A short guide
How to teach your child to write their name
Their name is the natural place to start writing: it is short, they already recognize it, and they want to own it. Here is what tends to work, and what tends not to.
Capital first, then the rest lower case
Write it the way it will be written for the rest of their life — one capital at the front, the rest lower case. Names written in full capitals are easier at first, but the habit is hard to undo later, and lower-case letters are what they will meet in every book they read.
Say the letter as they draw it
Naming each letter aloud while tracing it ties the shape to the sound and to the name of the letter. It costs nothing and does three jobs at once.
Let the help fade
Start with dotted letters, which lay the whole shape out. Move to dashed once they are steady, then to a light gray outline, then to a blank line with nothing at all.
Do not rush this. Going back a step for a few days is normal and is not a setback.
Keep it short, and stop early
A few minutes most days does more than a long session once a week. Finish while they are still happy to be doing it — the aim is that they come back tomorrow.
Make a sheet for their name
Free, and it takes a few seconds.