Writing the letter s

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Content Writing the letter s

How to Write the Letter s – Introduction
Get Ready to Write
Letters Similar to the Letter s
Forming the Letter s
Step-by-Step Instructions – Forming the Letter s
Practising Forming the Letter s
Words with the Letter s
Writing the Letter s – Summary
Tips and Tricks

Learning text on the topic Writing the letter s

How to Write the Letter s – Introduction

You know and can spot the letter s already, well done! The letters you can see here are printed. Sometimes we write them like this, however, sometimes we write them differently. This text will teach you how to write the letter s with a lead in and a lead out to prepare for joined up writing later.

Today we are going to be practising our handwriting and learning how to form the letter s.

Get Ready to Write

Before we start we need to make sure we are ready to write.

1️⃣Make sure you are in a comfortable seating position.
2️⃣Make sure you are holding your pencil with the correct grip.
3️⃣Make sure you have your lined paper.

Letters Similar to the Letter s

The letter s falls into the group of curly letters along with a, g, e, o, c, f, q and d, because they all follow a similar pattern.

If you have some wool or string at home, you can have a go at forming the letters using it!

Forming the Letter s

Let’s have a look at how we form the letter s.

We can see we start with our whoosh to the top (lead in) and then curl back round to form our curly c shape. After that, curl back round the other way. Keep your pencil on the paper and come back over the bottom line creating a small lead out.

Step-by-Step Instructions – Forming the Letter s

Step	Instruction
1	Start on the black line
2	Whoosh to the blue line.
3	Curl back round to form a small curly c shape.
4	Curl back round the other way.
5	Keep your pencil on the paper and come back over the bottom line creating a small lead out.

Practising Forming the Letter s

Can you practise forming the letter on your own with a pencil and paper?

Click here to check the steps.

Words with the Letter s

Let’s have a look at some words with the letter s in them.

Can you practise writing these words? You could print this image out and use the lines to help you. Can you think of any more words with s in them?

Writing the Letter s – Summary

Key Learnings from this Text:

Today we learnt how to write the letter s. To form the letter, follow these steps:

Step	Instruction
1	Start on the black line
2	Whoosh to the blue line.
3	Curl back round to form a small curly c shape.
4	Curl back round the other way.
5	Keep your pencil on the paper and come back over the bottom line creating a small lead out.

To continue your practice, have a look at our video on the letter s and practise with the problems that follow. You can also continue with your handwriting practice, have a go at writing the letter f next!

Tips and Tricks

Where do I start writing?

My child isn’t learning pre-cursive writing. How should they print the letter s?

My child is struggling to hold a pencil.

My child can’t form the letter correctly.

Do we join capital letters?

What size should my child’s writing be?

Which hand does my child write with?

Writing the letter s exercise

Would you like to apply the knowledge you’ve learnt? You can review and practice it with the tasks for the learning text Writing the letter s.

Where do we start writing the letter 's'?

Hints

We start writing the letter 's' on the left.

We always start with a whoosh, where does the whoosh start?

Where do you put your pencil first when you are going to start writing this letter?

Solution

This is where we start writing the letter 's'.
Which handwriting family does 's' belong to?

Hints

The letter 's' is a curly shape.

Here we can see the first three steps of writing the letter 's'. What kind of shape can you see?

Solution

The letter 's' belongs to the curly letter group.
Can you find the letter?

Hints

Remember, 's' is a curly letter.

Here we can see the steps to forming the letter 's', can you find this letter in the words?

There are 5 letters to highlight.

Solution

Here we can see each letter 's' highlighted in green.
How do you form the letter 's'?

Hints

Always start writing on the line at the beginning of the whoosh, or lead-in stroke.

Whoosh to the top and then make a small curly 'c' shape.

Curve around the other way.

The final step is the completed letter 's'.

Solution

Here we can see the steps in the correct order.
Can you find the correctly written letter 's'?

Hints

We start writing 's' on the line and then whoosh up, which letters show that?

Here we can see the first three steps of writing the letter 's'. What kind of shape can you see?

The letter 's' is curly, not zig-zag.

Solution

This is a correctly written letter 's'.
Can you find and write each word?
Hints

Use your phonics skills and listen to the sounds being said.

One of the words is a tricky word.

Listen carefully to the first sound of each word to help you find matching pairs.

Solution
Here are the four words written out.
- sip is spelt s i p
- last is spelt l a s t
- sock is spelt s o c k
- was is spelt w a s
You can have a go at writing these words using the picture above to help you.