Let me take you behind the scenes on the making of Letters I Can Write, a confidence-building workbook for kids who are learning to write their letters.
I wanted Letters I Can Write to feel inclusive to kids who might be coming to writing a little later, or are having a hard time getting started. So I spent a lot of time learning about what gets in the way before a child even begins to write. For learners that are already struggling, unnecessary friction has a big impact.
I learned through academic research, occupational therapists and speech pathologists. I recorded my research, paid special attention to what makes kids feel pressured and managed, and then I got to work.
Let me share some examples of how this confidence-first approach ended up playing out.
Early wins and starting on the right foot
In Letters I Can Write, every letter begins with an activity that is done together (child and caregiver) and almost impossible to get wrong. Playfully identifying letter sounds together (e.g. t- t- t- turtle, t- t- t- toothpaste) builds early confidence. A genuine early win and a sense of “I can do it.”
Giving letters context and meaning
This principle continues through each letter lesson. The workbook has a careful progression from sound, to sight, to hand. Because when kids have the context of how the letter sounds and looks first, letters are no longer random shapes on a page.
Each letter follows the same structure, and each page targets a different skill that supports writing:
The lesson begins with letter-sound awareness. This might be an I Spy activity, a colouring activity where they identify objects that match the sound, or a connect-the-dots that reveals an image and invites them to notice its sound. The activity varies. The purpose stays the same.
Letter recognition comes next. Kids encounter letters in the variety they experience in the real world (i.e. different fonts, sizes). The activities here include things like spot the difference, letter mazes, finding the letter “hidden” inside a word, and sorting uppercase and lowercase forms. It’s about building a flexible, robust recognition of the letter as it actually appears in real life.
On the warm-up pages, tracing, connect-the-dots, mazes, and sequential colouring activities all quietly introduce the shapes and conventional stroke order. Bonus suggestions include ways to include multi-sensory learning. The muscle memory is beginning, and the demand stays low.
So by the time we come to writing, the ears, eyes, hands and body have learned the letter. Because kids’ brains are very busy with many invisible tasks when they are learning to write, helping the letter “stick” in multiple ways reduces the demand on their brains and helps them feel more confident when it comes to actually writing.
Gradually fading support
Instead of sudden independent writing, or vague dotted lines, the writing activities build gradually through fading support. Writing pages begin with full tracing and ending with independent letter writing. A starting dot is always provided. Each step prepares the next one.
A progression with reasoning behind it
Letters I Can Write has an intentional letter order, so kids are working on the letters that are easiest to form first. It doesn’t begin with the letter A because it’s actually a relatively difficult letter. Diagonal lines require more hand control than vertical and horizontal lines, so it makes sense to start with the simpler shapes. The workbook begins with letters like L, T, I and F because they are the easiest to see and reproduce. Then it progresses to curved letters, and ends with letters containing diagonal lines.
Everything with a purpose
Learning to write can be overwhelming for some kids. When activities feel purposeful and are rewarding to complete, it feels a little easier to embrace the challenge.
Examples of purposeful activities include letter recognition activities that reveal a hidden picture, and connect the dots that gently teach conventional letter formation.
Letters I Can Write never asks for repetition without a new interesting purpose. You can see this most clearly on the writing practice pages. There are no drills or repetition solely for the sake of practice. Instead, writing is motivated by completing silly sentence, finishing a pattern or a word, or finding the punchline of a joke. Practice is made purposeful through adding context and fun so that it happens without the pressure.
Purpose-built hand-drawn components
Call me crazy, but when a workbook is about learning to write, the font that demonstrates hand-drawn letters needs to be… hand drawn. I found less than a handful of commercially available fonts really designed for a beginner to follow. And they still left out little details that I thought could be improved, so I made my own.
The Letters I Can Write font has a simplified, school-friendly print style, consistent with common early childhood handwriting programs. I paid special attention to the details:
- Thick stroke lines for visibility, and providing a forgiving tracing line that is easier to follow successfully.
- Extra space for curves and sharp corners to make the strokes easier to see and copy (e.g. the ‘c’ isn’t overly rounded, making it physically easier to see and write).
- Realistic stroke lines that show how the letter is formed (e.g. the ‘b’ isn’t a line and a circle, but a line and a curve emerging from the base and looping around).
- Letters that begin at the top of midline whenever possible, making it easier to remember where to start (e.g. the ‘a’ and 's' begin at the midline, rather than below it).
I made this for you
If any of this resonates, your family is exactly who this was made for.
Letters I Can Write is out now. It’s grounded in research, thoughtfully made, and tested with real kids. And I'd love to know how it goes with you and your child.
Use it, and tell me what you and your kid thought!
