How to write the letter D

Forming the capital D

Both strokes of D begin at the same point on the top line: one tall straight line, then one wide curve out and back. Naming the b/d side difference explicitly, stick on the left for the capital, stick on the right for the lowercase, is the recommended way to head off the reversal, as is teaching D with its stroke family rather than in alphabetical order.

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. Hop the pencil back up to that same point on the top line, then swing a wide curve out to the right, down past the midline and back in to close on the baseline at the foot of the stroke.

Forming the lowercase d

d begins exactly the way c does, pen at the upper right, curve travelling counter-clockwise, and that shared opening is the most reliable way to hold it apart from b, which begins with a straight line. The difference is visible in the starting dot before a single stroke is made.

Start: Just below the midline at the upper right of the letter space, the same dot as c, o, a, g and q

1. Make a complete counter-clockwise circle: up and left to the midline, over the top, down the left side, along the baseline and back up to seal at the starting dot.
2. Set the pen on the top line, directly above the right-hand edge of the circle, and draw straight down past the circle's right side to the baseline.

Common mistakes with d

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 b.
• Drawing the tall line first, which leaves the child guessing which side of it the circle belongs on.
• Running the circle clockwise, which loses the link to c and o.
• Stopping the tall line at the midline rather than the top line, which turns the letter into a.

And with the capital D

• Reversal, the straight stroke drawn on the right with the curve bulging out to the left.
• Mixing up D and lowercase d: the straight stroke sits on the left in the capital and on the right in the lowercase, which is the root of the confusion.
• A curve that misses the foot of the stem, leaving the letter open at the bottom.
• Starting the curve at the baseline and pushing it upward.
• Flattening the curve into a straight slant, so the letter becomes a triangle.

Letters that move the same way

Letters that begin with a counter-clockwise curve: The pen starts just below the midline at the upper right of the letter space and travels counter-clockwise, up and left to the midline, over the top and down the left side. c leaves the shape open, o closes it, a/d/g/q close it and add a line on the right, and s reverses direction halfway down. Teaching c properly buys most of this family for free.

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.

coagqs

Practise D 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.