There are many ways to teach handwriting. It is best to choose one method and stay with it. The goal in handwriting is to achieve neat letters that sit on the lines. However, young children can begin by writing letters in the air, or on a white board. The larger motion is easier for young children. It is useful to teach children to write the letter as they learn the sounds a letter makes. The physical formation of the letter helps them to remember the letter.
Later, students should use paper like the handwriting paper provided in order to learn to make letters the proper height and to place them on the line. Students get great satisfaction from being able to write something useful, such as their name or a Bible verse. Regularly display their handwriting samples on the bulletin board for others to admire.
When you would like to introduce cursive handwriting, begin by teaching the lower case letters one at a time. Also teach how to connect the letters. In our family we begin with "a" and add one letter at a time until the student can write the entire lower-case alphabet as one long string. Next introduce the capital letters one at a time. The "Third Grade Blank Paper" is provided for those learning cursive handwriting. If you would like to assign Bible verses for the student to copy, a list is provided to get you started. The development of a pleasant handwriting style takes many years of practice. Though many students have the opportunity to use computers for reports, it is practical to assign some reports to be handwritten so that penmanship can be practiced and enhanced. It is useful to erasable worksheets when getting started.
Art and writing paper is included for a variety of uses. This paper has space for a title at the top of the page, and a short piece of handwriting at the bottom. The middle area is for the student to illustrate. We have used this paper for short Bible verses by writing the reference at the top of the page and the verse at the bottom. We also use this paper for short stories that the children write and illustrate. I staple the pages together to make a book. I have also used the paper for dictation for beginning readers. I dictate a sentence from their reader and they get to illustrate it. One of my sons wanted to re-create an entire story from his reader in this fashion! Finally, we use Mark Kistler's books to learn how to draw. I often give the children the art and writing paper for an art lesson. I model each step of the drawing lesson on a white board. The children copy the drawing lesson, color, and embellish it. Then write a title and a sentence about it.
I think you will find the handwriting paper that you print from your computer is easier for students to use, because it is more durable than most handwriting papers you can buy. The pencil glides more smoothly over the paper and the finished project looks better. We have many treasured samples of handwriting, ranging from illustrated pages to a story book that the children made themselves.
Display and print the grade level desired.