It is helpful to teach children verbal pathways when they are learning to print letters. Emphasize the correct starting point when printing a letter, as well as the correct motions needed to complete the letter. Learning to print letters efficiently, using a proper formation, will assist children with their speed and legibility. This allows them to focus their energy on the content of the message they are writing, as opposed to the mechanics of printing each letter.

For the lowercase “l,” teach children the phrase, “Pull down” to cue them when writing. For the uppercase “L,” teach the phrase, “Pull down, across.” Model how to print the letters, slowly and deliberately, as you say the phrase. Provide children with opportunities to practice tracing the letters before moving on to printing them independently.

Children can explore other materials to practice their printing. For example, they can write using whiteboards, chalkboards, fingerpaint, and salt or sand trays. They can even use juggling scarves to practice the motions needed to print the letter “l.

To learn the sound the letter “l” makes, have children associate it with familiar items that begin with “l.” For example, they may relate “l” to legs, lakes, and ladders. Have them fill a block letter “l” with pictures or drawings of the objects. They can use this as a visual when they are recalling the sound an “l” makes. Children can use this same idea to create an alphabet book, with a page for each letter. Once you have introduced the letter “l,” have them add the appropriate pictures or drawings to their page. The alphabet book can also show the correct uppercase and lowercase formations for each letter.

For additional practice learning the sound an “l” makes, have children complete matching activities where they pair the letter with objects that begin with its sound. They can also complete tasks where they color only the objects that begin with “l.” (e.g. Color the lamp. Do not color the ball.)