A Better Way to Teach Handwriting Spacing (Without Spaghetti and Meatballs)

When it comes to teaching students how to write, it’s important to teach handwriting spacing as part of this process. This helps students write more legibly as they strengthen their letter formation skills. However, some popular spacing methods (like spaghetti and meatballs) can actually make student handwriting less legible. I’m going to share why I don’t use these methods and what I suggest instead.

What is Spaghetti and Meatballs Handwriting Spacing?

When young students are learning how to write letters, words, and sentences, spacing can become an issue. To help students understand spacing, some teachers turn to the spaghetti and meatballs method: Letters have spaghetti spaces between them and words have meatball spaces between them. The premise is basically to teach students that letters are close together and words are further apart. It’s a fun, kid-friendly strategy and I totally understand why teachers use it to help young students grasp handwriting spacing.

Do We Actually Need to Teach Letter Spacing?

One of my main concerns with the spaghetti and meatballs method of teaching handwriting spacing is that it assumes students need direct instruction with letter spacing. I have found that explicitly teaching letter spacing often has a negative impact on legible handwriting. Over all my years of teaching, I have taught very few kids who didn't leave proper spaces between the letters in words.  Definitely not enough that I needed to teach the whole class to put spaces between letters.

So, when I taught spaghetti spaces between letters and meatball spaces between words, suddenly students would leave big spaces between letters and slightly larger spaces between words. It was chaos; I couldn't tell where words started and ended.  It really was a disaster.

How to Teach Handwriting Spacing – A Better Method

When I shifted gears and ditched spaghetti and meatballs, I noticed a huge difference in student writing. Here are some tips from my experience if you'd like to improve handwriting spacing in your classroom, as well:

1. Prioritize Word Spacing

Even if a student doesn’t grasp letter spacing right away, it usually improves along with their pencil control. Take, as an example, the letter spacing in their names, which they’ve been practicing since the first day of school. In their early attempts, the letters are often spaced far apart. However, students know that the letters truly belong close together, so most will slowly close those gaps as their fine motor skills allow. Drawing their attention to letter spacing will only make that process take longer. Instead, prioritize word spacing with your instruction.

2. Teach Finger Spacing

Once you’re ready to address word spacing with your students, teach them to put a finger space between their words. The benefit of using finger spacing is that it’s a tool that students will always have available to use. Fingers can’t get lost or go missing.

The way I teach finger spacing is to have students place a finger after a completed word, then place their pencil at the starting point of the next word. They don’t need to keep the finger there as they write the word. Instead, the finger just helps guide them to where they should start the next word. This is especially helpful for left-handed students who would have trouble writing over the top of their right arm.

3. Use Tangible Items as Needed

From a coordination perspective, finger spacing can be challenging for some young kindergarten students. Getting both hands to work together in that way might be difficult. This is when a tangible item can be helpful. Although there are some fun writing manipulatives out there for letter spacing, I always found that a simple popsicle stick or spare crayon worked just fine. Students place the item on the paper directly after the word they’ve just written, then begin their next word on the other side of the object.

4. Provide Visual Reminders

Visual supports are essential in the kindergarten classroom because young children thrive on the additional reminders. This includes reminders about handwriting spacing!

I include spacing as one of the items in my 5-star writing checklist that I use with students. I like to post these visuals in a pocket chart, so students can easily reference them during writing time.

5. Practice, Practice, Practice

There are many factors that contribute to appropriate handwriting spacing. From pencil grip to hand-eye coordination, these factors are a work in progress for young kindergarten students. The best way to help them develop these skills and improve their handwriting spacing is to give them as much practice as possible.

This doesn’t mean the repetition needs to be dry and boring! By incorporating engaging writing practice into your daily routine, students will be motivated to practice these skills. The more they practice, the more legible their writing will become.

Engaging Writing Practice for Kindergarten

If you could use some additional activities to make writing practice more engaging for your students, you’ll definitely want to check out the Kindergarten Writing Toolbox. This monthly membership gives you access to engaging themed writing activities that you can incorporate throughout your daily learning routine.

From picture writing prompts to centers and crafts, you’ll have everything you need to keep writing practice fresh and engaging for your students. They’ll be able to get the repetition they need to improve their hand strength and coordination while also learning how to communicate their ideas in writing. There are many options for differentiation, so you can best support your students who need additional practice through tracing, as well as challenge your students who are ready for a little bit more.

This membership also includes a library of resources and visuals that you can use in your writing instruction, like the 5-star writing checklist I shared earlier in this post. If you’d like to take a closer look at everything included in this resource, just click below to check it out!

Save These Tips for How to Teach Handwriting Spacing

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