Model proper posture and paper position to students. Have students sit upright and plant both feet on the floor. Ask them to place their papers at a 45-degree angle to their writing arms, an alignment that also matches their right forearms if they're right-handed. Reverse the position if they're left-handed.
Start handwriting exercises with lines and shapes. Have young children use large, easy-to-hold writing tools, such as crayons or paintbrushes. Ask them to draw vertical lines that begin at the top of the line, and then draw circles that begin at the two o'clock position and move counter-clockwise as if forming the letter "c." Have students draw triangles, squares and rectangles with strokes that meet at the corners. Emphasize that lines should be drawn from left to right or top to bottom.
Have children work on forming letters correctly. Provide them with worksheets so they can trace the proper strokes for each letter of the alphabet. Teach them short words composed of lower-case letters.
Emphasize correct size after correct formation. Have children practice writing uniform-size lower case letters on a consistent basis. Ask them to check for even spacing between single letters as well as for single words. Have them use a spacing tool, such as a Popsicle stick, to help them maintain even spacing.
Have children practice uniform slant as the last requirement for handwriting exercises. Check students' slants by drawing a line through the middle of each letter. For cursive writing in particular, a series of parallel lines will result if the slant is uniform.
Monitor the children while they practice handwriting on paper with spacious guidelines. Model new words by writing them on the lined paper, and have students copy what you have written. Give them positive feedback if they're writing letters and words correctly. Have them rewrite sloppy or unacceptable letters so they avoid forming bad habits.
Schedule handwriting practice sessions daily. Have children focus on copying letters, words and sentences. Avoid mixing composition exercises with handwriting exercises. While composition requires students to create sentences, handwriting exercises should require only copying and tracing letters.