Paper That Can Help First Graders Have Neater Writing

Make Your Own Handwriting Paper

Early printers need plenty of space on each line to form their letters. Teachers may want to make handwriting paper that meets their students needs if they are unable to find paper with large enough lines. To make your own lined paper, use a word processor and make a solid line across the top. Move your cursor down a few spaces and create a dashed line across the width of the paper. Continue down a few more spaces and make another solid line across the paper. This creates a handwriting line for students that you can copy and paste several more times on the document. Change the font size to make the lines as large or small as you would like to suit the abilities of your students.

First-graders often need help remembering where to place each letter on the lines of the paper. Create a visual reminder for them by drawing symbols on each line of the paper. Make the bottom line of each row brown to represent the ground. Many letters rest on this line. Make the middle line green to represent grass. Many lower-case letters come up to this line, so first-graders can think of them as sitting in the grass. Make the top line of each row blue to represent the sky. Capital letters and some lower-case letters such as "t" touch this top line. Also remind students that some letters go underneath the "ground," such as "g" and "y."

Another visual reminder for students who are learning to print letters correctly can be a house with three levels. On lined paper, draw several houses with an "attic" in the top portion of the line, a "main floor" on the bottom half of the line, and a "basement" beneath the line. Ask students to write each letter in a house. For example, a lower-case "a" will be printed in the "main floor," while a lower-case "k" reaches into the "attic." A lower-case "j" falls down into the "basement" of the house.

Teachers encourage students to print their letters starting at the top of each line. Using different colors can help students remember where to place their pencil to begin forming a letter. Make the top line of each row green, symbolizing "go" to remind children to start their capital letters there. Make the bottom line of each row red to represent "stop," reminding students that they often stop their letters on this line, except with a few lower-case letters.