Cursive alphabet — free printable chart and worksheets
All 26 cursive letters, uppercase and lowercase, in the traditional US school style. Print the chart for the wall, then trace and copy every letter on handwriting lines.
Your name in cursive
What's in the cursive alphabet printables
- Cursive alphabet chart — Aa to Zz on one page, on handwriting lines, to hang above a desk.
- Tracing worksheets — two pages (uppercase and lowercase) with every letter in light gray to trace over.
- Practice worksheets — each letter pair once as a model, with the rest of the line left empty to copy it.
- Name tracing — type any name and get it in joined cursive to trace and copy.
Every sheet is a vector PDF with 0.5-inch margins, so the lines stay crisp and nothing is cut off on US Letter or A4.
How to teach cursive, one step at a time
- Start with the lowercase letters that share a stroke: c, a, d, g, o, q all begin with the same backward curve.
- Then the loop letters: e, l, h, k, b, f — the loop goes up to the midline for e and to the top line for the rest.
- Then the hump letters: n, m, v, x, y, z, which start with a small hump over the midline.
- Practice joins in short words (an, at, on, the) before moving on to the uppercase letters.
- Uppercase cursive comes last; many children only need it for names and the start of sentences.
Ten minutes a day works better than one long session. Have your child say the stroke out loud as they trace (“up, over, down, kick”).
How the handwriting lines work
Each row has a solid top line, a dashed midline, a solid baseline and a faint line below for descenders. Small letters like a, c, e and o sit between the baseline and the midline. Tall letters like b, d, h, k, l and t reach the top line. Letters with tails — f, g, j, p, q, y and z — drop below the baseline.
Prefer big letters to color in? Try the bubble letter generator or name coloring pages.
Frequently asked questions
Which cursive style is this?
It is the traditional US school cursive taught in most American elementary schools — the same letter shapes as the classic handwriting programs, with joined lowercase letters and looped capitals.
Are the cursive worksheets really free?
Yes. The chart, the A–Z tracing and practice pages, every single-letter page and the name tracing sheets are free to download and print, with no sign-up.
What age should kids learn cursive?
Most US schools introduce cursive in 2nd or 3rd grade (ages 7–9), once children can print letters comfortably. Tracing helps younger kids recognise the shapes earlier.
Can I print on A4 paper?
Yes. Pick A4 or US Letter before you download — the margins are set so nothing gets clipped on either size.
Why do some letters connect differently in words?
In cursive the end of one letter becomes the start of the next. Letters that end high (b, o, v, w) join the next letter at the midline, so the next letter's first stroke changes slightly. The worksheets use a font that applies these joins automatically.