Walk into any department store in Australia and you’ll find educational products claiming to help your child’s learning — including write-on boards and activity books sold in discount stores. But here’s the problem they don’t tell you:

• You may be teaching your child the wrong way to form letters and numbers.
• The materials you buy may not match the handwriting style taught in Australian schools.

Many of these products even include a free pen to encourage children to practice — repeatedly — using the incorrect letter shapes. Labels such as “3+” and “Trusted by teachers” can give parents a false sense of confidence about suitability.

Consequences of Incorrect Learning

If your child learns a different letter formation at home, they will start school at a disadvantage. Learning incorrect habits means they’ll often need to unlearn and then relearn the correct letter and number formation used in classrooms — which can be frustrating and slow their progress.

Imagine how your child might feel:

• Confused — “Why would Mum teach me the wrong way?”
• Disheartened — They thought they were doing well, then find out they were mistaken.
• Inadequate — Struggling to catch up can hurt a child’s confidence and self-esteem.

It’s not your fault — retail suppliers aren’t required to match school handwriting styles, and many popular imports use fonts that aren’t taught in Australia.

Imported Materials

Many mass-market products use a “bat and ball” or “stick and ball” alphabet. This style is not the handwriting taught in Australian schools, and it can cause confusion when children start formal learning.

Parents often say, “But my child’s school writes like this!” — and that’s usually because they saw incorrect examples in stores. The root cause is a lack of clear information about official Australian handwriting styles.

Take the First Step Today

Select your state or territory to find accurate handwriting resources for your child.

Can’t see your state? Visit our homepage and we’ll point you to the exact worksheets you need.

A Note from the Field

While researching this post we spoke to a department store employee who’d sold educational materials for years — she was shocked to learn many products she recommended used incorrect fonts, and had even bought them for her own child.

Read more here: Aussie Kids Write Five Different Ways.