How to Write in an English Notebook (Four Lines) for Kids, plus a PDF Sheet
At school, children learn to write in a four-line English notebook. The lines help them write each letter at its correct size. This article explains where each letter sits between the lines and how to use the notebook, with a free printable lined sheet.
- Suitable age
- 5 to 8 years
- Suggested time
- 10 minutes a day
- What you need
- A four-line English notebook, or the free lined sheet in this article, and a pencil
- know the four lines of an English notebook and the zone between each pair.
- place every lowercase letter correctly: short, tall or with a tail.
- write capitals and numbers between the top line and the baseline.
- start writing from the left and leave the right space between words.
The Four Lines and Their Zones
Each writing line in an English notebook has four lines with three zones between them. To make it easier for your child, you can give the three zones names from nature:
- The sky (between lines 1 and 2): for tall letters and capitals.
- The grass (between lines 2 and 3): for short letters.
- The earth (between lines 3 and 4): for letter tails.
- The red line (3) is the baseline, where every letter sits.
| Line | Name | What it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The top line | Tall letters and capitals reach up to it. |
| 2 | The middle line | Short letters reach up to it; it’s sometimes dotted. |
| 3 | The baseline | Every letter sits on it; in many notebooks it’s colored. |
| 4 | The bottom line | Letter tails drop down to it. |
Where Each Letter Sits Between the Lines
| Kind of letter | From where to where? | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| Short letters | From line 2 to line 3 | a c e i m n o r s u v w x z |
| Tall letters | From line 1 to line 3 | b d f h k l t |
| Tail letters | From line 2 to line 4 | g j p q y |
| Capital letters | From line 1 to line 3 | A B C … Z |
| Numbers | From line 1 to line 3 | 0 1 2 … 9 |
Note: the dots of i and j go in the top zone, between lines 1 and 2. And t is tall, but a little shorter than b and h.
How to Use an English Notebook
- Notebook direction: an English notebook is used the opposite way to an Arabic one, with the spine on the left.
- Start of the line: start writing on the left, after the margin.
- Space between letters: letters in a word sit close together without touching.
- Space between words: leave a finger’s width between words. Your child puts a finger after the word, then starts the next.
- Line after line: at the end of a line, move to the next and start from the left again.
Download the File
Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
| Mistake | How to fix it |
|---|---|
| Starting from the right, as in Arabic | Put a green dot at the left end of the line. |
| Letters that don’t sit on the baseline | Color the baseline red and remind your child that letters “sit” on it. |
| Tall letters that are too short, like an h the size of an n | Color the “sky” zone light blue so your child sees where the letter should reach. |
| The tails of g and y don’t drop below the line | Remind your child that tails go down into the “earth”. |
| Words squashed together | A finger’s width between every two words. |
An Activity: Sky, Grass and Earth
- Print the lined sheet and color the three zones of the first line with your child: blue for the sky, green for the grass and brown for the earth.
- Write three letters: a, b and g.
- Ask about each letter: “Does it stay in the grass? Does it reach the sky? Does it drop into the earth?”
- Your child writes each letter three times on the following lines.
For how to write each letter and the direction of the pencil: How to Teach Your Child to Write English Letters. And for writing numbers: Writing Numbers in English.
One line today: your child writes a short letter (a), a tall letter (b) and a tail letter (g) in the right places.
Color the four lines on the board as sky, grass and earth, and ask each child where the letter “lives”.
Summary
- An English notebook has four lines, and every letter sits on the third line, the baseline.
- Short letters go between lines 2 and 3, tall letters and capitals from line 1 to 3, and tail letters from line 2 to 4.
- The notebook is used the opposite way to an Arabic one, starting from the left.
- Leave a finger’s width between words.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a four-line English notebook?
A notebook where each writing line has four horizontal lines, dividing it into three zones: a top zone for tall letters and capitals, a middle zone for short letters, and a bottom zone for letter tails. It helps children write letters at the right sizes.
Which line does my child write the letters on?
Every letter sits on the third line, called the baseline, which is often colored (usually red). The letter then rises or drops depending on its kind.
Is a capital letter the same size as a tall letter?
Roughly, yes. Capitals like A and B and tall letters like b and h all start at the top line and end on the baseline.
What if we don’t have a four-line notebook?
Print the free four-line sheet in this article, or draw the lines on plain paper with a ruler.
