Magic c Cursive Letters
Magic c
Bump the line
Magic c
Bump the line
Up like a helicopter
Bump!
Back down bump
travel away
Magic c
Up like a helicopter
Up higher
Back down bump
travel away
Magic c
Up like a helicopter
Bump!
Back down, turn
Aim for corner
travel away
T he first group of letters is familiar from printing and these letters use the
basic c to c connection. Children can easily identify these letters. In both print
and cursive, these letters start on the mid line with the Magic c stroke.
© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®
Letters Without Loops that Connect at the Bottom
Travel up like a helicopter
Slide down bump
Climb back up and over
And down bump
Travel away
Travel up like a helicopter
Slide down bump
Travel away
Cross
Travel up
Bump!
Slide down
Climb back up
And over and around
Bump the pole
Travel away
T hese letters are also familiar from printing. T he h and p have been de-looped
for simplicity. Letters h, t, and p end on the baseline. T hey are easy to connect
to letters that start on the baseline.
© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®
Letters with Loops that Connect at the Bottom
Travel then up
Turn
Down
Stay on your side
Bump, travel away
elf
Travel then up
Turn
Down
Stay on your side
Bump, travel away
Travel then up
Turn
Down
U turn
Aim for corner
Travel away
T his group doesn’t look like the printed letters. Letter e is the most frequently
used letter. All three use similar stroke patterns and strategies. We keep the loops
on e, l, and f because making a loop helps the pencil move in the right direction
to connect to the next letter.
© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®
Familiar from Print
Down, travel, up
Bump!
Back down bump
Travel away
Down, travel, up
Bump!
Back down, turn
Aim for corner
Travel away
Travel up
Bump!
Back down bump
Travel away
Dot
Travel up
Bump!
Back down, turn
Aim for corner
Travel away
Dot
Most children recognize these letters from printing. T hey are fairly easy
to learn. T he letters u and y begin with similar strokes, and letters i and
j begin with similar strokes.
© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®
Not Familiar from Print
Travel up like
a helicopter
Slide down Bump!
Climb back up and
over and around
Kick! Slide away
Travel up
Bump!
Smile
Down bump
Travel away
Straight jet take-off
Bump
Down, make a J turn
Touch, travel away
T hese three letters are not familiar from printing. T hey can be challenging,
but if taught using the step-by-step directions, they will not present any
difficulty. T he letter k has been de-looped to keep it clear and simple.
© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®
Tow Truck Letters
Magic c
Keep on going
Circle around
End with tow
Down and up
Down and up
End with tow
Start with an
Travel and up
End with tow
Slide down
Bump!
And up
End with tow
T his group has a special name - the Tow Truck Letters. T hese four letters are
the only lowercase cursive letters that do not end on the baseline. T he ending
sticks out like a tow, and it never bends down to pick up another letter.
© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®
Tricky Letters
Travel, up and over
Down
Again
Again
Special Situation
fro
After Tow Truck Letter,
use printed m
Travel, up and over
Down
Again

After Tow Truck Letter,
use printed n
T he number of bumps in these letters is important and tricky. When a
Tow Truck Letter comes before m or n, use the printed style of these letters.
Children should know the difference between the printed and cursive letters.
© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®
Infrequently Used
Climb up
Side down
Cross
Magic c
Up like a helicopter
Bump! Back down
U turn
Aim for corner,
Travel away
Make your half
Make another half
Turn
Aim for corner,
Travel away
T hese letters are used infrequently and can be challenging, so we wait until
the end to introduce them. Although q uses a Magic c stroke, it is taught
here to avoid confusion with g.
© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®
Lowercase Partners
Magic c
Magic c
Up
Back down
Slide down
Up
End
Down
Travel up
Again
End
Down
Travel up
Back down
Magic c
Around
End
Slide down
Cross down
Down
Travel up
Back down
Small J turn
End
Half heart
Up, over, down
Small J turn
End
T hese letters are taught first because they are easy. T hey look just like their lowercase
partners, only bigger! T he fancy strokes and extras have been eliminated, making them
clean, clear, and easy to learn.
© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®
Familiar from Print Capitals
Ready down
Up around
Ready down
Up over down
Ready down
Up over down
One more
Ready down
Up around
Around again
Ready down
Up around
Slide down
Ready down
Down
Up over
End
Ready down
Kick
Slide down
T hese letters are familiar from printing. T hey use a common introductory stroke
pattern: ready, down. It’s like picking up a hammer (ready) and hitting a nail (down).
© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®
Not Familiar from Print Capitals
t
f
Ready down
Turn
Cross
Ready down
Turn
l
Start like
in the air
Down small turn
Flip over
i
Curve up
Top like +
Down big J turn
End
Curve up
Straight down
Small J turn
End
Curve up
Down
Big J turn
End
g
j
s
Jet takes off
Print s
End
d
Down small turn
Flip over
Curve up end
e
c in the air
c again
q
Half heart
Small turn
Flip over
T hese letters are new and require special attention to consistent modeling and practice.
T here are Letter Stories in the Teacher’s Guide for G and S. E is unfamiliar but easy.
We give children the option to use a printed or a cursive Q.
© 2011 Handwriting Without Tears®