Between words we leave a bigger space: about the width of one finger. Many children put a finger down after each word, then start the next word on the other side of it.
Key idea
Leave a finger space between words, and after a period before the next sentence.
Why it works
Spaces tell the reader where one word ends and the next begins. Without them, Iseeafrog is a puzzle; with them, I see a frog is easy.
Worked example: Two sentences
Where do spaces go in: We ran.It was fun.
- Between We and ran.
- After the period, before It.
- Between It, was and fun.
Answer: We ran. It was fun.
Common mistake
Forgetting the space after a period. A new sentence is a new word too, so it needs its finger space.
For the grown-up. A craft stick or a clothespin makes a good “spaceman” for children who find finger spaces awkward. Left-handed writers can use a finger of the other hand, or the stick.