How to write a cursive r

Forming the cursive r

The defining feature of r is what is absent: there is no curve where the direction changes at the top. Cue it as four beats, up, point, over, down, and let the child exaggerate the point at first. Lead-in is a straight undercurve; in the form recorded here the exit leaves from the baseline, though some styles finish r high (see caveats).

Start: On the baseline, at the left

1. Undercurve lead-in rising on a straight slant to just ABOVE the midline, finishing in a sharp point rather than a rounded turn
2. Carry a short flat shoulder to the right at that height, then let it drop slightly
3. Come straight down to the baseline
4. Undercurve exit at the baseline, swinging away toward the next letter

How it joins

The cursive r 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 r 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 top is rounded off instead of pointed, and r reads as n or i.
• The rise stops at the midline instead of going just above it, so there is no room for the shoulder and r reads as i.
• The shoulder is drawn too long, and r starts to read as v or w.
• r and s are mixed up, both begin with the same straight, pointed rise, and children reverse what happens at the top.

Letters that move the same way

Pointed lead-in letters: A straight, uncurved rise from the baseline that finishes in a sharp corner rather than a rounded turn. The point at the top is the whole identity of both letters, and rounding it is what turns r into n and s into e.

s

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 r page covers that form, andwhen cursive is usually taughtexplains why the timing varies so much.