Cursive handwritingGrades 2–4
Cursive I
A one-letter cursive page for I and i, with a big model, tracing lines for both cases, and three practice words. It suits children in grades 2 to 4 who are learning short letters.
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On this page
Small i is the simplest letter in cursive, a short upstroke and a downstroke, but the dot is a trap. The capital I looks nothing like the print I, and many children are surprised by it.
What prints
Across the top sits the model pair Ii, drawn large, next to a note of the print letters and the words ink, igloo, itch. The lines under it are ruled the same way throughout: a thin top line, a dashed line at small-letter height, and a heavy baseline. You get two lines of capital I and two of small i, then a line of iii joined together.
The font is Cedarville Cursive (Kimberly Geswein, SIL Open Font License). Its look is that of a teacher's own handwriting, not a certified curriculum, and a school may teach slightly different shapes. Capital I on the model is a tall curve with a looped start and a base that curls at the bottom.
The settings
Settings are short. Letter is a menu from A a to Z z, set here to I i. Line size has Large (beginners), Medium and Small (confident writers) as its choices. Begin on Medium and move to Large if the shapes look cramped.
How to form small i
Start at the baseline with an upstroke to the midline, then bring the line straight down on the same slant and out with a flick. After the whole word is finished, go back and add the dot directly above the i.
How to form capital I
Begin with a curl near the top, go down in a slightly curved line to the baseline, and finish with a small curve. In some programs the capital I starts with a loop on the left, like a J without the tail. Steps vary by program. What is above is the usual Zaner-Bloser route; D'Nealian, and the sheet's own model, can differ for certain capitals.
Letter group and joins
Small i is an undercurve letter, in the same family as t, u and w. They all use a short upstroke at the start.
The flick at the base leads straight to the next letter, as in 'ink'. It's an easy join. The challenge comes with the dot, which must wait until the word is done so the pencil does not stop the flow.
Practice tips
The classic error is dotting each i as the word grows, which breaks the join. Next, an i that is as tall as an l, so the word reads wrongly. Finally, a dot that drifts to the right or ends up as a circle. Keep the dot small and straight above.
Worked example: writing igloo
Jade, age eight, traces 'igloo'. She makes the i, adds the dot right away, and notices the g then starts from a stop. On the next row she writes the full word first and goes back to dot the i at the end. The result is smoother. The word has a g, an l and two o's, so she slows down at the bridges from o. She writes igloo on the final line and counts the dot above the first letter.
Next steps
For all 26 capitals together, see the cursive capital letters page, then come back for j. Before this letter, you may want cursive H.