Handwriting Joins: The Four Joins And The Order To Teach Them

See The Joins In Any Word

What Are Handwriting Joins?

Handwriting joins are the connecting strokes that carry the pencil from the end of one letter into the start of the next, without lifting it. Joining speeds writing up, evens out spacing and makes a word flow as a single movement.

Children need to form each print letter correctly first. The DfE writing framework says joined handwriting should not be taught until pupils can form print letters "correctly and consistently". See pre-cursive handwriting if your school adds exit flicks on the way, and letter formation for the letters themselves.

What Are The Four Handwriting Joins?

The DfE writing framework teaches "two basic joins: diagonal joins and horizontal joins". Each one goes to small letters, to tall letters and to the round letters a, d, g, c, o and q, which need an extra stroke. Many schools organise that as four joins, and that is how this page does it.

Diagonal Join To Small Letters

The diagonal join goes from the line up to the middle of the next small letter. Oak National Academy's first join lesson puts it plainly: it goes "from the baseline to the x-height line", and the pencil does not lift. It is usually the first join taught.

Horizontal Join To Small Letters

The horizontal join leaves a top-exit letter such as o, r, v or w and travels across, level with the middle line, before dropping into the next letter. It is the second join in many schools.

Diagonal Join To Tall Letters

The same diagonal stroke continues past the middle line to the top of a tall letter such as b, h, k or l. Teach it once children can do the first join without thinking.

Horizontal Join To Tall Letters

The horizontal stroke runs across the middle line and then rises to the top of the tall letter. It is the hardest of the four, so it usually comes last.

In What Order Should The Joins Be Taught?

Most UK schools begin with the diagonal join to small letters, then the horizontal join to small letters, then the two joins to tall letters. Holy Cross Primary's progression, for example, lists the diagonal join first and the horizontal join second. Schemes differ after that, so follow yours.

Whatever the order, move on only when a join is secure. The National Curriculum asks Year 2 pupils to "start using some of the diagonal and horizontal strokes needed to join letters" and Year 3 and 4 pupils to use them.

Teach Handwriting, a UK teaching site, organises joins by join type instead: bottom joins first, then joins into e, then top-exit joins.

Which Letters Should Not Be Joined?

Break letters are letters that most schemes leave unjoined, because their shape makes the join awkward or unclear. The National Curriculum leaves the list to schools: pupils "understand which letters, when adjacent to one another, are best left unjoined".

Capital letters are the constant. Teach Handwriting notes that capitals never join to the lowercase letters in a word. Beyond that, break letters differ by scheme. The National Handwriting Association suggests leaving out the joins after g, y, j, x and z at first.

OUP's Nelson Handwriting progression, for example, introduces b, g, j, p, q, y and z as break letters in Year 3. Your scheme sets its own list.

How Do You Join Tricky Letters Like o, r, v, w And e?

Letters that finish at the top, such as o, r, v and w, join with a horizontal stroke that stays level with the middle line before dipping into the next letter. Three cases cause most of the trouble.

• Top-exit letters. After o, r, v and w the join runs across at the top, not up from the line.
• Joining into round letters. For a, d, g, c, o and q the pencil travels back across the top, then curls into the letter. The DfE framework notes these need "an extra stroke backwards".
• Joining into e. Teach Handwriting finds the joins into e and the top-exit joins cause the most confusion. Practise them in pairs before whole words.

How Do You Teach Handwriting Joins?

Teach one join at a time. Model it on the board, practise it in letter pairs, then in words the class already spells.

1. Model the join. Write the pair slowly, pause where the exit stroke becomes the join, and name the join type.
2. Practise pairs. Use pairs from one join type only, such as in, an, ai, ar.
3. Move to words. Choose words from this week's spelling list.
4. Write sentences. Short, familiar sentences, copied from a model, then written from memory.
5. Apply it. Check joins in real writing, not only in handwriting lessons.

Teach Handwriting suggests children are ready to join when all 26 lowercase letters are formed correctly, sized consistently and positioned properly on the line. Some children, mainly those with special educational needs, may print for good, and that is not a failure.

Paste your class's spellings into the tool above to sort them by join type, then print a sheet. Play the words in Handwriting Repeater while children practise, and read about modelled handwriting.

When Do Children Learn Handwriting Joins?

In England, the National Curriculum introduces joining in Year 2 and expects joined handwriting in independent writing by Years 3 and 4. Year 2 pupils "start using some of the diagonal and horizontal strokes needed to join letters". By Years 3 and 4 they "use the diagonal and horizontal strokes that are needed to join letters". The Year 2 guidance asks for a joined style to be taught as soon as pupils form letters securely with the correct orientation.

Some schools join earlier. The DfE writing framework says there is no expectation to teach lead-ins for joined handwriting from the start, and the National Curriculum does not require it. See handwriting and the National Curriculum for every statement in full.

Is Joined Pre-Cursive The Same As Continuous Cursive?

No. In joined pre-cursive, each letter starts at its usual start point and joins are added later. In continuous cursive, every letter starts on the line with a lead-in stroke, so joining begins earlier. Teach Handwriting says continuous cursive needs only three join strokes, against seven for cursive single letters.

The National Curriculum does not name a style. See joined-up handwriting for what parents need to know, and cursive handwriting for the two models side by side.