Can anyone link to the thread where mrz told us how to form letters?

[LaBelleDameSansPatience]

Just that, really. Someone asked how handwriting is taught and apparently you can teach each letter with a 'story'. For example, one I remember is 'down Maisie and over two mountains'. I didn't get round to printing it before the holidays and now I can't find it. I would normally never interfere with school's teaching methods, but my dd (R) appears to be making up her own methods; starting in the wrong place and taking the pencil off several times in each letter. This is so hard to change once the wrong way becomes a habit.

a Round the apple down the leaf (apple)
b Down the laces to the heel, round the toe (Boot)
c Curl around the caterpillar (caterpillar)
d Round his bottom up his tall neck and down to his feet (dinosaur)
e Lift off the top and scoop out the egg (egg)
f Down the stem, and draw the leaves (flower)
g Round her face down her hair and give her a curl (girl)
h Down the head to the hooves and over his back (horse)
i Down his body, and dot for his head (insect)
j Down his body curl and dot (jack-in-the box)
k Down the kangaroo?s body, tail and leg (kangaroo)
l Down the long leg (leg)
m Down Maisie, over the mountain over the mountain (Maisie and
mountains)
n Down Nobby, over his net (football net)
o All around the orange (orange)
p Down his plait and around his head (pirate)
q Round her head, up past her earrings and down her hair (queen)
r Down his back, then curl over his arm (robot)
s Slither down the snake (snake)
t Down the tower across the tower (castle tower)
u Down and under, up to the top and draw the puddle (umbrella)
v Down a wing, up a wing (vulture)
w Down up down up (worm)
x Down the arm and leg and repeat the other side (Exercise)
y Down a horn up a horn and under his head (yak)
z Zig-zag-zig (zip)

Fantastic! Thank you.

Thank you mrz

Salskey those are the RWI formation if your child uses a different phonics scheme there will be a different instruction ... I don't teach those in my school.

Easter homework- ds was given a sheet to practise his letters, with the instructions 'all letters in green go to the top of the line, all letters in orange go to the bottom of the line, all letters in red stay in the middle' unfortunately they've been photocopied in black and white!(hmm) To be honest he only needs practise with g, n, p and r so the rhymes will be fab.

I do know that they are different in different schools - in fact, our school starts reception with the appalling cursive writing, which has made my dd simply decide that she cannot write and stop trying. I have to try something.

Has anyone a good idea for learning the shape for 'n' - in our phonics scheme, the image to remember 'n' is 'aeroplane', as that is the noise they make .

It is the second letter of her name, so she must learn it correctly.

We don't mention the aeroplane but our formation would be

down, up, over, down and flick if it is cursive from the line we add a whoosh up at the beginning.

Thanks. I think I'll do nelly the elephant then; start at her head, down her front leg, up over her back and down her back leg. I would rather her teacher did no writing than let the reception group just make it up in their own way.