About this worksheet

Out of notebook pages on a Sunday evening? Print your own. Four-line paper is for English handwriting, double-line for Hindi and other Indian scripts, single ruled for older children, squared for maths, and dot grid for drawing shapes and patterns.

Large sizes suit beginners; small sizes suit classes 4 and above. The lines are drawn as real lines, not as a background picture, so they print in every browser.

What this skill is

Lined paper is a teaching tool in itself. The four lines of an English notebook show where tall letters such as b and d reach, where small letters such as a and c stay, and how far letters such as g and y drop. The two lines of a Hindi notebook mark the top line from which the letters hang and the base on which they rest. Squares keep digits in their columns.

A worked example

Writing the word dog on four-line paper:

The round parts of all three letters sit between the two middle lines.
The stick of d rises to the top line.
o stays wholly between the middle lines.
The tail of g drops to the bottom line.

If all three letters come out the same height, the child has not yet seen the three zones. Point to them on the printed lines and write the word once yourself as a model.

Tips for parents and teachers

In the print window, choose A4 and a scale of 100%.
Print on both sides to save paper.
For cursive practice, use four-line paper in the medium size.

How to use this sheet at home and in class

Large four-line or double-line paper for nursery to class 1, medium for classes 2 and 3, and small or single ruled after that.
Squared paper for column sums and long division: one digit in one square keeps ones under ones and tens under tens.
Dot grid for drawing squares, rectangles and patterns, and for copying a shape made of straight lines from one grid to another.

Mistakes to watch for

Giving small lines too early. Young hands need room, and cramped lines lead to a tight grip and tired fingers.
Printing at "Fit to page" so that the lines shrink. Choose a scale of 100% in the print window.
Using four-line paper for Hindi. Devanagari and Gurmukhi letters hang from a top line and need double-line paper.