Rubber pencil grips fit right on the pencil where fingers grip the pencil. New writers sometimes have a tendency to overlap the pointer finger on the thumb or to grip the pencil in whatever position feels most comfortable for them. Rubber grips enforce correct finger posture. They also protect fingers from calluses, which develop easily on fingers of new writers who are not accustomed to gripping a writing utensil.
Letter stencils give new writers a feel for the patterns of cursive letters. Students can practice with stencils to become accustomed to writing both uppercase and lowercase letters in cursive. As students become more familiar with letters and more comfortable with marking them, they can transition from the stencils to freehand.
Penmanship paper, also known as primary lined paper, is marked with three different-colored lines or with two solid lines and a dotted line in between. These lines help new writers of cursive practice letters and words by assisting them to write in a straight line (young writers have a tendency to slant as they move across the page). These lines also help new writers form letters correctly by providing a marked frame of reference for where to begin strokes of letters and where certain strokes of letters should rest.
Cursive letter flashcards are very helpful for teaching young students to recognize cursive characters. Even students who have already mastered the alphabet may need extra help familiarizing themselves with cursive letters. Some students have trouble distinguishing between letters like "r" and "s", "u" and "w" or "y" and "z," which resemble each other when written in cursive hand.