Different Ways to Write the Letter A

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Learning to Write: Zaner Bloser versus D'Nealian Style

There are many different styles of writing letters, two of which are the Zaner Bloser and D'Nealian style. What separates one writing style from the other is slant and shape.

Zaner Bloser is written is a straight fashion in print writing and in a slanted fashion in cursive. On the other hand, D'Nealian style is written in a slanted fashion in both print and cursive. 

Further, D'Nealian print letters are written with tails, making it easier to transition to cursive. Whether or not D'Nealian handwriting actually helps kids transition to cursive with more ease is still up for debate. Print letters written in the Zaner Bloser style do not emphasize tails on letters, which gives Zaner Bloser print and cursive distinct looks.

This article provides 5 different printable pages each for the 2 styles of writing. The first 5 are Zaner Bloser style, the next 5 are D'Nealian style.

Your kids can practice tracing and writing letters on these printouts to achieve legible handwriting at an early age.

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Zaner Bloser Style: Letter A, Cover Page

Write ZB A1 cover

First, print the cover page. You can add the following pages and bind together if you wish to make a booklet. On this page, your kids will write the letters and color in the pictures. 

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Zaner Bloser Style: Letter A, Page 2

Write ZB A2

On this page, your kids will repeatedly practice writing the letter A. They have many opportunities to trace the letters for guidance.

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Zaner Bloser Style: Letter A, Page 3

Write ZB A3

This third page is a bit more challenging. There are less opportunities to trace the letter A. Your kids will now have to practice writing freestyle.

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Zaner Bloser Style: Letter A, Page 4

Write ZB A4

Moving beyond letters, your kids will practice writing words that start with the letter A on this page. There are also pictures on this page that they can color in.

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Zaner Bloser Style: Letter A, Page 5

Write ZB A5

This page offers your kids a lot of space for creativity. They will write out a sentence, once with the trace patterns and once without, then draw a picture in the space.

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D'Nealian Style: Letter A, Page 1

Write DN A1

On this cover page, your kids write the letters in D'Nealian style and color the pictures. 

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D'Nealian Style: Letter A, Page 2

Write DN A2

On this second page, your kids will practice writing the letter A with the help of tracing patterns.

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D'nealian Style: Letter A, Page 3

Write DN A3

On this third page, your kids will practice writing the letters without tracing.

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D'nealian Style: Letter A, Page 4

Write DN A4

Have your kids practice writing the letter A by writing out words that start with the letter A. There are also pictures to color in.

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D'nealian Style: Letter A, Page 5

Write DN A5

On this last page, have your kids write a sentence that heavily involves the letter A and draw a picture in the space.

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Your Citation
Hernandez, Beverly. "Different Ways to Write the Letter A." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/learning-to-write-1833007. Hernandez, Beverly. (2023, April 5). Different Ways to Write the Letter A. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/learning-to-write-1833007 Hernandez, Beverly. "Different Ways to Write the Letter A." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/learning-to-write-1833007 (accessed March 28, 2024).