Why Students Should Learn to Write Capital Letters First

As a school based occupational therapist, I am often asked to consult with classroom teachers on the developmental progression of handwriting. One of the main topics of conversation with early education teachers revolves around the progression in which to teach letters. Specifically, I am often asked, “What should I teach first? Capitals or lowercase?”. Here’s my answer …

TEACH capital letters first!

I have three main reasons that I recommend teaching capital letters first. I’ll outline them below.

1. Simplicity of Strokes

First and foremost, from a fine motor & visual motor standpoint, capital letters are developmentally easier for children to form than lowercase letters. Generally, the strokes that are used in capital letters are simpler strokes (ex. Vertical lines, horizontal lines, simple curves) that children learn at an earlier developmental stage than the more complex shapes (ex. diagonals). You can see a visual guide of the progression in which children learn pre-writing strokes and shapes below.

By teaching capital letters first, educators have the ability to bridge the gap for students that have fine motor or visual motor delays. Teaching capital letters allows students with varying levels of fine motor skills to develop a way of effectively writing while allowing everyone to feel successful.

2. Formation Patterns

Helping students recognize formation patterns is a key component of building successful handwriting habits. My favorite thing about capital letters is that they all start at the top line. This makes for an extremely simple and consistent formation pattern that you are able to teach students from day 1 of handwriting instruction. Building a strong foundation of starting at the top line will help students to more successfully transition this concept into more complex letters (ex. small lowercase letters) that start at varying points within the lines.

3. Sizing

One of the most impactful components of neat handwriting is letter sizing. This refers to the size in which a letter is formed (which lines does it touch). The magical thing about capital letters is that they are all the same size! This allows students to learn the concept of letter sizing early on, and then carry it over into every letter they learn moving forward. Once students progress into lowercase letters things get a bit trickier (tall letters, small letters, and diving letters), and it’s helpful if they first have a solid foundation of letter sizing before diving into these complexities.

Overall, capital letters are a great starting point for any young learner who is ready to begin their handwriting journey. The consistency and simplicity of these letters allows children to feel successful as they master this new skill, and can help students to develop a love for writing from an early age.

Looking for a fun & simple way to introduce students to capital letters? Check out my Kindergarten Prep Fine Motor Workbook. Through this book, students are exposed to capital letters in a developmental progression that allows students to feel both successful and confident. Using the included barcodes on each page, students can follow along with my Youtube videos for guided practice on proper letter formation.