Write the letter a A
Watch Bramble draw it, then trace it with a finger. The numbers show which stroke comes first.
Watch Bramble draw the letter. Press Replay to watch again, then try it with your finger.
Lower case a
Start near the top on the right. Round and back, then up and down the stick.
Capital A
Slide down one way, slide down the other way, then a bar across the middle.
Your device is set to reduce motion, so the letters are drawn already. Use the "One stroke at a time" button to see the order.
Words to try
Tap a word to hear it. Then write the first letter of each one.
Letter family
a is in the Round-and-back family. See the whole family.
For grown-ups
Most of these letters start near the top on the right and travel anticlockwise round a curve, like a clock running backwards. Several then add a stick (a, d, g, q). Get the curve right and the rest follows.
What to look for. The commonest slip is a clockwise o, which then makes joining awkward later. Use a finger in the air or a sand tray before pencil. Check that a, d, g and q have a closed bowl and the stick touches it.
This is one clear, unjoined model. Your school will follow its own scheme, and the strokes may differ a little. Where they do, use your school's way. The grown-ups page has advice on posture, grip and left-handed writers.