Cursive handwritingGrades 2–4
Cursive D
A one-letter cursive page for D and d, with a big model, tracing lines for both cases, and three practice words. It suits children in grades 2 to 4 who are learning lowercase stems.
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On this page
Small d looks like a with a tall stem. The capital D takes a different path from the print version, and kids often write both in one go, so the pair is worth practising together.
Inside the sheet
Think of the sheet as four small jobs stacked up. First a large model of Dd. Second, two rows of the capital. Third, two rows of the small letter and a row of ddd run together. Fourth, a row for each of dog, duck, day. On the lines with a dark first copy, you trace the grey ones after it; one grey-only row in each pair is for a second go.
These cursive shapes are drawn in the open-licence Cedarville Cursive font. Treat it as one teacher's clear hand rather than an official model; your child's class may use a variant. Capital D on the model has a looped start, a straight stem and one large bowl on the right.
Choices
Only two choices appear for this sheet. Letter picks which pair is printed and starts on D d. Line size picks between Large (beginners), Medium, or Small (confident writers); Medium is the default.
How to form small d
Begin like a small c: curve up and over to the left, swing around to the baseline and back up. Do not stop at the midline. Continue straight up to the top line, then retrace down the same line all the way to the baseline and end with a flick. The tall stem should be about twice the height of the bowl.
How to form capital D
Start with a small curl near the top, bring the line down the left side to the baseline, and retrace up. Then sweep a big curve around the right side and back to the stem. The bowl should look balanced, with its widest point near the middle. Treat this as one common way to do it. D'Nealian and other programs, as well as the sheet's model, sometimes draw capitals with different strokes.
Letter group and joins
Small d is part of the curve-forward group with a, c, g, o and q. Its bowl is exactly an a, and the tall stem is the only addition.
After d comes a flick that carries into the next letter at the baseline, as in 'do' and 'dr'. It is easier than the letters that join from the top, but the stem must come down on top of itself so the flick starts clean.
Troubleshooting
The stem is the problem. If it does not retrace, a gap shows between the bowl and the line and d looks like 'cl'. If the stem is short, d is mistaken for a. If the bowl is left open, d looks like a c with a stick. Also watch for backwards d, which starts from the right: the first move is always toward the left.
Worked example: writing duck
Ella, age eight, writes duck on the third row. She traces the d slowly: curve left, swing to the baseline, up to the top line, and straight down on the same path. The u follows from the flick. She checks her work by laying a pencil across the page at the dashed line and sees her stems clear it every time. On the last empty line she writes duck once, and her parent notes that the d is the same height as the k.
Next steps
If you want the full set at a glance, open the cursive alphabet chart and keep it beside the desk. The following letter is cursive e. Before this letter, you may want cursive C.