Cursive handwritingGrades 2–4
Cursive E
A one-letter cursive page for E and e, with a big model, tracing lines for both cases, and three practice words. It suits children in grades 2 to 4 who are learning loops.
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On this page
Small e is the most common letter in English text, and it is also the first loop letter most children try in cursive. The capital E has two small loops stacked on the left, which does not look like print at all.
What prints
Printing the sheet gives you a single focus letter. The model Ee is at the top with a short caption listing egg, elf, east. Every row below it uses the same three guides (top line, dashed midline, baseline), and each repeats its letter or word across the width of the page, starting with one dark copy for the eye to follow.
For the letterforms the sheet relies on Cedarville Cursive, a free font whose style resembles a teacher writing on a board. It is not tied to Zaner-Bloser or any other program. The capital E on the model has a curl at the top and a second loop at the middle, like a mirrored three.
The settings
Two settings matter here. Line size has three choices: Large (beginners), Medium and Small (confident writers), with Medium chosen on opening. Larger lines mean fewer rows per page, so the sheet may run to a second page. Letter lets you jump to any of the 26 letters from the same page.
How to form small e
Start at the baseline with a small upstroke, going up and to the right to the midline. Make a little loop, then slide back down and to the right, finishing with a short exit stroke at the baseline. The loop should be narrow and open, with light space inside, not a dark blob.
How to form capital E
Begin near the top with a small curl, go down to the middle, form a second smaller loop, and then sweep out along the baseline. Two loops, the top one smaller, are the usual picture. Check against your school's chart. The route described is Zaner-Bloser style, and the font on this page, like D'Nealian, may not match it stroke for stroke.
Letter group and joins
Small e is an undercurve letter that includes a loop. It is the same family as i, t, u and w, which all begin from the baseline with a curved upstroke.
The exit stroke at the baseline leads to the next letter on a low line. In 'egg', it takes the pencil from e to g with one curved stroke. Joins into e, from o or w, come from above and need a gentle dip.
Practice tips
The loop fills in and e looks like a smudge, so keep the pencil moving quickly and lightly. The second common problem is an e that is too tall, taking the shape of l. Third, children sometimes draw it as a print e with the bar, which breaks the flow.
Worked example: writing egg
Marco, age seven, traces egg. On the first row his e is tall, nearly touching the top line, so it reads as 'lgg'. His teacher marks the dashed midline in pencil and asks him to stop there. The next e is the right size. The join from e to g travels low, and the g's bowl begins right where the e stops. He finishes with a row of eee, then writes the full word on the clear line.
Next steps
Two good follow-ups: cursive f, or the cursive worksheets A to Z for a mixed page of every pair. Before this letter, you may want cursive D.