Teach handwriting strokes quickly before starting letters.

So you're ready to get started? No matter what age your learner is, he'll learn the phonograms easier if he writes them as he says them. That multi-sensory stuff stores the little bits of info in multiple parts of the brain at the same time. Research shows that we can recall things better if they trigger more senses at once. So before you get too deep in the sounds, do some quick instruction on the handwriting strokes. We need 6 separate strokes to write all the letters in manuscrip, or printing and 6 for cursive. You don't have to belabor this. Just get some language of instruction clear. This is especially true if your child or student you're working with is a lefty! They seem naturally want to write letters top to bottom and right to left! This is a battle worth fighting. With very young kids, you can set some foundations here that will help them with both writing and reading. Here, Janet works with students on the cursive strokes. She makes sure they see her forming the strokes top to bottom and left to right. For more information and resources for teaching handwriting strokes, both manuscript and cursive check out STEPS Teacher Resources, STEP 3. For the complete STEPS Teacher manual, click here.