1. Stroke Progression: Teach letters in order of normal stroke progression instead of traditional alphabetical order. A child should acquire prewriting strokes in the following order: vertical, horizontal, circular, then diagonal. Straight line letters are the easiest and are a great starting place. Next, introduce curved letters. Diagonal lines are the last to acquire developmentally so leave those letters until the end.
2. Make it fun! The more senses you can incorporate the better. Draw letters in the air, sand or putty. Trace them with multiple colors. Write them in sidewalk chalk. The possibilities are endless. The more media you use the more interested your child will be and willing to “work”.
3. Perfect practice makes perfect! Always encourage correct letter formations. Achieving proper form initially is crucial. You want to encourage top-down and left to right letter formations. It is very difficult to break a habit of incorrect formation once it is started.