How to teach the letters
Each learner should first become familiar with identifying the starting position for each letter: the ring where arrow number 1 begins. At first, the videos and flashcards are ideal for teaching the patterns.
The student should first be encouraged to locate the starting ring and place the index finger on it.
The student should then be guided to motion the appropriate index finger (left index finger for lefthanded; right index finger for righthanded) along the dotted line to the end of the first stroke, saying the number “one” aloud.
At this point, the student should be encouraged not to lift the index finger while identifying the second stroke. Once the second stroke is identified, the student should be encouraged to proceed by motioning the index finger along that stroke, saying the number “two” aloud.
Show the student how to proceed to complete all of the strokes of the letter, saying each stroke number aloud.
Use positive reinforcement (a high five, etc.) upon completion to associate a positive emotion with accomplishing each letter.
Once students have become familiar with the process of forming letters and have been sufficiently introduced to the letters of the alphabet with the flashcards and/or videos, students are ready to begin practicing with a pencil and paper. This will reinforce the formation of individual letters and facilitate fine motor skills, dexterity, and penmanship. Students should first be taught correct pencil grip (three-finger grip using the thumb, index and middle finger).
The Alphastrokes workbook is ideal for young learners to practice forming the letters on paper.
Once students are ready to hone fine motor skills, the Alphastrokes font is ideal for producing custom worksheets, upon which you can control the size of the lettering and focus on specific letters and/or words. Using words that your child/student has developed a personal affinity for will make the exercise more engaging and build upon pre-existing mental schemas.
There is also a more basic version of the Alphastrokes font that has only the starting positions, without the direction arrows, for students who are ready to take their penmanship practice to the next level “without the training wheels,” so to speak. This font is available for free and comes bundled with the full version of the font (available for purchase here).
Bring the lessons to life with Alphastrokes
Use these resources together, or choose what fits your learners:
Flashcards
Demonstrate starting positions and stroke order.
Videos
Show letter formation in motion.
Workbook
Provide prepared practice activities.
Tracing font
Create personalized worksheets with names and familiar words.