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Letter Sizing and Orientation to the Line

Think about writing the letter ‘e’ on some lined paper for a second…

How do you know where to start the letter so it sits nicely on the line rather than floating in Timbuctoo? Or how to write the letters so they’re a consistent size rather than looking like a haphazard ransom note?

By the time we’re adults, writing has become second nature – we don’t even think about scrawling our signature so it sits on the dotted line (or thereabouts!).

For kids, knowing how to do this takes practise, an understanding of letter formation (correctly forming letters using the patterns of top to bottom, left to right and anti-clockwise) and the ability to concentrate.

In fact, there are a lot of factors that go into letter sizing and orientation (being able to place correctly sized and spaced letters on the line), such as coordinated eye and hand movements, being able to hold and control a pencil and being able to maintain a good posture – just to name a few!

Never fear, though, PlayBiz is here to help! We’ve got many activities that junior will enjoy, all while developing their letter sizing and orientation skills. They’re featured below.

How do I know if my child is having difficulty with their letter sizing and orientation?

Your little one may need help with their letter sizing and orientation skills if they:

  • Size their letters inconsistently (e.g. some letters big and others small)
  • Place some words and letters close together and others far apart
  • Drop letters below the line or sit them above the line rather than appropriately on the line

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Ways you can help your child with their letter sizing and orientation 

We’ve put together some useful strategies and activities for you to help develop your whippersnapper’s letter sizing and orientation skills. Read on!

Strategies for developing letter sizing and orientation skills

To encourage little miss or mister to correctly size and place their letters on the lines while writing, you can use the following:

  • Raised lined paper – features raised dark lines that are bumpy when the pencil crosses over them, which gives a simple visual (sight) and tactile (touch) cue
  • Graph paper – provides a visual cue of space while placing one letter in each square
  • Coloured lines – uses the imagery of the sky (blue for letters that start from top to bottom), sun (yellow for letters that start from middle to bottom) and grass (green for the letters that sit only on the line or have tails that fall below the line) as visual cues for where to start and place letters
  • Cat letters – shows where the different letters should sit on the line in relation to a cat’s body, with tall ‘top to bottom’ letters spanning the cat’s head and body, small ‘middle to bottom’ letters spanning just the body and letters that reach below the line (such as ‘g’ and ‘q’) spanning the body and tail
  • Letter families – groups of letters that have similar starting points and pre-writing patterns (the directions of top to bottom, left to right and anti-clockwise that make up letters)

Letter families using coloured lines

  • Top to bottom: b, h, k, l, t
  • Middle to bottom: i, j, m, n, p, r, u, v, w
  • Anti-clockwise: a, c, d, g, o, q
  • Exceptions: e, s, x, z, f

Letter families using cat

  • Top to bottom: b, h, k, l, t
  • Middle to bottom: i, j, m, n, p, r, u, v, w
  • Anti-clockwise: a, c, d, g, o, q
  • Exceptions: e, s, x, z, f

Activities for developing letter sizing and orientation skills

You can help your youngster to develop their letter sizing and orientation skills through fun activities such as:

  • Drawing and colouring-in books (e.g. with pictures, ‘Dot to Dots’ or mazes)
  • Forming shapes and letters in a variety of substances (e.g. shaving cream, sand, steam on a shower glass) – known as a ‘multisensory approach’
  • Using ‘tactile cards’ (drawing letters on card and covering them in rice, sand or cotton wool for example, and then tracing the letters with the pointer/2nd finger)
  • Using visual (sight) cues such as placing a green dot where the letter begins and a red dot where it ends
  • Using verbal cues (e.g. “start at the top” or “pull down and stop”)
  • Drawing letters on body parts (e.g. the back or arm) with the pointer/2nd finger

Some additional tips for improving your child’s letter sizing and orientation

Here are some additional tips for improving junior’s letter sizing and orientation skills:

  • Avoid making the practise sessions too long (e.g. start with mini-sessions of 15–30 minutes)
  • Be patient – your child’s writing isn’t going to change overnight so take it one step at a time and celebrate your (and your whippersnapper’s!) successes
  • Practise regularly and in a variety of environments (e.g. in the sandpit at the park or with chalk on the footpath)
  • Encourage your little one to take the time to learn how to form the letters correctly and carefully
  • Give your youngster extra encouragement and boost their self-esteem through positive reinforcement
  • Ensure your child uses the correct pencil grip (visit our Pencil Grip page for tips!)
  • Expose little miss or mister to as many words as you can (e.g. read regularly or point out words on street signs, product labels and so on)
  • Make it fun!!

PlayBiz Members Only Content

This content is especially for PlayBiz members. For a modest fee* you can gain exclusive access to even more foundation skill building strategies, including video demonstrations of our ‘teachable moment’ activities. Want an Access All Areas pass to a bigger, brighter future for your little one? Become a PlayBiz member today!

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Combined Videos

Combining several foundation skills, our PlayBiz Play-a-Long videos run for 10 minutes or so. We’ve carefully ordered the activities so they enable your youngster to have an optimal learning experience and develop the skills they’ll need for school by joining in the ‘teachable moments’. Picture a fun and educational TV program like PlaySchool crossed with an occupational therapy session that’s chock full of strategies. Ready, steady, learn! Please note: The Play-a-Long videos don’t need to be viewed in any particular order.