Year 2 Handwriting review, with no lead-ins worksheet

“Capitals and lifting pencils” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 2 English unit “Handwriting review, with no lead-ins”, for children aged 6 to 7, and takes about 20 minutes.

Print it on A4. The child's pages come first; the answers, and what each wrong answer tells you, are on the grown-up page that follows. Weeks 21 to 22 of the year, 6 sheets in the unit.

Free sample · answers on the last page

Capitals and lifting pencils

Name: ____________ · Date: ____________
Year 2 · English · about 20 minutes
Answers are on the grown-up page

Today I can write proper nouns with a capital letter, then lift the pencil after it.

A Look back3 min

1.
Which letter comes straight after M in the alphabet?
NLZ
2.
Write the day that comes straight after Monday.
3.
Write the number seven as a digit.

B Watch me, then you4 min

Sam is writing the day Monday in joined-up writing. Here is how to start it.

Watch me

Monday is a proper noun, so the M is a capital.

Lift your pencil after the M.

Join the rest of the letters: o, n, d, a, y.

Now you

1.
Ali lives in york. Circle the right first letter for this city's name.
yY

C Your turn7 min

Read each row. Circle the answer that fits.

A seaside town with a pier, small boats and a lighthouse on a bright morning

1.
After the capital letter, what should you do with your pencil?
lift the penciljoin the letterpress harder
2.
Which word is a proper noun?
cityBristolbridge
3.
A girl is called zara. Circle the right first letter for her name.
zZ
4.
Which day of the week is written correctly?
sundaySundaySUNDAY

Say it out loud: Why does each name and day need a capital letter? Tell your grown-up.

D Spot the mistake3 min

A child's wooden desk with an open notebook and a pencil on it

Kit is writing the name Leo. Kit says: “The capital L joins straight to the e, because joined writing never lifts.”

1.
Kit needs to fix this. Circle what Kit should do after the capital L.
Join the L straight to the eLift the pencil after the L, then join the restKeep the pencil down all the way

E Think deeper3 min

A busy high street with shop fronts, a red bus and a bench

1.
Write three proper nouns that start with S in joined-up writing. Lift your pencil after each S. Tell your grown-up why each needs a capital.

How did it feel?

I can do it Nearly Not yet

For the grown-up

Capitals and lifting pencils · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. N If your child circles L, they have said the letter before M. Say the alphabet slowly and stop after M.

2. Look for: Tuesday, spelt correctly and starting with a capital T.

3. Look for: The digit 7 formed correctly, sitting on the baseline.

B

1. Y If your child circles y, remind them that York is the name of one place, so it needs the big tall letter.

C

1. lift the pencil If your child circles join the letter, they have joined straight from the capital. Trace the first letter, then say lift out loud.

2. Bristol

3. Z

4. Sunday

D

1. Lift the pencil after the L, then join the rest If your child circles the straight join, they have forgotten the lift rule and joined at random. Trace Leo slowly and say lift after the L.

E

1. Look for: Three different proper nouns that start with a capital S. Each has a lift after the S and the rest joined. Each has a short reason, such as naming one person, place or day. If your child writes words like sun or sock, ask whether each word names one specific thing. Sun and sock are ordinary words, so they need no capital.

Words to use

Say“Which letter sits on its own, and why does it stand alone?”

Instead of“Just join every letter together, it looks neater that way.”

After the sheet

Use a sheet of paper and a pencil. Write the names of three people you know, each with a capital letter, lifting the pencil after each capital. Ask your child to point out the lift.

Tick what your child got right in StudyDen. Anything missed comes back in a later Look back box, so there's no need to redo the sheet.

The rest of this unit

5 more sheets come with a StudyDen plan, in teaching order:

Capitals in cursive sentences(with a plan)
Cursive words to learn by heart(with a plan)
Joined-up tricky words(with a plan)
Joined-up tiny words(with a plan)
Smooth cursive words(with a plan)

Every Year 2 English worksheet

The worksheets plan opens a printable sheet for every lesson in Years 1 to 6, each with its answers on a separate page for you. It costs £6.99 a month or £59 a year for the whole family, with no free trial.

The full StudyDen plan adds the lessons themselves, marked as your child works, with the worksheets included. It is 7 days free, then £29.99 a month.

Get the worksheets Try the full plan free

Both start with a free account; you choose the plan when you sign up.