Place a sheet of Zaner-Bloser handwriting paper vertically on your work space.
Note the parts of the paper. The top blue bar stretching across the page is called the "headline." Your letter should not reach above this line. The bottom pink bar stretching across the page is called the "baseline." The dotted blue line in the middle is called the "midline."
Practice writing within these lines. Some letters will stretch from the headline to the baseline. The capital "I" is a good example. Place your pencil on the headline, and draw a vertical line down to the baseline. To make an "L" out of an "I," draw a horizontal line from the tip of the end of the vertical line across the baseline. To make a "T" out of the "I," draw a horizontal line along the headline and on top of the "I."
Practice writing lowercase letters using the midline as a guide. For example, to write the letter "o," you will make a small circle that stretches from the top of the midline to the baseline. To write an "i," you will draw a short vertical line from the midline to the baseline. Dot the "i" just above the midline. To make a "y," draw a short diagonal line to the right from the midline to the baseline. Draw a longer diagonal line to the left that stretches from the midline to past the baseline. Make sure your longer diagonal line connects with the shorter one.