How to Write Letter I: A Hat, Shoes and a Dot on Top (Free Printable)

The Big I Rhyme (original)

Stand up tall, from top to toe,

Hat on top, across we go,

Shoes on the bottom, flat and neat,

Big I is standing on its feet!

Quick answer: Big I takes 3 strokes. Draw a straight line down from the top line, then a short line across the top (the hat), then a short line across the bottom (the shoes). Little i takes 2 parts. Draw a short line down from the middle line to the bottom line, then lift the pencil and add a dot. The line always comes first and the dot comes last. Many children start big straight lines like these at around age 4. Every child moves at their own pace.

How to Write Uppercase I, Step by Step

Think of big I as a little person standing up straight. First the body, then a hat, then shoes. Every stroke starts at the top or on the left, the same as almost every other letter.

1. Stand up tall. Put your pencil on the top line and pull a straight line down to the bottom line.
2. Put on the hat. Lift the pencil. Draw a short line across the top, from left to right. The body sits in the middle of the hat.
3. Put on the shoes. Lift again. Draw a short line across the bottom, from left to right, the same size as the hat.

Hat and shoes, or no hat and shoes? You will see big I written two ways. Handwriting Without Tears teaches it with a line at the top and bottom. Many printed books show a plain stick, because many fonts leave the lines off. Both are correct. We suggest the hat and shoes for young writers, because they stop big I from looking like a little l or the number 1. If your child's school uses the plain stick, follow the school.

How to Write Lowercase i

The Little i Rhyme (original)

Little line down, then lift and stop,

Give little i a dot on top!

1. Start in the middle. Put your pencil on the dashed middle line, not the top line. Little i is short.
2. Line down. Pull a straight line down to the bottom line. Stop.
3. Lift and dot. Lift the pencil and make one small dot above the line, about halfway between the middle line and the top line. The dot floats in the air and does not touch the line.

Fun fact: the dot over a small i has a real name. It is called a tittle. Long ago, scribes added it so the i would not get lost next to letters like m and n in words like "minimum".

The classroom version: short words to say out loud while your child writes.

Handwriting Without Tears uses the same idea with its own words (a big line, then little lines). Read Write Inc., the UK phonics program, teaches lowercase first. It uses an insect picture for i: the line is the body and the dot is the head. Use whichever words your child hears at school, so home and school sound the same.

Dot Trouble and the I, l, 1 Mix-Up

• Mistake 1: The dot comes first. Some children dot first and then try to draw the line under it. The line often ends up crooked or far from the dot. Teach "line first, dot last", just like in the rhyme.

• Mistake 2: The dot is in the wrong place. It floats up near the top line, it sits on the line so the i looks like a j or a tall l, or it grows into a big circle. The dot should be small and just a little above the line. A good cue is "a tiny hop up, then dot."

• Mistake 3: I, l and 1 all look the same. In many fonts, a capital I, a small l and the number 1 are all one straight stick. That is why children mix them up. Here is how to tell them apart:

Numbers and letters get mixed up a lot at this age. Counting songs help children hear and see the difference, so try a few of these rhymes that teach numbers alongside this page.

Igloo or Ice Cream? Which I Sound to Teach First

Letter I makes two sounds, and many worksheets mix them up on the same page.

• Short i is the quick "ih" sound in igloo, insect, inch and in.
• Long I says its own name, "eye", as in ice cream, island and ice.

For preschoolers, teach the short "ih" sound first, with igloo and insect as picture words. Save ice cream for later, when your child is ready to learn that vowels can "say their name". Hearing two sounds at once is confusing at the start.

One more I rule is worth teaching early. When you talk about yourself, the word I is always a big I, even in the middle of a sentence. "Mom and I went to the park." Children often write a small i here, and it is an easy habit to fix while they are young.

I Songs to Sing While You Trace

Both songs are original KiddyRhymes words set to old public-domain tunes. Sing slowly and let each line match one stroke.

Song 1: "Line Down, Line Down" (tune: Frère Jacques)

Line down, line down,
Hat on top, hat on top,
Shoes along the bottom, shoes along the bottom,
Big I, stop! Big I, stop!

Song 2: "Little i, So Short and Small" (tune: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)

Little i, so short and small,
You don't need to be too tall.
Down you go and then you stop,
Lift and put a dot on top.
Little i, so short and small,
Dot on top, and that is all!

If your child doesn't know the tune yet, start with the classic Twinkle Twinkle rhyme and then swap in the new words.

Fun Activities to Practice Letter I

• Ice-cream stick I. Give your child three ice-cream sticks: one long stick for the body and two broken in half for the hat and shoes. Build big I on the table, then say the rhyme while you point to each stick.
• Bindi-dot i. Write five little i's without their dots. Your child adds a bindi sticker or a round sticker as each dot. It is a playful way to practice "a tiny hop up, then dot."
• Cotton-bud dots. Dip a cotton bud in paint and dot every little i on a page of big, pre-written i's. Check that no dot touches its line.
• Stand like an I. Your child stands straight (the line), stretches their arms across over their head (the hat), then puts their feet together (the shoes). Then they crouch small and pop a fist up top for little i with its dot.
• Dot hunt. Give your child a page from an old newspaper and a crayon. Circle every little i you can find together, and count the dots.

Safety note: Stickers, bindis and bottle caps are small enough to swallow. Stay close to children under 5, and use a clear floor space for the standing game.

Words That Start With I

The first eight words use the short "ih" sound, so start with these. The last two use the long "eye" sound, so save them for later.

Free Printable

Letter I Tracing Pack

5 pages: Big I with hat and shoes, little i with its dot, an I-l-1 sorting game, short-i picture words, and a Hindi इ page. For A4 and US Letter.

Moral of the Rhyme

Big I is the only letter that is also a whole word about you. "I can." "I will try." When your child writes big I, remind them to stand tall like the letter. Little i is small, but it still gets its own dot. Small steps count too.

Questions Parents Ask

More letters in the series

• The mountain-and-bridge letter A
• Big B's two round bellies
• Curling C like a kitten
• The drum-shaped letter D
• Elphie the elephant's letter E