Tall, Small or Tail?
Is it a tall letter, a small letter or a tail letter? Circle one.
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This is sheet #24124601.
How to do it
- Look at where the letter starts and stops.
- Does it touch the top line, stay small, or hang below?
- Circle Tall, Small or Tail.
Teaching tip
Have your child trace each letter with a finger first to feel where it goes. This sheet is aligned with Common Core L.1.1a.
About this worksheet
Twelve letters on handwriting lines. Decide if each one is a tall letter, a small letter or a tail letter.
What kids practice
Neat printing comes down to three things: starting each letter in the right place, making it the right size, and leaving space between words. Handwriting paper has a top line, a dashed middle line and a bottom line. Tall letters reach the top line, small letters stay under the dashed line, and tail letters hang below the bottom line. These sheets use the same lines every time so kids can see exactly where each letter goes.
Watch for
- Starting letters at the bottom, which makes them slow and messy later on.
- Making small letters as tall as capital letters.
- Mixing up b and d. Point out that b starts with a tall line, then the circle.
- Running words together with no spaces.
It's free to print, with Fewer, Standard or More on the page and an answer key. See the full letter size and spacing guide for 1st grade.
More sheets in this set
- See it all
1. Alphabet ChartEvery capital and lowercase letter on handwriting lines, with a picture for each. - See it all
2. Neat Writing ChartTall letters, small letters and tail letters on handwriting lines, finger spaces between words, and a neat writing checklist. 
3. Trace Lowercase LettersSix lowercase letters with a model, three to trace and space to write. Each row says if the letter is tall, small or tail.
4. Trace Capital LettersSix capital letters with a model, three to trace and space to write.
6. Trace and Write WordsSeven short words with pictures. Trace each word twice, then write it twice.
7. Finger SpacesFour short sentences to trace and copy, with pink marks that show where each finger space goes.
8. Fix the SpacingSix sentences with the spaces taken out. Find the words and write each sentence with spaces.