Why do these sheets keep giving words with b, o, v, and w?

Those four letters finish at the midline, so the join to the next letter comes from the top. It is the join most children get wrong and the one that most often makes cursive hard to read, so the third grade bank leans on it deliberately.

My third grader's cursive is slow. Is that a problem?

Not yet. Speed comes after the joins are automatic, usually during fourth grade. Slow and joined is the right stage; fast and lifted is the habit to avoid.

3rd grade cursive words

3rd grade cursive words worksheets

Third grade cursive words run four to six letters and bring in the joins that trip most children: after b, o, v, and w the connection comes from the top, not the baseline. Words like bridge, brown, voice, and wagon put those joins on the page on purpose.

Free printable PDF worksheet.

Each print is a different sheet. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of words you'll practice

Trace each word two times. Then write it yourself on the line.

worldaboutgrowgloveschooleveryhouseorange

Each word appears twice in light gray for tracing, then once as a blank line for writing it without help.

Every print pulls a new set of words at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a 3rd grade sheet

3rd grade sheets draw from 38 words, 8 to a page. None of these words are on 2nd grade sheets.

Some of the words:

againbrowncloudpaperquietsmilewinterwriteyoungvoice

Tracing. Trace each word two times. Then write it yourself on the line. 8 words per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with a word list on the last page.

How to teach this

Circle the b, o, v, and w joins on the sheet before writing. Those four letters end at the midline, so the next letter starts from the top; a child who drops back to the baseline first will get a bump that looks like an extra letter. One slow copy with attention to those joins beats three fast ones.

Watch for: Cursive is not print letters with tails added. The joins change the letters: an r after a b starts higher than an r after an a, and a child who writes each letter and then draws a connector has not written cursive yet. Lifting the pencil mid-word to fix a letter breaks the flow the sheet is teaching. Finish the word, then trace it again; the second copy is for the fix.

Common questions about 3rd grade cursive words

Why do these sheets keep giving words with b, o, v, and w?: Those four letters finish at the midline, so the join to the next letter comes from the top. It is the join most children get wrong and the one that most often makes cursive hard to read, so the third grade bank leans on it deliberately.
My third grader's cursive is slow. Is that a problem?: Not yet. Speed comes after the joins are automatic, usually during fourth grade. Slow and joined is the right stage; fast and lifted is the habit to avoid.

3rd grade cursive words worksheets

The kind of words you'll practice

What's on a 3rd grade sheet

How to teach this

Common questions about 3rd grade cursive words

Related worksheets

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