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Activity Books, Book Lists · August 8, 2023

The Best Handwriting Books for Kids

Learning how to write by hand is a vital part of childhood development, and handwriting books for kids are essential in helping them cultivate this skill. Handwriting is good for motor skill development, and even with electronic devices, writing by hand later in life is tied to better memory, stress relief (journaling), and many other benefits.

child's hand learning to write in a handwriting book for kids showing the letter E

If you have a little one who’s learning to write or draw shapes, loves calligraphy, or practicing cursive, these handwriting books for kids will go a long way to help them reach their goals.

The Best Handwriting Books for Kids

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15 Best Handwriting Books for Kids

Here are 15 of the best handwriting books for kids:

My First Learn-to-Write Workbook

My First Learn-to-Write Workbook: Practice for Kids with Pen Control, Line Tracing, Letters, and More!

sample page of my first learn-to-write handwriting book for kids
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The My First Learn-to-Write Workbook is my favorite on this list because it goes beyond teaching kids to write. They’ll also learn to count and spell, practicing lots of pen control in the process. I love that this handwriting book includes realistic, colored images of everyday objects and animals to boost retention. It’s available as a paperback and as a spiral-bound notebook.


Trace Letters of the Alphabet and Sight Words (On the Go): Pre-School Practice Handwriting Workbook

Trace Letters Of The Alphabet and Sight Words (On The Go): Preschool Practice Handwriting Workbook: Pre K, Kindergarten and Kids Ages 3-5 Reading And Writing

trace letters  handwriting book sample page
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This book is perfect for younger kids who want to learn the letters of the alphabet and improve their handwriting skills. The pages are all in black and white if you prefer the monochrome experience. It also includes exercises using sight words. This one is also available in paperback and spiral-bound formats.


Cursive Handwriting Workbook for Teens

Cursive Handwriting Workbook for Teens: A cursive writing practice workbook for young adults and teens (Master Print and Cursive Writing Penmanship for Teens)

cursive handwriting book sample page
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Want your tween or teen to learn cursive? Here’s one workbook to try. It has over 100 pages of practice with guiding dots to make the process easier. I love that it allows kids to practice letters, words, and sentences (positive, affirming sentences, at that) so that writing cursive becomes second nature.


Cursive Handwriting Workbook for Kids

Cursive Handwriting Workbook For Kids: Cursive for beginners workbook. Cursive letter tracing book. Cursive writing practice book to learn writing in cursive (Beginning Cursive Handwriting Workbooks)

cursive for beginners sample page
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This is a beginner version of the cursive handwriting book for younger kids ages 6 and up. Unlike the one for tweens and teens, this one has pictures on some pages — in black and white. If your kids like coloring, they can go ham on these pages. It also contains shorter, less complex practice sentences.


Handwriting Practice Book for Kids (Silly Sentences)

Handwriting Practice Book for Kids (Silly Sentences): Penmanship and Writing Workbook for Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Grade: Learn and Laugh by Tracing Letters, Sight Words and Funny Phrases

handwriting practice funny book sample page
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The Silly Sentences Workbook for Kids feels like an activity book because there isn’t just handwriting but also decoding, unscrambling, and word search activities! This book includes individual letter practice along with silly sentences to keep them laughing and learning. So your kids can practice their print handwriting with a whole lot of fun thrown in, too!


20 Must Know Sight Activity Workbook

200 Must Know Sight Words Activity Workbook: Learn, Trace & Practice The 200 Most Common High Frequency Words For Kids Learning To Write & Read. | Ages 5-8

sight words handwriting book
image from S.Smith
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Want to bundle reading and handwriting practice into one? If this sounds like what your kids need, this handwriting book is perfect for you. It includes practice pages with up to 200 common sight words so your children can practice their reading as they learn to write.


The Big Book of Letter Tracing Practice for Toddlers

The Big Book of Letter Tracing Practice for Toddlers: From Fingers to Crayons - My First Handwriting Workbook: Essential Preschool Skills for Ages 2-4 (Preschool Milestones Teach and Learn)

big letters handwriting book for toddlers
Image source: DPhillips
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Is your toddler itching to practice their writing while their older siblings are doing theirs? This handwriting book is made for preschoolers ages 2-4. It features gigantic letters, which can be a relief for pudgier fingers that haven’t quite figured out the pencil control required for tracing smaller dots. My only quibble is that there’s no spiral-bound option.


Handwriting Practice Paper

Handwriting Practice Paper: 100 Blank Writing Pages - For Students Learning to Write Letters

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If you’re a homeschooling parent who’d rather draw and have your kids copy your handwriting or if you burn through handwriting books too quickly, this is a great supplement/alternative. This book contains 100 pages of blank handwriting practice paper for easy self-guided practice.


Kindergarten Writing Paper With Lines for ABC Kids

Kindergarten writing paper with lines for ABC kids: 120 Blank handwriting practice paper with dotted lines

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Here’s another blank page option with even more pages for self-guided practice. It’s just about the same dimensions as the previous book but has 120+ pages instead of 100.


101 Jokes Handwriting Practice Book

Handwriting Practice Book for Kids Ages 6-10 : Printing workbook for Grades 1, 2 & 3, Learn to Trace Alphabet Letters and Numbers 1-100, Sight Words, ... and Math Drills for Grades 1, 2, 3 & 4)

joke handwriting book sample page
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If you have a kid who can’t get enough of jokes and joke books, this handwriting book is a great companion. They can practice their handwriting while getting properly entertained (and practicing their reading skills too). Great for kids ages 6-10!


ABC Letter Tracing Workbook for Kids

ABC Letter Tracing Practice Workbook for Kids: Learning To Write Alphabet, Numbers and Line Tracing. Handwriting Activity Book For Preschoolers, Kindergartens.

abc letter tracing book
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This is a super simple option that’s also good for younger kids and toddlers. It features black and white images and breaks down letters to their strokes. Kids will also learn how to write numbers and a few basic words.


The Print Penmanship Workbook for Kids 

The Print Penmanship Workbook for Kids: Improve Your Handwriting with Fun Animal Facts

print penmanship book
Buy on Amazon

Printing neatly takes practice, but it can be hard to keep children engaged with ordinary writing drills. This innovative penmanship workbook teaches children good penmanship as they read and copy words that are all about animals. With colorful illustrations and fun facts about mammals, fish, reptiles, birds, and bugs, each writing lesson feels like a romp through the animal kingdom!


Hand Lettering and Modern Caligraphy for Kids

Hand Lettering and Modern Calligraphy for Kids: A Fun Step by Step Guide and Practice Workbook for Beginners and Children Ages 8 and up

calligraphy book for kids
Buy on Amazon

Hand Lettering & Modern Calligraphy for Kids is the perfect beginner workbook for your kiddo to learn the basics of hand lettering and modern calligraphy! The book includes an introduction to lettering, tips and tools to get you started, several alphabets to master, tons of practice words, and so many fun projects and party ideas to put your new lettering skills on display!!


Trace With Me: Pre-Handwriting Practice Workbook

Trace With Me: Pre-Handwriting Practice Workbook, Handwriting Workbook for Kindergarten and Preschool Learning

trace with me
Buy on Amazon

Carson Dellosa’s Trace With Me: Pre-Handwriting Workbook helps young students develop their fine motor skills by practicing essential handwriting strokes for handwriting proficiency through engaging writing activities. This one is really good for kids who’ve been struggling with traditional handwriting books!


Letter Tracing & Handwriting Practice Book – For Kids

Letter Tracing & Handwriting Practice Book - for Kids: Trace Letters and Numbers Workbook of the Alphabet and Sight Words, Preschool, Pre K, Kids Ages 3-5 + 5-6. Children Handwriting without Tears

lettering book
Buy on Amazon

.This letter tracing work book enables your child to learn the basics of handwriting with a structured and fun approach to letters and numbers. As your child’s confidence and skill increase through practice, so does the complexity and difficulty to further hone his skill.


There they are: 15 of the best handwriting books for kids! Which of these books do you think your kids would like?

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About the Author

Afoma Umesi is the founder and blogger at Reading Middle Grade. She's a writer and editor with a deep love for children's literature. Her favorite genre is contemporary realistic fiction, but she'll never say no to a graphic novel. Read More…

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🎤 new chapter book series alert 🚨 Frankie 🎤 new chapter book series alert 🚨 

Frankie and Friends: Breaking News is the first in the new Frankie and Friends series. Frankie's mom is off on a reporting trip, and the whole family is missing her. 

With her stuffed animals as partners, Frankie decides to use the journalism tidbits she's learned from her mom -- like finding your beat and being honest -- to solve a surprising family mystery.

This is a charming, educational, and imaginative start to a fun series that's perfect for new readers. With a good mix of journalistic terminology, sister relationships, and depictions of imaginative play, supported by gorgeous full-color illustrations, kids will love Frankie and her determined efforts to break the news.

#chapterbook #booksforkids #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram
🕵️‍♀️ a new mystery for spelling bee fa 🕵️‍♀️ a new mystery for spelling bee fans

If you’ve been looking for more high-stakes mysteries for tweens, let me introduce you to THE WINTERTON DECEPTION! Meet 13-year-old twins Hope and Gordon. They’ve just found out that their dad was Brandon Winterton (of the wealthy dictionary magnate family). Unfortunately, Hope can’t stand rich people, especially since the twins and their mom are barely making ends meet and living in a motel. But their fortune is about to change.

When Gordon enters the family into the Winterton Bee, they’re thrust into into the midst of family’s secrets, with a deadly enemy, and a scavenger hunt set up by the family’s dead matriarch. 

This is a fast-paced mystery with plenty to gnaw on between the twin relationship, family drama, character development, and flashbacks that help readers learn more about the Winterton family.

So happy that more and more mysteries are coming out for readers in the 6th-8th grades. This one does touch a bit on addiction and there’s a scene where the kids’ lives are in danger but all ends well!

It’s out at the end of October! 🤩

#mysteriesforkids #middlegradebooks #bookstagram
👯‍♀️ TWINS in middle grade literature 💕 

I love seeing more twins in middle grade books. For a long time, the only twins I knew in middle grade lit were the Sweet Valley High girlies. Then, I got a glimpse of twin life with Issa and Jessie in @karinaisreadingandwriting’s THE VANDERBEEKERS. 

Since then, we’ve seen more depictions of twins, including Varian Johnson’s TWINS (a graphic novel about twin sisters Francine and Maureen entering 6th grade), MIRROR TO MIRROR by Rajani LaRocca, and Hope and Gordon in THE WINTERTON DECEPTION (review to come)!

And of course, these two books, TWIN CITIES and SAVING SUNSHINE (which I just started and am loving)! While these stories will appeal to twins, I think everyone who’s ever been curious about twins will love getting a glimpse into what life feels like as one half of a whole. 

Which middle grade twin stories have you read and loved? 😍 

#middlegrade #twinbooks #mglit #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks
📰 a beautiful graphic novel about speaking the 📰 a beautiful graphic novel about speaking the truth 

This stunning graphic novel follows Cinzia, Avvisi writer’s apprentice living in sunny Sianerra. Cinzia and her mestra write news stories/pamphlets to the city, but not everyone likes when they tell the truth. 

After an edition exposing the ruling family for extortion, cinzia and her mestra are arrested at night and she has to join forces with the princess to fight back against censorship. 

Besides the wonderfully imaginative and powerful storyline, loved the visuals and the diversity representation in this graphic novel. The main character has a bad leg and gets around with a walking stick, which is something rarely depicted in graphic novels (and it’s barely even discussed—it just is!).

Although, this book is closer to fantasy (but without magical elements), it’s set in a Renaissance-style Italian village, so it could work for lovers of realistic fiction too.

Look out for it in November! Have you read this graphic novel? Thoughts? Is it on your radar already?

#graphicnovels #mglit #booksforkids
🩰throwback Thursday - meet one of my favorites 🩰throwback Thursday - meet one of my favorites

Looking for an upper middle grade book about ballet, friendships, and body image? Meet TURNING POINT. 

This book focuses on Monique (Mo) and Rasheeda (Sheeda)’s friendship and how it changes over a summer when both girls are drawn into different pursuits. Mo is off at a ballet intensive with Mila, while Sheeda is stuck at church (with her church “friends”) feeling like she has no life.

At the ballet intensive, Mo comes face to face with her competitive attitude which is fueled by feelings of not “fitting in” with the mostly white, skinny ballet dancers. Even though she makes a couple of friends (who basically lovingly force her to befriend them), she’s insecure at times, afraid to be vulnerable because everything feels so different. On the other hand, Sheeda is desperate for something new. Unfortunately, she falls into a risky situation with Mo’s brother whom she happens to have a crush on.

Paula Chase is one of my favorite writers for this audience and this may be my favorite of hers so far. It’s in the same universe as two of her previous books, DOUGH BOYS and SO DONE but you don’t need to read them in order. 

I’d say her books are great for kids ages 12+
Have you read any books by this author? Which ones are your favorites?

#booksbooksbooks #mglit #bookstagram
🇲🇽Twins on opposite sides I’d seen this b 🇲🇽Twins on opposite sides

I’d seen this book floating around for ages but was never drawn to it (the cover maybe?) until I saw a review somewhere I can’t remember 🤪 I was pleasantly surprised!

Twins Luisa and Fernando find their paths diverging as they’re entering sixth grade. Luisa will be attending middle school in the US just across the border from Fernando’s school in Mexico. There, they come to face to face with different, but equally pressing challenges that threaten to tear them apart.

I really enjoyed this book. The side by side depictions of both kids parallel lives, the way the illustrations celebrate Mexican culture, living, and traditions, and the heartwarming way the twins find their way back to each other. 

I’d recommend this one to 6th graders and up (heads up for content warning: text mentions and depicts illicit drug use by a minor, although portrayed in a negative light) as a fascinating look into Mexican culture, life as a twin, and finding your own identity.

#kidlit #graphicnovels #mglit #booksforkids
♠️ on spades and what it means to be a man An ♠️ on spades and what it means to be a man

Ant isn’t your average 10 year old. He loves a good game of spades and he and his best friend are planning to revamp their reputation after losing badly at the last spades tournament. But things are changing in Ant’s life. His dad is acting weird, asking him to hide things from his mom. There’s a new girl in class who Ant maybe likes and who plays spades better than many boys he knows. 

When his best friend is grounded, Ant teams up with Shirley, hoping to impress his father and finally be tough like Joplin men should be. But instead, he learns what it really means to be a man—and it’s not about never crying.

There’s SO MUCH going on in this story, but the author does a stunning job of keeping all the threads in place. I was very surprised by all the protagonist has to manage at his age and the fact that it all remains believable. The story is told by Ant’s ancestor, lending a touch of magic realism. There are also many details about playing a game of spades and I loved, loved the audiobook narrator.

If you’re looking for a meatier middle grade book perfect for kids ages 9-12 (and older, really—love the cover!) looking for books that balance levity and relatability with real issues like toxic masculinity, parental addiction, friendship issues, and crushes.

#mglit #middlegrade #middlegradebookies #kidlit #booksforkids
❤️ a protagonist for the times Willow (Lolo) ❤️ a protagonist for the times

Willow (Lolo) Weaver’s summer is not going well. Her grandfather has recently died, her grandma isn’t herself and she’s given away her grandfather’s foster dog, Hank. Lolo’s mother is heavily pregnant and Lolo is in summer school because she didn’t do too well in her last exams. On top of that their lake town isn’t a lake town anymore because the lake’s been drained and smells awful now. 

Lolo wants to help her grandmother feel better and she’s convinced that getting back her grandfather’s dog will do the trick. The only problem is that the dog now belongs to someone else. So Lolo gets on Pop’s boat to steal Hank back—only to run into her summer school classmate, Noah (who’s the new dog owner).

I really enjoyed Lolo’s story. It’s strongly reminiscent of classics like Ramona and Lolo’s voice leaps off the pages. The setting is also an unmistakable part of this story and the story feels drenched in summer. My heart went out to Lolo who always feels like she’s the reason why everything’s gone awry. I also laughed plenty at her way of seeing the world. 

This book is perfect for family readalouds especially for kids in grades 3-5. Dog lovers and kids who like a good adventure with a sprinkle of mischief will love it too.

#mglit #summerbooks #booksforelementaryschoolkids #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram
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