Proper Number Formation          

Handwriting fluency is fundamental to learning because children think and write at the same time.  Children who don’t master handwriting may lose their overall train of thought when stopping to think about number formation.  It is important to develop legible handwriting in the primary grades before bad habits are formed.

Use the guidelines below to help your child develop good writing habits. 

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These rhymes may also be useful in recalling the steps of number formation.

0- Make a circle like an O, then you have a zero!

1- Number one is like a stick, a straight line down that's very quick.

2- Half a heart will never do.  Slide to the right to make a two. 

3- Around and around just like a bee, that's the way to make a three.

4- Make an L, but wait there's more, add a stickman to make a four. 

5- Straight line down, then around. Hat on top and five's a clown.

6- A stick and a hoop do the tricks. That's the way to make a six.

7- Across the sky and down from heaven that's the way to make a seven.

8- Make an S, like a snake.  Loop back up to make an eight.

9- Make a balloon that's just fine, add a stickman to make a nine.

10- A straight line down, is fun, its one, but with a zero beside it makes ten more fun.