HANDWRITING FONTS FOR TEACHING KIDS TO WRITE
                                                                                                                                              
                                                              
"ZB Kid Letters": a font family specifically designed to teach children how to write.
The fonts are based on the Zaner-Bloser style of handwriting.


pen Handwriting fonts for teachers and parents. Fonts for teaching kids to write: regular, bold, with guidelines, with dots, with guidelines and dots, and with arrows.

by Juan José Marcos
Professor of classical languages.
Plasencia. Spain. January 2024



INTRODUCTION
   If you're looking for fonts which mimic lettering used to teach printed letters and handwriting skills, you have come to the right place.
   The so-called "ZB Kid Letters" is a complete set of fonts for teachers and parents which make it fun and easy to teach writing skills to kids.
   These fonts have been developed to assits teachers and parents teaching handwriting.
   The "ZB Kid Letters" fonts give you resources to help students develop:
   - Pattern movements and other basic motor skills.
   - Proficiency in letter formation and shaping.
   - Appropriate letter size and spacing.
   The complete set includes dotted fonts, fonts with arrows, with guidelines etc.
   With these fonts, you can create your own exercises and study books with the phrases and curriculum that you consider most appropriate for learning handwriting. These fonts have been created with the help of teachers to ensure best results and ease of use. Nevertheless, note that my aim is not to substitute the school workbooks. The fonts are intended to be a supplement to them.

   They work within any Windows, Linux or Macintosh standard application and can be used with such programs as Microsoft Word, Claris Works, Apple Works, TexEdit, AbiWord, OpenOffice, WordPad and so on. For more information, please see below.


HANDWRITING STYLES
   Handwriting or penmanship is the art of writing with the hand and a writing instrument. Different styles of writing have been popular at different times and in different countries. Styles of handwriting are also called hands or scripts. There are a variety of handwriting styles. The most important methods for teaching children to write (at least in USA) are the Zaner-Bloser method and the D'Nealian system. Starting at the beginning of the 20th century Zaner-Bloser became the dominant method in North America. Starting in the early sixties, the D'Nealian system from the beginning has gained popularity in many school districts in the United States.
  
   A school district usually decides to teach one style. If you have a child who is not yet attending school and is ready to write, call the school office or contact the kindergarten teacher to learn the handwriting style used. Naturally you always have the option of teaching your child another method style, but it can be a needless frustration for the child.
   Homeschool parents have more options. Take time to familiarize yourself with the various styles. Most start with a manuscript form for the first several years, and then move into a cursive form.
Whatever handwriting style your children use, please make handwriting practice fun!



CHARACTERISTICS OF "ZB KID LETTERS" FONTS
   As mentioned above there are many styles of handwriting, including: cursive, manuscript, Italic etc, each with its own letter formation and variation.
   The "ZB Kid Letters" set of fonts belongs to the Zaner-Bloser manuscript style of handwriting.
   The
"ZB Kid Letters" family includes 10 different fonts with the ability to trace dots, lines, arrows and a combination of these. Please see samples below.
   These manuscript fonts contain all the common signs, as well as accented characters - acute accent, grave accent, circumflex, tilde, diaeresis or umlaut mark, ring, cedilla, ae and oe ligatures, o slash and German 'double s' -for Western European languages (Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, among others)- and current symbols.

   The "ZB Kid Letters" typefaces offer a family of 10 font styles suited to all exercise sheets and workbooks: plain, bold (heavy), dotted, with tracing arrows, with or without guidelines.
   This typographic pack contains fonts covering all the method's curriculum.
   Here are samples of "ZB Kid Letters" and a brief description of each of the handwriting fonts.

  1.- ZB Kid Letters.
Upright manuscript font without guidelines. This font is the basic.

ZB KidLetters font
  
  2.- ZB Kid Letters Bold. Upright manuscript font without guidelines. This font can be used by the teacher to stress indications.

ZB KidLetters font in bold style

 
3.- ZB Kid Letters Guided. Upright manuscript font with four guidelines (ruled lines).
   
ZB KidLetters font with guidelines
     
  4.- ZB Kid Letters with Arrows. Upright manuscript font with tracing arrows for beginners. Arrows give hints about how to start letters.

ZB KidLetters font with arrows

  5.- ZB Kid Letters with Dots and Arrows.
Upright manuscript dotted font with arrows and stroke numbers which offer guidance in direction and sequence.

ZB KidLetters font with dots and arrows

  
  6.-ZB Kid Letters Dotted.
Upright manuscript dotted font for tracing.

ZB KidLetters font with dots

  7.- ZB Kid Letters Dotted and Guided. Upright manuscript dotted font with four guidelines (ruled lines).

ZB KidLetters font with dots and lines

  8.- ZB Kid Letters with Arrows and Lines.
Upright manuscript font with four guidelines (ruled lines) and arrows.

ZB KidLetters font with arrows and lines
 
   9.- ZB Kid Letters with Dots, Arrows and Lines. new Manuscript dotted font with arrows and four guidelines (ruled lines) which offer guidance in direction.

ZB KidLetters font with arrows, dots and lines

   10.- ZB Kid Letters Outline. new This manuscript font is an another approach to where to start letters.

ZB

                                  outlined font

  
Note that the guided fonts have been designed so that the guidelines print out at the same time as the letters.
   To create continuous lines without letters (only guidelines) use the space bar (space key), the logical sign (key ¬) or the vertical line (key |).

  
VARIATIONS ON ZANER-BLOSER STYLE
    There are two variations of the Zaner-Bloser handwriting styles:
   -Old or traditional style.
   -New or simplified style.
   The main differences between the two variations are in the design of upper-case letters J and R.
   In the old style the letter J has not top stroke, and the diagonal leg in the letter R extends from curve, whereas in the new style the letter J has top stroke, and the diagonal leg in the letter R extends from vertical.
   The
"ZB KidLetters" fonts follow the Zaner-Bloser new style rules, however the fonts also contain the old style J and R.

Zaner-Bloser variations
   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
   Teach children how to write numbers and the alphabet by tracing the characters of these dotted fonts.
   Make writing a connect-the-dot game using a dotted font. Creating your own worksheets is fun and will often produce an enthusiastic response from your children!

   These fonts for children offer a unique material to let children experiment and discover the first letterforms. Teach your child to write the fun way.
   Start with the kid's name, then progress to the names of everyone in the family, favourite teddies and friends, and then on to easy words and so son. Type your words in large letters.

   There is no theoretical limit to the size of letters, besides the practical limit of the application used to manage layout. They can be printed very big to post on the blackboard, for instance.

ZB KidLetters fonts in big size

   Like any standard font, the "ZB Kid Letters" family of fonts can be used in colors for personalized layouts and color-coded exercises.
   Use color to make the worksheets appealing, and add small images using clipart from within Word or from graphic sites on the net.


ZB fonts in color
  
   For further information about these fonts including more visual examples and worksheets, please read the User's Manual (21 pages, PDF format) included in the package you can download below.

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS, INSTALLATION AND USE
   The "ZB Kid Letters" fonts are compatible with Windows (any version), Mac OS9 and OSX, and Linux.
   In fact, this product is not really a program. It is a set of 10 fonts to be used with other applications.
   These are standard fonts (8 bits, TTF format), so they can be used running any Windows version and any word processor.
   You can also use them running Linux. I have successfully tried them under Debian with OpenOffice.
   These fonts should be usable on Macintosh running OSX9 and OSX. This is not a problem, since Mac recognizes PC TrueType fonts without complaint.
   In any case, if you are very interested and you wish to get a Mac version of these fonts (bin and dfont formats), I can produce them in a Mac native format for you.
   Installation is very easy, simply copy and paste the font files into your Fonts folder located somewhere in your hard disk (Library/Fonts in a Mac or Windows/Fonts in a PC
).
   After installation they can be used in any program such as word processing or graphic programs, like any
other standard font. Simply access the font list and you will see the new fonts appear with the existing fonts from before.
   Select the font you wish from the font list, (a dotted font, for instance), choose the correct size*, enter the sequences for your child to trace and print. Your child can then begin to connect the dots and learn the shape of the letters and numbers.
   *You may use large sizes for better display (suggested size-30 points or up).  
  

EXERCISE SHEETS
   The "ZB Kid Letters" fonts allow teachers and parents to create custom hand-lettered exercise sheets and classroom signage.
   Doubtless these fonts will make your job so much easier since you will be able to build custom assignments for your kids and individualized practice sheets for each student in your classroom in minutes. They save a lot of preparation time.
   The worksheets below were developed with Kindergarten children in mind. They provide letter recognition, phonics, reading and writing practice.
    Please pass the cursor over the following images to see worksheets created with these fonts:
 

Aa letterAa letter
(Aa) Letter formation
   -    Bb letterBb letter
(Bb) Letter formation
   -    Cc letterCc letter
(Cc) Letter formation


Dd letterDd letter
(Dd) Letter formation
   -    1 and 2 numbers1 and 2 numbers
(1 and 2) Number formation


   On the other hand, children have a wonderful time using the "ZB Kid Letters" fonts to tell stories. It gets them excited.
   Click on the following link to see a document in PDF format (222 kb, 14 pages) which contains
Click on the link to download the evaluation font packagesamples of worksheets created in Word with the "ZB Kid Letters" fonts. It will give you an idea of what you can create yourself with these fonts.
   I recommend you to print it to see exactly how this will look on paper, because all these fonts are intended primarily for print and may not show as well on the screen. Please keep in mind that what you see is not always what you get. These typefaces are best rendered on the printer, so they print legibly, not to display at small sizes on the screen.


FREE DOWNLOAD: EVALUATION VERSION OF "ZB KID LETTERS" FONTS
  A package which contains three "ZB Kid Letters" fonts in demo version and an extensive user's manual (21 pages in PDF format) is available for free download from this site.
  It will let you play with the fonts so you can see if they work for you before buying.
  Please note that fonts in the package are identical to the complete product except that the annoying watermark "TRYOUT" appears accompanying some letters.
  Click on the link below to download the evaluation font package.

Click on the link to download the evaluation font packageFont package  500 kb  zip file (Manual in PDF format pdf file+ 3 Demo fonts ttf file)
  This is a large file; therefore,
please be patient!

IMPORTANT:  Remember that you must unzip (extract) the files into a temporary directory and then install the fonts.

PRICE AND LICENSES
   The "ZB Kid Letters" font package is very cheap, really! A single user license for the complete set of 10 fonts costs only $20; that's just $2 per each font. It is a real bargain!
   With the single user license you are allowed to use the fonts at school and at home but not to share them with other teachers or friends. Other friends should purchase their own copy of the fonts. The font package is sent you as atttachment to an email message (electronic delivery). It is important that you have an account which can receive attachments.

   I also offer the possibility to use the fonts for your whole school. A school site license allows all teachers at the school site to use the fonts at school and at home. This license costs only $100. For that moderate price, you will be allowed to install the fonts on all school's computers, as well as teacher's laptops and home computers.
   However, please note that price is for ONE school, and not for whole district. In this last case I offer discount for several schools.
   Publishing houses are entitled to use the fonts in printed books or to produce electronic documents which can be sold in their web pages.
    This type of license is also appropriate for software developers who wish to use the fonts in free or commercial applications. 
   
   
   Click on the corresponding button below to purchase the fonts online.
   For other alternative methods of payment, please read the information given in the user's manual or email me for further details.

   Whatever license you choose, please do not make illegal copies of this software. The software you are using was produced after months of effort and hard work. Properly purchasing and licensing the fonts will support this effort and will help the modest designer of these fonts get the just reward for his work. Thanks.

   After making the payment you will receive the fonts as attachment to an email message sent to your email acount.
   If you have questions or doubts, please do not hesitate to contact me.
 


ONLINE PAYMENT
   If you own a credit or debit card (Visa®, MasterCard®, Discover®, Maestro® and American Express®), you can pay online, which means purchase can be made in a matter of clicks.
   This payment is being backed by PayPal®, a global leader in online payment solutions and credit card processing. To make payments with PapyPal is easy, fast, free and secure for buyers. Naturally, your transaction will be confidential and the information you give will not be used for any reason other than the use intended. PayPal protects your security.

(Note: You are not required to have a Paypal account. By following the instructions on the Paypal page, you may make your payment by credit card or bank transfer.)
Secure payments by PAYPAL

   Depending on your choice, click on the corresponding button below to purchase the "ZB Kid Letters" fonts online. In order to avoid errors, please read carefully the information given below before clicking on the PayPal button to order. Please be careful with your choosing since depending on it you will get one item or other.

Option 1) – Complete font package. Single user license. "Electronic-only" delivery. The full package of 10 fonts costs US $20. The 10 "ZB Kid Letters" fonts will be sent as attachment (ZIP file) to your email account. With the single user license you are allowed to use the fonts at school and at home, but not to share them with other teachers or friends.

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Option 2) – Complete font package. School site license
. 
"Electronic-only" delivery. US $100. You will receive the ZB KidLetters font package as attachment (ZIP file) to an email message.
The fonts have not restrictions at all. All features are enabled. Even the embedding feature is allowed: this means that the fonts may be embedded in documents to produce PDF documents running Adobe Acrobat.

For that moderate price, you will be allowed to install the fonts on all school's computers, as well as teacher's laptops and home computers.

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Option 3) – Complete font package. 
Publishing license or developer license "Electronic-only" delivery. US $50. You will receive the ZB KidLetters font package as attachment (ZIP file) to an email message.
The fonts have not restrictions at all. All features are enabled. Even the embedding feature is allowed: this means that the fonts may be embedded in documents to produce PDF documents running Adobe Acrobat.

For that moderate price, publishing houses are entitled to use the fonts in printed books or to produce electronic documents which can be sold in their web pages.
This type of license is also appropriate for software developers who wish to use the fonts in free or commercial applications.

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IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE :

1.- Whatever option you choose, please send me a message after making the payment through PayPal in order to confirm that you are really who ordered the font.

   In most cases I will reply to your message in due time (normally within a day or so), unless I was on holydays, then it will take a little more time, since I only will able to check my emails from time to time, (usually every four days, more or less or even a little more during the summer) so be patient, however, be sure that you will receive my response. Sorry for this inconvenience.
 
2.- Orders can be placed 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Your order will be processed within 24-48 hours after receiving the payment.

3.- Evidently, any modification or public distribution of these fonts is not permited under any circumstance.


AUTHOR
  Just in case you are wondering who is Juan-José Marcos, click here and you will find some information about the author of  these fonts and this website.
  More fonts designed by the same author HERE.

SUGGESTIONS AND QUERIES
   I have taken care to see that these fonts work as well as possible, nevertheless, if you find any fault, feel free to email me.
   Although you do not purchase the fonts, please, send me comments, suggestions for improvements or anything else regarding my "ZB Kid Letters" fonts. I would like to know your opinion about my work.
    I really would appreciate having users' feedback.
   Such reaction from users will be the deciding factor in my decision of carrying on with the development of more fonts for kids (Handriting Without Tears style, for example). Do not hesitate to contact me. Thanks.


D'NEALIAN STYLE
   If you are looking for fonts in the D'Nealian style of handwriting, please click on the following link to visit my webpage devoted to fonts based on the D'Nealian style of handwriting. There you will find a package of 10 fonts that follow the guidelines of the D'Nealian method.

   D'Nealian handwriting style


juanjmarcosemail megmail.com
Juan-José Marcos
Plasencia. Spain.

This page last updated on January 2024.

Online since 2006.