Trace Letter J

J is one stroke. It starts at the top, drops straight down, and near the bottom curls round to the left and finishes with a small upturn. One numbered dot on the model shows where to begin. Some schools add a bar across the top; this plain J has none.

The hook is the part to watch, because it wants to go the wrong way. A J that curls to the right is among the most common reversals of all, and it usually sorts itself out by six.

Tell your child the hook goes fishing toward the start of the row. Jam, jug and jellyfish begin with J, and the letter itself looks a bit like a hook waiting for a fish.