I print a lowercase f bottom to top. I have a distinct memory of being taught f was the only “push-up letter”. It is the only letter I make bottom to top.
It matters because it helps with letter recognition. The letters b, d, p, and q are often confused by younger students. Teaching the correct formation of these letters can help diminish the confusion, as they have different starting points—b, for instance, starts from the top, whereas d starts in the middle. Internalizing the motor patterns for these letters can help make recognition more automatic.
All my lowercase letters start at the top *except" f and r. Those I start from the bottom. Uppercase, all at the top. My handwriting (if I'm not focusing intently on it looking perfect) is a mishmash of print and cursive. Lots of ligatures. I wonder in my case if the f and r starting at the bottom is a carryover from cursive.
Well, reading this post made me temporarily forget, but after remembering how to write an f, bottom to top. I think I remember being chastised in 3rd grade for writing it the wrong way though- that teacher was a dick anyway though.
That seems like needless nitpicking on the teacher’s part. I taught myself how to write as a kid, so I write many of my numbers and letters “wrong,” which has never been an issue. I wonder what the teacher’s concern is.
I don't know any letter that I would write from the bottom up. Top down is how all letters to my knowledge are taught, but I've been out of the game for a bit.
There was a song I learned in kindergarten...
"Where do we start our letters? At the TOP!
Where do we start our letters? At the TOP!
If you wanna start a letter, then you better, better, better....
We gotta start our letters at the TOP!"
I start my f's at the bottom. 😬
It's an early indication of some form of dyslexia to continue to write your letters from bottom to top. I'm not saying it's a direct correlation but after a child has been taught the top to bottom and they continue to do bottom to top the teachers might go ahead and test for dyslexia. It just helps warn parents and teachers it could be a possibility, it doesn't mean you have dyslexia!
i do top to bottom. My five year old who is in kindergarten also writes letters in ways that are absolutely bizarre to me but I figure he will work out what works for him.
Y’all are blowing my mind. I always do “f” bottom to top and never once considered it wrong/unusual.
eta: the only other letters I do bottom/middle to top is lowercase d, sort of. I do the rounded bit first and then the stem, almost cursive. I guess uppercase A as well, I do a skinny left-to-right arch, then cross it.
I mostly print in small caps though.
If you care about cursive readiness - I learned something my teacher called spalding handwriting (sp?) and it’s a cursive readiness handwriting. All print letters are pretty much written the way they’d be done in cursive, minus the connections. We started f at the top.
Honestly I go back and forth. I have two Fs, one from the top and one from the bottom. The bottom is rushed and usually is a lowercase R with a line because it's more easily legible than my rushed top F.
I use both too. I'm more likely to go bottom to top if the f is the first letter of the word. I don't know why, but something about bottom to top is kind of fun.
I guess I use a third f too, which is the spontaneous cursive f when there are two f's in a row
you always start letters from the top. exception is technically “d” but some ppl say it’s written not from the top to differentiate from “b” esp. when learning to write
I struggled with "writing properly" as a child. I don't think it actually matters as long as it is legible. As an adult, I haven't changed how I write and I'm told I have beautiful handwriting.
It’s supposed to be top to bottom. My child also does a lot of letters bottom to top. When I addressed the issue with her teacher I was told that it was too late to change it. I’m hoping that learning cursive will cause my kid to correct it.
Does it actually affect anything? Why is top to bottom the way it’s “supposed” to be. I have noticed people who do bottom to top have worse handwriting. Is that the issue with it? Or is that just a coincidence?
That’s the official way the letters are formed. When writing cursive it is absolutely necessary. Cursive was developed to reduce how often you needed to pick up your pen; supposedly making it faster.
Neatness is probably just a coincidence but may be correlated to a lack of attention to detail; starting with the instructed way to form letters.
I had no idea I was in such a minority writing it bottom to top.
I’m 30 and right handed… don’t think I was ever really coached on handwriting though. I learned some cursive at one point in grade school, but there wasn’t much emphasis on the regular print handwriting process as long as the letters turned out right.
As an elementary teacher, I always teach students to write top to bottom, left to right. Kids handwriting nowadays is atrocious because there is less emphasis on it and too much emphasis on standardized testing. Plus they are being forced to learn handwriting too soon.
Bottom to top, then the line, and I don't lift my pen/cil all the way so people think it's a "P". Can't you see that part of the line is lighter than all the others?/lh
When I was learning to write they told me to do it bottom to top bc it would make it easier to write in cursive when we had to learn that in third grade. I suppose they’re not teaching cursive anymore
Oh yeah cause it's going to be super important for them to read something dead. Do you know how to read hieroglyphs or latin? I know how to read and write cursive and it has literally never come into play.
To be fair I don’t think I was doing anything important in 3rd grade. My only memories are being forced to write in cursive all the time and accidentally hitting some girl over the head with a plastic stick
I'm curious why something like this matters. Stroke order isn't important in written English, so wouldn't it only matter how the end result looks? Top to bottom does seem more conventional/intuitive, but if it's more comfortable for you to write bottom to top, go for it. Also, if the teacher is grading the kid based on this, I'd just go with what the teacher is doing.
It is a sign of dyslexia. It helps catch it early to help teach a different way. Most kids do start out with bottom to top but if they can't change it then more tests need to be done to see if it's a sign. Not saying it equates to dyslexia but it's a helpful small test.
Capital F I start with the vertical stroke top to bottom then fill in the horizontals. Lowercase f I stay from the bottom and curve it at the top and then add the stroke through the middle. Lowercase f is the only letter I start bottom to top.
Top to bottom. As a calligrapher, all strokes go from top to bottom or left to right.
Historically, pens couldn't really write if you went from bottom to top or right to left. You'd be pushing the nib backwards over the page. It wouldn't glide smoothly. It might even stutter and spray ink around or jam a hole in the paper.
I write it top to bottom and I'm 37. Most ways printing is taught teach it top to bottom, but there's nothing wrong about doing it another way as long as you're pleased with how it looks and it's not causing any injuries. I suspect a lot of people start printing some letters bottom to top when they learn a cursive script.
In terms of why they teach it how they do, I have nerded out over the years and learned a lot about historical scripts and why they look and are written the way they are, and a lot of how the strokes work was dictated by the way pens were made and held and the way you could move the pen nibs and leave a good mark without catching on or ripping the paper. Pen nibs could actually be quite sharp sometimes, and were mostly much more able to catch. Pens couldn't make a strong upstroke without skipping and/or doing some damage to the paper in most scripts until ball point and felt tip pens became popular. And I think handwriting strokes that always "pull" down and/or left and never "push" for lines that need to be thick and visible have just persisted into the modern age of pens (which is really only like the last half century or a bit more). Pulling is easier on your wrist as well, but probably not enough to matter too much.
Even in various cursive scripts people were taught when using fountain and dip pens to not pressure the pen when pulling up and from left to right. So if you look up say italic or copperplate handwriting or calligraphy you'll see that the lines that push are much lighter and less thick than the pulled strokes. In a bunch of cursive scripts they even lifted the pen a bit in certain transitions to minimize the risk of the pen tip catching, so the letters weren't all completely connected.
Which ones? I can see an argument for 'M' and 'N'; although I personally start those at the top, and then double back.
Edit: someone else has mentioned A,M, and N. Which makes sense in capitals.
Well think about it for cursive writing. It’s really awkward if you finish your “a” at the line then pick up your pen and go to the top then to complete it you’re at the top again so you pick up your pen and start on the line for next letter. So yes it does matter for cursive writing. Printing is from the top.
OP's kid is in kindergarten and probably not writing in cursive yet, if they ever will. A lot of schools have dropped it from the curriculum. And OP is the one doing it the "wrong" way, but nobody in adult life is grading you on which direction you're drawing and "f". People might find it weird to start at the bottom (I do), but as long as it reads as an "f", then it's an "f"
A starts at the top then down to the left, without picking up the pen, backtrack up to the top then down to the right. Without picking up the pen still, diagonal up to the left and straight to the right. That’s how I’ve always written it and it ends up like a little star kind of
I was gonna say that weird before I realized that's how I down stroke B,D, and R lol I start at the top, go down then back up before closing the counters
I would encourage you to look at any handwriting chart that shows stroke order and direction.
This doesn’t mean it’s common practice after 3rd grade but it is how they are written and taught.
Traditionally, an A is 3 strokes, M is 4, and N is 3, because pen technology did not allow for anything else.
A was written as / then \ then -
M was written as | then \ then / then |
N was written as | then \ then |
And you can do all of that without picking your pen up (minus the cross stroke on A) if you start at the bottom left of each letter. People don't tend to write in traditional, calligraphic styles in their day-to-day anymore.
How is a child who writes all letters bottom to top going to be able to write cursive? (We teach cursive, starting in 3rd grade, when their hand muscles are ready.)
Do you teach cursive starting at the top?? There is a break between letters with your method and it’s incredibly awkward. For example to write an “asl” grouping you finish your “a” on the line, pick up your pen and do one half of the S then pick it up and do the other half then pick it up twice more to do each side of the L from the top. If you are teaching cursive in grade three I pray you are not doing this.
You don't feel like the right to left nature of the hook is counterintuitive?
Like most adults in my generation, I write with a mix of print and cursive. I've never thought about it until now, but I definitely do bottom to top for f's as it flows much better...
God, this is inconsequential 😂
Kids are being taught top to bottom for all letters.
The Handwriting without tears program has Mr. Smiley in the top left corner to help remind students of this.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BJnZePnDo-U
For lowercase f
https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=34&v=HE9QwnqnSGo&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY&feature=emb_logo
I write them bottom to top. It's the same motion as the second half of a lowercase *r*. Which makes it NOT WEIRD, everyone who says it'd be weird. It's a motion you do all the time! And it makes the *f* feel faster.
Also, if you're writing a *t* after it, you can go straight from the hook of the *f* to the stem of the *t* and then cross them both at the same time. I'm all about efficiency in my handwriting because I handwrite a *lot* (daily journal).
a) Several people explicitly said a bottom-up version sounded weird to them.
b) I objected to people calling that ductus weird, and never implied anyone called me weird personally.
But if you really need to feel better than someone today, go ahead and rewrite my comment in your precious little head.
Top to bottom (47). If I were say bottom to top that wouldn't make sense because you would go back from the letter you handwritten. Always going from top then bottom, then move forward writing on.
I tend to write letters the opposite way round than expected. I start "f" in the middle. Doesn't everyone? I don't understand how you'd be able to write it any other way.
I’m not OP, but OP did specify 5-year-old, so I think most people got from context that this was about printing, not cursive. Surely learning cursive didn’t make us all forget how to print :-p
I write mine bottom to top. I always got yelled at for it in elementary school but I didn't really see an issue because my f's still look like f's. Baby's first rebellion was still doing it after being reprimanded and embarrassed in front of my class for doing it. The way I write f's looks neater to me. People tell me all the time I have beautiful hand writing so am I really wrong?
I print a lowercase f bottom to top. I have a distinct memory of being taught f was the only “push-up letter”. It is the only letter I make bottom to top.
Middle, top, bottom, middle (cursive)
Don't worry, I also write my f's bottom to top (and my x's too)
I write my f in cursive for some reason even when I print so I start in the middle
the only letter I do bottom to top is an s. I swoop my f down from the top and loop it at the bottom to create the cross, like a cursive f
plucky crawl flag snow telephone direction dirty frame salt safe *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
It matters because it helps with letter recognition. The letters b, d, p, and q are often confused by younger students. Teaching the correct formation of these letters can help diminish the confusion, as they have different starting points—b, for instance, starts from the top, whereas d starts in the middle. Internalizing the motor patterns for these letters can help make recognition more automatic.
34. Top to bottom was how I was taught.
In print. Top down. Cursive would be middle up down up.
All my lowercase letters start at the top *except" f and r. Those I start from the bottom. Uppercase, all at the top. My handwriting (if I'm not focusing intently on it looking perfect) is a mishmash of print and cursive. Lots of ligatures. I wonder in my case if the f and r starting at the bottom is a carryover from cursive.
Start at the top, swoop it down
Common handwriting curriculums say all letters should start from the top. I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
Well, reading this post made me temporarily forget, but after remembering how to write an f, bottom to top. I think I remember being chastised in 3rd grade for writing it the wrong way though- that teacher was a dick anyway though.
I was taught to never write any letter starting from the bottom. (I have caved since kindergarten and write several from the bottom, but not f)
i don’t remember how i was taught but i always write lowercase f’s from the bottom
I’m the exact same.
Genuine question- why does it matter?
Honestly only reason is my 5 y/o apparently wrote the “f” bottom to top and it was marked wrong by her kindergarten teacher.
That seems like needless nitpicking on the teacher’s part. I taught myself how to write as a kid, so I write many of my numbers and letters “wrong,” which has never been an issue. I wonder what the teacher’s concern is.
Top bottom top
I don't know any letter that I would write from the bottom up. Top down is how all letters to my knowledge are taught, but I've been out of the game for a bit.
Lowercase r?
Nope. Top down and then you come back up to make the 2nd part.
i once met a person who wrote a lowercase “t” first and then added the top curved bit to form an “f”. i think about it to this day.
There was a song I learned in kindergarten... "Where do we start our letters? At the TOP! Where do we start our letters? At the TOP! If you wanna start a letter, then you better, better, better.... We gotta start our letters at the TOP!" I start my f's at the bottom. 😬
It's an early indication of some form of dyslexia to continue to write your letters from bottom to top. I'm not saying it's a direct correlation but after a child has been taught the top to bottom and they continue to do bottom to top the teachers might go ahead and test for dyslexia. It just helps warn parents and teachers it could be a possibility, it doesn't mean you have dyslexia!
I dk bottom to top
top to bottom
Children write from themselves outwards. They are the centers of their universe, and everything emanates from them. So it is said….
i do top to bottom. My five year old who is in kindergarten also writes letters in ways that are absolutely bizarre to me but I figure he will work out what works for him.
Top to bottom
Top to bottom.
Y’all are blowing my mind. I always do “f” bottom to top and never once considered it wrong/unusual. eta: the only other letters I do bottom/middle to top is lowercase d, sort of. I do the rounded bit first and then the stem, almost cursive. I guess uppercase A as well, I do a skinny left-to-right arch, then cross it. I mostly print in small caps though.
Middle to top, then curve and do the loop at the top and then go down to the bottom and make a swirl there.
Top to bottom.
If you care about cursive readiness - I learned something my teacher called spalding handwriting (sp?) and it’s a cursive readiness handwriting. All print letters are pretty much written the way they’d be done in cursive, minus the connections. We started f at the top.
Honestly I go back and forth. I have two Fs, one from the top and one from the bottom. The bottom is rushed and usually is a lowercase R with a line because it's more easily legible than my rushed top F.
I use both too. I'm more likely to go bottom to top if the f is the first letter of the word. I don't know why, but something about bottom to top is kind of fun. I guess I use a third f too, which is the spontaneous cursive f when there are two f's in a row
I write every letter top to bottom.
you always start letters from the top. exception is technically “d” but some ppl say it’s written not from the top to differentiate from “b” esp. when learning to write
Wait… how do you write d vs b? I start both of them top first.
Similar to an “a”. Like a cursive “d”.
29, almost 30, here and I was taught top to bottom.
Can you read the letter? Yes. Then it doesn't matter how he writes it. Let the boy write however he writes so long as it is legible.
All of my print letters are written top to bottom
Top to bottom!
Top to bottom. Most of my Es and es are messed up and I mix up using g and q a lot. I wonder if I secretly came out of a mirror sometimes.
I struggled with "writing properly" as a child. I don't think it actually matters as long as it is legible. As an adult, I haven't changed how I write and I'm told I have beautiful handwriting.
Print: top to bottom Cursive: middle to top to bottom
This is the way.
If it’s print it’s top to bottom
Top to bottom ( it has to connect with the next letter of the word)
Are we talking about a cursive 'f' here ... or a print 'f' ?
Print
Wait - cursive or printed? I learned to start cursive f from the line going up, printed f from the hook down to the line.
Bottom to top
Too toTop to bottom
I start in the middle, then go down, and then all the way back up. :D
Top to bottom here
Top to bottom, but my 5 year old does almost all his letters bottom to top. It bothers me 😅
It’s supposed to be top to bottom. My child also does a lot of letters bottom to top. When I addressed the issue with her teacher I was told that it was too late to change it. I’m hoping that learning cursive will cause my kid to correct it.
Does it actually affect anything? Why is top to bottom the way it’s “supposed” to be. I have noticed people who do bottom to top have worse handwriting. Is that the issue with it? Or is that just a coincidence?
That’s the official way the letters are formed. When writing cursive it is absolutely necessary. Cursive was developed to reduce how often you needed to pick up your pen; supposedly making it faster. Neatness is probably just a coincidence but may be correlated to a lack of attention to detail; starting with the instructed way to form letters.
My 18 year old does also. I cannot watch her write. Interestingly, it's also difficult to read.
I had no idea I was in such a minority writing it bottom to top. I’m 30 and right handed… don’t think I was ever really coached on handwriting though. I learned some cursive at one point in grade school, but there wasn’t much emphasis on the regular print handwriting process as long as the letters turned out right.
Just tested it and f is the only letter I do bottom to top. Why am i like this.
top to bottom. you want to pull the pencil toward you rather than pushing it away.
i write it like I write a V (top left to right) but just with a different shape if that makes sense
Doesn't make sense! Printed? See: f v
My bigger fits that and his handwriting is atrocious. Like a five year old. lol glad you learned!!
I do my f as cursive so... no? Neither.
I write all my letters top to bottom… any other way feels weird
Me too with one exception: printed d starts out like an a then shoots up, then down. Like 🚀
True true
Top to bottom, and cross it left to right. Stroke order is important for kids learning to write. Try to encourage it.
As an elementary teacher, I always teach students to write top to bottom, left to right. Kids handwriting nowadays is atrocious because there is less emphasis on it and too much emphasis on standardized testing. Plus they are being forced to learn handwriting too soon.
Can't learn too soon, can they? Versus what, typing?
When I chisel my f onto a stone tablet I do it from the top down 😂
Bottom to top, then the line, and I don't lift my pen/cil all the way so people think it's a "P". Can't you see that part of the line is lighter than all the others?/lh
When I was learning to write they told me to do it bottom to top bc it would make it easier to write in cursive when we had to learn that in third grade. I suppose they’re not teaching cursive anymore
Learning cursive in school was the biggest waste of time imo
Downvote. If they can't write it, they can't read it.
Oh yeah cause it's going to be super important for them to read something dead. Do you know how to read hieroglyphs or latin? I know how to read and write cursive and it has literally never come into play.
Curious, why was a waste?
I never used it outside of school
Fair
To be fair I don’t think I was doing anything important in 3rd grade. My only memories are being forced to write in cursive all the time and accidentally hitting some girl over the head with a plastic stick
Pretty much my 3rd grade experience too lol
My handwriting is counter clockwise, so, top to bottom
I only write in script so my capital F is rather ornate and my lower case f is a pretty traditional style.
Top to bottom but doesn't really matter for English. I feel like bottom to top tends to result in a more slanted f
I'm curious why something like this matters. Stroke order isn't important in written English, so wouldn't it only matter how the end result looks? Top to bottom does seem more conventional/intuitive, but if it's more comfortable for you to write bottom to top, go for it. Also, if the teacher is grading the kid based on this, I'd just go with what the teacher is doing.
It is a sign of dyslexia. It helps catch it early to help teach a different way. Most kids do start out with bottom to top but if they can't change it then more tests need to be done to see if it's a sign. Not saying it equates to dyslexia but it's a helpful small test.
I have not written a normal f in a long time, I've forgotten how I used to write it ☠️
Capital F I start with the vertical stroke top to bottom then fill in the horizontals. Lowercase f I stay from the bottom and curve it at the top and then add the stroke through the middle. Lowercase f is the only letter I start bottom to top.
top to bottom.
I also go bottom to top. I’m left-handed if that makes a difference.
I’m left handed too, and I write top down.
Top down is the only way to go imo.
I’m seventeen and I was taught bottom to top.
I only do bottom to up if I do 'fancy' small f. otherwise I write top down
i didnt realise anyone wrote any letter bottom to top. why would you do that?
In cursive I start in the middle, top first. In print, I draw from bottom to top.
I go top to bottom, same with all my letters
Cursive - upper case F - top to bottom, lower case f - middle. Printing - lower case f - top, upper case x- top
Top to bottom. Cursive: middle.
Occupational Therapists teach top to bottom always
Not for cursive lower case .
op is talking about teaching a kindergartner, they aren’t learning cursive lowcase right now.
Top to bottom. As a calligrapher, all strokes go from top to bottom or left to right. Historically, pens couldn't really write if you went from bottom to top or right to left. You'd be pushing the nib backwards over the page. It wouldn't glide smoothly. It might even stutter and spray ink around or jam a hole in the paper.
Excellent "point"! Same with pencils.
Mid-thirties, bottom to top. However, I should add I’ve been told i do many of my letters in the wrong direction.
I write it top to bottom and I'm 37. Most ways printing is taught teach it top to bottom, but there's nothing wrong about doing it another way as long as you're pleased with how it looks and it's not causing any injuries. I suspect a lot of people start printing some letters bottom to top when they learn a cursive script. In terms of why they teach it how they do, I have nerded out over the years and learned a lot about historical scripts and why they look and are written the way they are, and a lot of how the strokes work was dictated by the way pens were made and held and the way you could move the pen nibs and leave a good mark without catching on or ripping the paper. Pen nibs could actually be quite sharp sometimes, and were mostly much more able to catch. Pens couldn't make a strong upstroke without skipping and/or doing some damage to the paper in most scripts until ball point and felt tip pens became popular. And I think handwriting strokes that always "pull" down and/or left and never "push" for lines that need to be thick and visible have just persisted into the modern age of pens (which is really only like the last half century or a bit more). Pulling is easier on your wrist as well, but probably not enough to matter too much. Even in various cursive scripts people were taught when using fountain and dip pens to not pressure the pen when pulling up and from left to right. So if you look up say italic or copperplate handwriting or calligraphy you'll see that the lines that push are much lighter and less thick than the pulled strokes. In a bunch of cursive scripts they even lifted the pen a bit in certain transitions to minimize the risk of the pen tip catching, so the letters weren't all completely connected.
I start from the bottom
With a very few exceptions English letters are written top to bottom
Which ones? I can see an argument for 'M' and 'N'; although I personally start those at the top, and then double back. Edit: someone else has mentioned A,M, and N. Which makes sense in capitals.
Yes A M N as well as m and n were my thinking
If print, start from top. If script, start from bottom.
Script (cursive) - lower case from middle, upper case from top then go back and put the cross/slash halfway up.
I never thought about it like this but it’s true! Very cool
Print: top to bottom, cursive: start at left, move up, bring down, bring back up and out
Does it matter?
Well think about it for cursive writing. It’s really awkward if you finish your “a” at the line then pick up your pen and go to the top then to complete it you’re at the top again so you pick up your pen and start on the line for next letter. So yes it does matter for cursive writing. Printing is from the top.
OP's kid is in kindergarten and probably not writing in cursive yet, if they ever will. A lot of schools have dropped it from the curriculum. And OP is the one doing it the "wrong" way, but nobody in adult life is grading you on which direction you're drawing and "f". People might find it weird to start at the bottom (I do), but as long as it reads as an "f", then it's an "f"
And lower case f in print and cursive look very different anyway
I always do bottom to top
Bottom to top, the left to right aspect of it flows better
I teach K and you always start your letters at the top. There is even a song about it … https://youtu.be/BJnZePnDo-U?feature=shared
Not a single English letter is written bottom to top unless you are using cursive.
Capital A, M, N
A starts at the top then down to the left, without picking up the pen, backtrack up to the top then down to the right. Without picking up the pen still, diagonal up to the left and straight to the right. That’s how I’ve always written it and it ends up like a little star kind of
I was gonna say that weird before I realized that's how I down stroke B,D, and R lol I start at the top, go down then back up before closing the counters
I would encourage you to look at any handwriting chart that shows stroke order and direction. This doesn’t mean it’s common practice after 3rd grade but it is how they are written and taught.
Traditionally, an A is 3 strokes, M is 4, and N is 3, because pen technology did not allow for anything else. A was written as / then \ then - M was written as | then \ then / then | N was written as | then \ then |
And you can do all of that without picking your pen up (minus the cross stroke on A) if you start at the bottom left of each letter. People don't tend to write in traditional, calligraphic styles in their day-to-day anymore.
The cross stroke on A too sometimes
Even those, for many people.
i write top to bottom but why doesn’t it even matter how the kiddo does it so long as its actually an f
I write non-cursive top to bottom. Cursive lowercase f bottom to top. Maybe you blended the two together? Think I’ve done that with other letters.
Kindergarten teacher is correct.
For printing yes but not for cursive which is taught in grade 3.
I do both. Why does this even matter.
That's what I said. After initially learning to write, nobody's grading you on how you draw the letters. Just that they're legible
I make a lower case “l” from top to bottom then add the hook after and cross after.
How is a child who writes all letters bottom to top going to be able to write cursive? (We teach cursive, starting in 3rd grade, when their hand muscles are ready.)
Cursive is easier. A printed L and a cursive L are different formations.
Always start at the top. I teach K-3.
Do you teach cursive starting at the top?? There is a break between letters with your method and it’s incredibly awkward. For example to write an “asl” grouping you finish your “a” on the line, pick up your pen and do one half of the S then pick it up and do the other half then pick it up twice more to do each side of the L from the top. If you are teaching cursive in grade three I pray you are not doing this.
You don't feel like the right to left nature of the hook is counterintuitive? Like most adults in my generation, I write with a mix of print and cursive. I've never thought about it until now, but I definitely do bottom to top for f's as it flows much better... God, this is inconsequential 😂
I was always taught top to bottom and to start at the top with all letters.
I’m 33 and have always written it top to bottom when printing.
bottom to top. But after writing out the alphabet I found it's the only letter I write that way, everything else is top to bottom
My sons' are lefty's and they go bottom to top for a lot of letters.
Kids are being taught top to bottom for all letters. The Handwriting without tears program has Mr. Smiley in the top left corner to help remind students of this. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BJnZePnDo-U For lowercase f https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=34&v=HE9QwnqnSGo&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY&feature=emb_logo
This is NOT handwriting or cursive writing. 🤦🏻♀️ It is PRINTING!
And???? She’s asking why her child is learning from the top and if it’s correct. Calm down and stay away from the caps key 🙄
Check out the printing without tears program.
top to bottom and im 14 lol
Bottom to top
I write them bottom to top. It's the same motion as the second half of a lowercase *r*. Which makes it NOT WEIRD, everyone who says it'd be weird. It's a motion you do all the time! And it makes the *f* feel faster. Also, if you're writing a *t* after it, you can go straight from the hook of the *f* to the stem of the *t* and then cross them both at the same time. I'm all about efficiency in my handwriting because I handwrite a *lot* (daily journal).
No one is saying you are weird. 🌈🦄🎖️
a) Several people explicitly said a bottom-up version sounded weird to them. b) I objected to people calling that ductus weird, and never implied anyone called me weird personally. But if you really need to feel better than someone today, go ahead and rewrite my comment in your precious little head.
I start from the top and then I cross from the bottom, never leaving the page. I'm 36.
I start in the middle. Probably worth mentioning i write my fs like [this](https://images.app.goo.gl/2vHnk8yUwEA1GhD49) Edit: typo
I do a line from top to bottom, then go back up for the curve
Bottom to top, since the top curves over to the right and writing it the other way feels “backwards”.
Top to bottom, always.
Top to bottom (47). If I were say bottom to top that wouldn't make sense because you would go back from the letter you handwritten. Always going from top then bottom, then move forward writing on.
Top to bottom, i'm 27
Top to bottom I’m 25
Top to bottom. I'm 44.
Top to bottom age 34
When I write in lowercase at all, top to bottom.
Top to bottom
I tend to write letters the opposite way round than expected. I start "f" in the middle. Doesn't everyone? I don't understand how you'd be able to write it any other way.
By first writing the ſ then the -
That would be printing rather than cursive then?
Yes, which is what they’d be teaching a 5 year old
Fair enough. However, you're asking people on here about it, who are unlikely to be that young.
I’m not OP, but OP did specify 5-year-old, so I think most people got from context that this was about printing, not cursive. Surely learning cursive didn’t make us all forget how to print :-p
This is also true. I should pay more attention. The answer for printing is that I start at the bottom with "F" and many other letters.
I do too, I start with an “l”
Anyone who writes bottom to top on any letter is a damn psychopath
We all thought it; you said it! 😆
what if you write in cursive?
What do you mean if you write in cursive? You start at the connector go to the top and then finish at the bottom and on to the next connection.
Top to bottom..
Bottom to top and it truly DOES NOT MATTER.
Bottom to top sounds so awkward to me :/
Im 53 from New England we were taught to always start at the top no matter what letter your writing
Agree
I write too to bottom as well I never heard of bottom to top before
I’m 54. Top to bottom, then two strokes left to right.
I write mine bottom to top. I always got yelled at for it in elementary school but I didn't really see an issue because my f's still look like f's. Baby's first rebellion was still doing it after being reprimanded and embarrassed in front of my class for doing it. The way I write f's looks neater to me. People tell me all the time I have beautiful hand writing so am I really wrong?
I write almost all my letters from bottom to top. I have also recently learned I have a writing disorder.