How to write a cursive d

Forming the cursive d

d is a in every respect except stem height, and unlike b, h, k and l its tall stem is a plain retrace with no loop at the top. Drilling a and d as a contrasting pair, then d and b, sorts out most of the confusion children have with this letter. It has a downcurve lead-in and a baseline exit.

Start: On the baseline, at the left of the oval

1. Undercurve lead-in up to the midline, stopping at the one o'clock position
2. Downcurve back over the top and counter-clockwise round the outside of the oval, down to the baseline
3. Run along the baseline, then take the line straight up past the midline and on to the top line
4. Retrace straight back down the stem to the baseline, keeping the pencil on the line already drawn
5. Undercurve exit at the baseline, swinging away toward the next letter

How it joins

The cursive d finishes on the baseline with an undercurve, which is exactly where the next letter begins. That is why cursive can be written without lifting the pencil: the exit of one letter is the entry of the next. Practise d inside a word rather than on its own as soon as the shape is reliable, because the join is the part that actually needs practice.

Common mistakes

• The stem stops at the midline, so d is simply an a.
• The stem is drawn as two separate lines that meet in a narrow triangle instead of a single retrace, and d reads as cl.
• A loop is put in at the top of the stem, which turns d into a badly made b or into ol.
• The oval is left open, so the tall stem appears to belong to the letter before.

Letters that move the same way

Counter-clockwise oval letters: A downcurve lead-in: rise from the baseline to about the one o'clock position on the letter body, then roll back over the top and travel counter-clockwise round the outside of an oval down to the baseline. What happens after the oval, a short stem, a tall stem, a tail, or a level exit, is all that separates these six.

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Print first, then cursive

Cursive is usually introduced once print handwriting is automatic, typically around third grade. If a child is still thinking about how to form printed letters, adding a second script makes both harder. Theprinted d page covers that form, andwhen cursive is usually taughtexplains why the timing varies so much.