Cursive Writing Starting Lines

If you’ve ever taken a close look at cursive letters, you might recognize common starting pencil strokes that connect letters together into groups.  We discussed this in a previous post here on The OT Toolbox on cursive letter families


Today, we’re playing a fun cursive writing game that recognizes the common beginning starting points and starting lines that make up cursive letters. 


Make these index card flash cards to play a letter memory game that teaches kids about cursive writing starting lines to help kids learn to write cursive handwriting.
Cursive Writing Starting Lines are the beginning pencil movements that create letters. Take a look at the images below and notice the starting movements that make up each group of letters. These starting lines create the cursive letter families. 

This activity is part of our series on how to teach cursive writing.

Cursive Writing Starting Lines


Make these index card flash cards to play a letter memory game that teaches kids about cursive writing starting lines to help kids learn to write cursive handwriting.
Make these index card flash cards to play a letter memory game that teaches kids about cursive writing starting lines to help kids learn to write cursive handwriting.

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To create this cursive letter game, we used four different colors of index cards. On each one, draw the beginning cursive lines below. 


Make these index card flash cards to play a letter memory game that teaches kids about cursive writing starting lines to help kids learn to write cursive handwriting.
Letters are grouped into families, but each card should only have the first pencil motion that makes up each group: a bump, a portion of a loop, an upward slant, and a rolling curve up. 

Make these index card flash cards to play a letter memory game that teaches kids about cursive writing starting lines to help kids learn to write cursive handwriting.

On the reverse side of each card, write the corresponding letters in that group. 

Students can be shown how each letter has similarities in beginning lines. 

Make these index card flash cards to play a letter memory game that teaches kids about cursive writing starting lines to help kids learn to write cursive handwriting.

To play the beginning lines cursive writing game, create small flash cards with each letter. You can match colors for beginner cursive writers. Use a common color to make the activity more difficult. 

Next, ask students to match the cards to the beginning lines card. 

Turn all of the small letter flashcards over and play a memory game. When the student flips the letter over, they can flip over the corresponding beginning line mark. This game works well with cards and letters that are all a single color.

How can you show students that the letters are grouped by a common beginning start line?

Need help with the underlying skills needed for handwriting? Start here on our Handwriting resources page.


The Handwriting Book  is a huge resource when it comes to addressing handwriting concerns. It’s a book written by 10 occupational therapists and physical therapists and refers to every underlying skill related to written work. This is a tool for therapists, teachers, and parents.

Make these index card flash cards to play a letter memory game that teaches kids about cursive writing starting lines to help kids learn to write cursive handwriting.

Make these index card flash cards to play a letter memory game that teaches kids about cursive writing starting lines to help kids learn to write cursive handwriting.

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