How to write the letter B

Forming the capital B

The whole letter fits into one sentence: a tall straight line, then two curves out to the right, both closing on the stem, meeting exactly at the midline. Watch the lower rejoin in particular, a sloppy one turns B into a 6, which is the error most worth correcting early.

Start: Top line, at the left edge of the letter space

1. Pull one tall stroke down the left side, from the top line to the baseline.
2. Return the pencil to that same point on the top line and make a small curve out to the right and down, shutting onto the stem at the midline.
3. Carry straight on from the midline with a second small curve out to the right and down, shutting onto the stem at the baseline.

Forming the lowercase b

Everything that keeps b out of d lives in the first stroke: b opens with a full-height line pulled down from the top line, while d opens with a curve. Show the two starting dots side by side, top left for b, upper right for d, and most of the reversal problem dissolves on its own.

Start: On the top line, at the left of the letter space

1. Draw one straight line the full height of the letter, from the top line down to the baseline.
2. Travel back up the same line as far as the midline, then push out to the right and swing clockwise down and back in, meeting the stem again where it stands on the baseline.

Common mistakes with b

These are the errors that actually show up on the page, rather than a generic list. Watching for them while a child writes is far more useful than correcting the finished sheet.

• Flipping the letter into d. This is the pair children reverse more often than any other in the alphabet.
• Drawing the round part first and adding the stem afterwards, which discards the one cue that keeps b apart from d.
• Sitting the bowl in the upper half of the letter, between top line and midline, instead of filling the space from midline down to baseline.
• Leaving the bowl open where it should rejoin the stem, so the letter reads as l or h with a curl attached.

And with the capital B

• Reversal, with both bumps sitting to the left of the stem.
• One large bump instead of two, which gives a D.
• Bumps of clearly unequal size, so the letter looks top-heavy or bottom-heavy.
• The join between the two bumps landing above or below the midline.
• B and lowercase b confused; b and d are the most frequently swapped pair of all.
• A loose rejoin at the stem that makes the lower half read as a figure 6.

Letters that move the same way

Downstroke with a retraced arch: A straight line down first, then the pen travels back up that same line to the midline before arching or bowing out to the right. The retrace is what keeps the second part attached to the stem. n is the anchor; m repeats the arch, r stops it short, h raises the stem, b and p close the arch into a bowl.

Teaching these together is more efficient than working through the alphabet in order, because the hand is learning one movement rather than several unrelated ones.

nmrhp

Practise B with words

Once the letter is reliable on its own, move to words that start with it. Letters learned in isolation often fall apart the first time a child has to join them to anything.