Frequently Asked Questions 

The 30-step joined-up course:  Try to follow this programme for 30-45 minutes once, twice or even three times a week. The more frequent the lessons, the faster the course can be completed. Each line should copied exactly as instructed and when done correctly, children will be ready to move onto the next part. Do not rush through this programme. It is advisable to have at least one or two days in between to practise copying the words and sentences onto standard, lined A4 paper, before continuing to the next step.

The NON joined course:   This should be followed once or twice a week for around 20-30 minutes. As concentration span varies in younger children, it is best to do this regularly but for a shorter time.

If concentration is an issue, the Magic Link sessions may be broken up into smaller 15 minutes chunks.

Pupils have unlimited access to each step for the duration of the licence period, for the cursive and non-joined course, 

(i) The pre-cursive (non-joined) programme is for younger children aged 5-6 years old (Reception and Year 1) teaches letter formation, height and spacing in words and sentences. At the end of this programme, children may continue directly to step 4 of the cursive handwriting programme and learn how to join neatly and simply.

(ii) The cursive (joined-up) course is designed for 6-18 + old, in school year 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and upwards. It is perfect for primary and secondary school pupils as well as adults. It has been created for everyone who wants to learn to learn neat, fluent, joined-up cursive handwriting. This programme includes capital letters, punctuation and number formation. No prior knowledge of joined-up writing is needed.

This programme is suitable for all children who have bad or messy handwriting and struggle with their handwriting. Includes right and left-handed children with dyslexia, hypermobility, dysgraphia, ADHD, children who have Asperger’s syndrome and SEN children. Also for high achievers and gifted pupils who have messy handwriting and wish to improve.

Changing the grip takes time and it is normal for children to need a lot of reminding in every step. A wrap-around thumb makes handwriting awkward and hides the letters. Always use a triangular-shaped pen or pencil and encourage ‘frog’s legs fingers’ and eventually this grip will become easier and more natural. A further reminder can be seen on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxdUlX6lTHc

(i) The NON-joined-up is suitable for 5 year-olds. Sometimes older children may need this course if their handwriting is totally illegible and they need to go back to basics.

(ii) The CURSIVE (Joined-up) programme is recommended age 6 to18-year olds. It can be used for primary and secondary school children as well as adults.

Steps 1-3 are the same in both course as this teaches the essential foundations. However, my tone and intonation is adapted for younger children in the non-joined course.

Younger children, aged 5 yrs, should do about 20 minutes -30 minutes a day.

Children who are over 6 can do 30-45 mins twice or three times a week. Keep practising the ‘silly sentences’ on a separate sheet of A4 lined paper with a margin to encourage the transfer of skills. Once homework is written neatly, continue to the next step.

Transfer of Magic Link handwriting into school work is NOT expected until the end of the programme. On the last step, step 30, there are consolidation exercises which encourage the transfer of Magic Link cursive writing into everyday work. In this final step, pupils are provided with free writing exercises aimed to reinforce, consolidate and transfer their neat, cursive handwriting.

Step 30 introduces literacy skills for primary and secondary pupils to transfer neat handwriting into all aspects of schoolwork. The mechanics of writing should now be automatic and allow the pupil to focus on content, rather than on the physical act of writing.

Absolutely! This programme is perfect for the home-schooled child. It does not require any training classes. Simply write in the workbooks or printable worksheets and follow the instructions on the video. See blog article.

Yes -this programme is made for any child who wants to have fun and learn to write by following a simple, systematic, logical method. Parents and teachers of children with special needs and dysgraphia have been amazed seeing such remarkable results and spelling begins to suddenly improve for the first time!

The Magic Link handwriting programme particularly appeals to children who suffer from Asperger’s syndrome or who are diagnosed with high-functioning autism. They respond particularly well to the logic of this programme and the repetition and have achieved fantastic results. These children often become more and more self-motivated as their handwriting continues to improve throughout each step of the programme.

Children who are hypermobile or have dyspraxia, dysgraphia and/or dyslexia achieved neat and legible handwriting after following the Magic Link Handwriting course. This programme starts at the basic foundation level and then teaches how to combine letters together. It is highly structured with Incremental progression starting at the basic level and progressing through vowels and vowel combinations, improving reading and spelling.

There are many reasons for a weak grip on a pencil or pen. An occupational therapist or physiotherapist may provide exercises for gross and fine motor skills but sadly, not many occupational therapists work directly on handwriting. Most children find following the 30 video steps extremely motivating as the process of handwriting is broken down into small steps, which makes the learning process as easy as possible. The #1 goal is for pupils to feel confident and motivated. Children may require assistance multiple times before they get “the hang of it”, and that is fine. We teach at their pace, with simple repetition. Home practice is essential.

The 15- step non-joined-up programme teaches letter height, spacing and formation vowel by vowel. Capital letters and numbers are also taught. Music and top tips are shown and are for younger children aged 5-6 years old. Steps 1-3 are the same as the cursive course as this teaches the essential foundations,

The 30- step cursive programme has been compiled to work through each vowel and vowel combination using a highly-structured method. Before writing can begin, the technique of how to hold a pencil or pencil is explained. (step one.) Each vowel worksheet is colour coded. Music and ‘top tips’ are included to ensure that learning to write can be a fun and enjoyable experience. Capital letters, punctuation and numbers are also taught in this programme. After every step on the online version, there is a colourful, cartoon animation to motivate younger children and to provide fun and humour. A ‘Certificate of Achievement’ is provided as a reward at the end of the programme.

Steps 1-3 are the same as the non-joined (print) course as this teaches the essential foundations,

It is crucial that instructions are followed carefully and precisely. In order to help a pupil learn without frustration, parents, teachers, and therapists should treat this handwriting programme as a learning tool and move at the child’s pace. Copying out the ‘silly sentences’ should be encouraged for homework so each step can be reinforced and consolidated.

Definitely! Some children do not enjoy writing because of early failures and lack of confidence, while other children struggle to retain the many skills and concepts needed to have neat, fluent handwriting. Following the 30 clear video steps on the computer is a great way for children to build skills. They can progress at their own rate and if they struggle, lessons can be repeated as many times as they want. For children with handwriting difficulties, repetition is one of the keys to success and the Magic Link programme has ‘silly sentences’ to copy and repeat at the end of each step.

,Throughout each step, the pupil must copy the worksheets to see how his or handwriting should look like. It is important for an adult or teacher to supervise a child, or a group of children as they go through each of the steps to ensure that they are writing the letters and words as instructed. Once the ‘silly sentences’ are written correctly the pupil can continue to the next step. Transfer of neat, cursive writing is NOT expected until the end of the programme i.e step 30, so please be patient! It is vital to keep practising the words or sentences so that the motor movement becomes faster and more natural.

Yes, the Magic Link handwriting programme comes with colour-coded worksheets. The online programme has worksheets which must be printed out for every step. The worksheets match the video programme and the pupil simply watches the video and copies the handwriting method. The worksheets are coloured according to the vowel, and the pupil has to progress through the colours. Research shows that the act of writing is an excellent way to reinforce reading and phonic skills. The pupil must print out the worksheets and practise the words and sentences as many times as required. Copying out these sentences again onto standard A4 lined paper is an excellent way of encouraging the transfer of good handwriting.

There are 15 benefits using the  Magic Link Handwriting Programme can be used in Primary and Secondary schools including the structured approach and the suitability for all pupils. To read all 15 benefits see article.

It is often common for children not to listen to their own parents. (I have also experienced the same!) Always try to avoid battles and keep calm. Maybe try to allocate a different adult, a respected teenager, a nanny, friend, neighbour or an older sibling. Even if this is only for a short while, to give a different dynamic. It may also help to occasionally ‘swap’ with another parent so you can teach each other’s children if this is a practical option. Another strategy you could try is to make sure your child writes the word correctly and then you leave the room whilst they are repeating the line. Always praise efforts!

This depends on the dynamic between parent (or adult) and the child. Try to avoid battles and keep calm. It can be motivating to show your child what the end result will look like and to discuss the benefits of having good handwriting. (see section on ‘The Importance of Good Handwriting’) Candy, healthy treats or other age-related incentives often help. A reward for finishing the programme may also motivate. For the online, video programme, click on the cartoon animation at the end of each step as a reward and use the cartoon story as a motivator to continue with the next step. What does not help is to shout, fight and argue!

In order for the camera to focus in on the video demonstrations, Lee had to write at an awkward angle, which made her fingers touch. However, you must not copy this and you should always try to keep a small gap between your two fingers, as explained in step one ‘Getting Ready to Write’ and as demonstrated throughout the programme. To see the video showing the “7 Points to Remember Before you Write” see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr3S8tgFg38

Many left-handed children use our programme successfully. Letter formations should be formed the same way regardless of which hand is used. As with all our users, we encourage parents and teachers to help guide the child to follow the programme correctly. Left-handers should try to keep their wrist under the line and slant the page to the right to maintain a good, clear vision of words and sentences. Read article for more information.

The 2 main factors to consider is that: (i)The pupil continues to write on 8mm wide lined paper as the use of plain paper or other paper can be confusing. (ii) A triangular pen/pencil is also recommended and it is vital that a good tripod grip is maintained from the start. If using a Faber-Castell pencil, it is useful to remind the pupil to keep  ‘4 dots’ under both fingers of the pencil hand. 

The programme is designed to teach pupils to write neatly as quickly as possible in a structured and logical way. 

The programme does not progress in alphabetical order because exercises teach letter heights, letter formation and spacing and then progresses to words and sentences. As the programme continues the words are taught in their vowel groups. The Magic Link handwriting programme is all about learning the skills, strategies and foundations in a simple and logical way. Pupils learn the essential skills to good handwriting as well as undoing all the bad habits which may have been learnt along the way.

It is very important to be consistent and use standard, wide-ruled, 8mm paper, which has a margin. This will reinforce letter heights in a format that replicates many exercise books and wide-ruled file paper. Varying the size of the paper confuses children and often results in bad handwriting. Because of this, I would recommend, with your teachers permission, to substitute and glue the correct lined paper in your child’s book.

Yes – it is possible for a whole class to follow the video programme. This has been tried and tested very successfully. Class pupils enjoy following the video steps but need to clearly see the projector or computer screen. It is also advisable for one or two adults to supervise the pupils to ensure they are following the steps correctly.  Pupils often need a lot of reminding to sit up straight and to hold their pencil correctly as they easily forget.

Schoolwork must always be on standard, A4, lined paper with a margin.Keep copying the  ‘silly sentences’  every day to encourage the transfer of Magic Link handwriting. These skills are taught throughout the programme and come together at the end , which is step 30. Neat, Magic Link handwriting happens at the end of the programme.

All recommended stationary can be seen on the website page: https://magiclinkhandwriting.com/pencils-pens-paper/

It is essential that pencils and pens are triangular in shape to promote a good grip. I particularly like the grey Faber -Castell pencils as children can count the 4 black dots under the first finger and thumb and not hold it too low to hide the words. My favourite pens are the Pentel Gel K437CR Black.

Yes, they should. They will probably find the course easier than peers but but they will learn fast and simple letter formations which will improve confidence and speed.  The programme supports the Ofsted framework by catering for the handwriting needs of the whole school because it is an efficient and effective course that equips students with the lifelong skill of neat and legible handwriting through repetitive, highly structured and me consistent learning.

Using a whole school, consistent approach, develops a faster flow. Handwriting becomes automatic so that once a pupil has reached step 30, they are able to integrate thought and speed and incorporate neat handwriting into schoolwork, homework, and exams.

The Magic Link® Font

The Magic Link programme contains a specially designed ‘Magic Link’  handwriting font, perfect for both right and left-handers. Created by Lee Dein, especially for this programme. The ‘Magic Link’ is a small dash which enables pupils to write neatly, keeping letters evenly spaced.

There are minimal curls and loops with absolutely no lead-in flicks (also called ‘entry-strokes’, or ‘whoosh-ins’) at the beginning of letters, which slow down speed and which many children find confusing. Children are able to grasp this formation much more easily than other handwriting programmes, which have unnecessary flicks, curves and swirls.

As the programme progresses, handwriting becomes neater because the four aspects of good handwriting are taught i.e. grip, size, shape and spacing. The Magic Link font helps with speed and inspires confidence to achieve clear, tidy, automatic handwriting with little scope for error.

Non Joined Font – click below

Joined Font – click below