Trace Lowercase Letter s

There is no straight line anywhere in s. The dot to start from is high on the right, a little under the middle line, and the arrow next to it points back over the top to the left. The pencil curves over the top to touch the middle line, rounds the left side and crosses the middle of the letter to the right. Then it rounds the right side, runs back to the left along the baseline and stops a little way up.

Few letters are reversed as often, and the small s is harder than the capital because the same two curves get half the room. A backward one at four or five is ordinary. The opening move is the one c uses, so a child who can write c knows where to begin. Nothing is added in this style: it is the plain s you already know.

On the empty last row, pencil in a faint dot on the right for each s to start from. A backward s usually begins on the left. Sun, sock, soap and spoon all start with the hiss that s makes.