Print alphabet and numbers, stroke by stroke

Print (manuscript) letters are made of straight lines and circles. Each page below animates the correct stroke order, lets you trace it on screen, and links to a printable practice sheet.

The order follows the common rule for young writers: start at the top, move down or left to right, and lift the pencil between strokes. Letters built on a circle (a, c, d, g, o, q) start at the one o'clock position and go counterclockwise.

Tall letters reach the top line, short letters stop at the midline, and g, j, p, q and y drop below the baseline. Teaching those three heights first makes the whole alphabet easier to place on lined paper.

Print is the first style most children learn, and the one adults use on forms. The aim is consistent height and spacing, not speed.

Use paper with a dotted midline if you can. The sheets from the worksheet maker include one, so tall, short and descending letters all land in the right place.

Say the stroke out loud as you write it: "down, lift, across". Naming the move makes the order stick.

Trace on screen first to learn the order, then print a sheet and write the same letter five times along the line.