster to help your students learn proper handwriting technique.
- Plus Plan
Alphabet Handwriting Sheet - 1 Page
Handwriting sheets with the alphabet and some words for students to trace.
- Plus Plan
Writing Numbers 0-20 - Dotted Font
Practise writing numbers 0–20 with this tracing activity.
- Plus Plan
Pre-Handwriting Worksheets
A collection of 18 pre-handwriting skill sheets with a range of different techniques and themes.
- Plus Plan
Writing Ninjas Bump it Up Data Wall Display
A ninja themed Bump It Up Wall for writing to display in your classroom.
- Plus Plan
One Sentence About Me - Getting to Know You Activity
A worksheet to use at the beginning of the year get to know students.
- Plus Plan
School Font Tracing Alphabet with Arrows
Full page upper and lower case alphabet letters with arrows for tracing.
- Plus Plan
Writing the Alphabet Chart
A chart to assist students when learning how to form letters.
- Plus Plan
Number Worksheet - 2
An activity worksheet to use in the classroom when learning about 2.
- Plus Plan
Alphabet Handwriting Sheets - Including Non-Examples
Handwriting sheets with opportunities for students to trace, identify and write the letters of the alphabet.
- Plus Plan
Writing Numbers 0-20
A chart to assist students when learning how to form numbers.
- Plus Plan
Large Handwriting Charts - Capitals and Lower Case
Print capital and lower case letters displayed on large red and blue handwriting lines.