Which Letters Should Children Learn to Write First?

By Tinker Printables · Last updated: 27 October 2026

There is no single proven order, but grouping letters by how they are drawn works well: teach letters that share a first stroke together, starting with the easiest lines and circles. Children then practise one movement across several letters, and each new letter feels familiar.

Here is a sensible order by stroke family. Use it as a guide and follow your school's programme if it has one.

Step	Family	Small letters	Capital letters	What the child practises
1	Straight lines	l, i, t	I, L, T, H, E, F	Down and across lines
2	Round letters	c, o, a, d, g, q	C, O, G, Q, S	Starting at the top and curving round
3	Down and back up	r, n, m, h, b, p	D, P, B, R	Down a stem, then back up it (small letters) or back to the top (capitals) and round
4	Diagonals	v, w, x, y, z	V, W, X, Y, Z, A, K, M, N	Slanting strokes and meeting points
5	The rest	e, s, f, k, u, j	J, U	Curves that change direction

A few tips that make teaching easier:

Start with the child's own name. Those letters matter to them, so motivation is high.
Teach look-alikes apart. Keep b and d, and p and q, in different weeks so they are not confused.
Capitals or small letters first? Both approaches are used. Capitals are mostly straight lines and circles, so many children find them easier to begin with.
Little and often. A few letters a week, five to ten minutes at a time, is better than a long session.

Our sheets come in fixed groups of three or four letters, in alphabetical order (A–C, D–F and so on), so you can't pick single letters. To follow the stroke-family order loosely, add the sheets that contain the letters you want next to your pack, and print them in the order you choose. For example, the small straight-line letters i, l and t are on the g–i, j–l and s–v sheets. Each sheet also has other letters on it, so treat the table as a teaching guide rather than a sheet-by-sheet plan. A child can skip a letter that isn't due yet.