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Cursive handwritingGrades 2–4

Cursive R

Prints a cursive R page with a big model, capital and small r to trace, a joined row of r, and the words rain, red and ring. Meant for children in grades 2 to 4.

By Paul Gunder. Free to print for home, classroom and office use; see how our printables are made.

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Cursive R: Capital R and Small r2 pages · US Letter

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NameDateScoreCursive R: Capital R and Small rTrace the grey letters, starting each one where the dark model starts. Then practise r joined to itself and in wordsthat start with r.Print: R rWords: rain, red, ringPrintablePal.com · free cursive worksheetsCursive R: Capital R and Small r · page 1 of 2
Page 1 of 2
NameDateScoreCursive R: Capital R and Small rTrace the grey letters, starting each one where the dark model starts. Then practise r joined to itself and in wordsthat start with r.Print: R rWords: rain, red, ringPrintablePal.com · free cursive worksheetsCursive R: Capital R and Small r · page 2 of 2
Page 2 of 2

On this page

What prints

Across the top is a large dark "Rr" and a small note, "Print: R r", followed by rain, red, ring. The ruled lines carry two rows of capital R, two of small r, an "rrr" joined row and then the three words. In each row the first copy is dark and later copies are grey.

Small r: the shoulder

Small r is among the trickiest lowercase letters because its top is a small flat shelf. Start at the baseline, swing up to the midline, make a little pointed shoulder there, then slide down the other side and curve out. Some books draw it like a tiny roof, some with a dip. The aim is a clear shoulder, so r is not mistaken for the start of an n.

Zaner-Bloser places r with letters taught late because of the shape. It is listed among the special-form letters (s, r, z, q) in this set of pages.

Capital R

Capital R begins with a downstroke and returns to the top, then makes a bowl that curves in at the middle and ends with a leg that kicks outward at the baseline. Variation exists: D'Nealian and some teacher models write it with a loop. The model here is a plain teacher hand.

Joining r to the next letter

The exit stroke leaves from the base of the shoulder and rides along the baseline. A frequent problem: children join into the next letter from the peak, which makes a hump. In "red" the r must hand off low to e, and in "ring" it meets i. Practising the rrr row shows how far the exit travels before the next shoulder starts.

Errors to catch

  • A round top that makes r look like n or v
  • Shoulder too high, above the midline
  • A rainy-day squiggle in the exit stroke
  • Capital R with its leg tucked in, which reads as a P

The settings

  • Practice. One letter.
  • Letter. R r when the page opens.
  • Line size. Three sizes: Large to start, Medium in between, Small for fluent writers.

Worked example: Wen and the shoulder

Wen's r in "rain" looks like an n with a missing leg. A tutor prints the page at Line size: Medium and puts a pencil dot at the shoulder on the dashed line. Wen traces the dark r, pausing on the dot. In the rrr row the shoulders line up. In "rain" he keeps the pencil down through the slide to a.

Look at cursive Q before this page and cursive S after. More small letters live on the lowercase cursive letters sheet.

Sources

  1. Reading Rockets: Writing (handwriting and writing instruction for children) readingrockets.org