Zaner-Bloser vs Handwriting Without Tears: Which Handwriting Program Fits?

Zaner-Bloser vs Handwriting Without Tears: the short answer

Zaner-Bloser and Handwriting Without Tears are the two handwriting programs American parents run into most often. The biggest difference is the letters themselves.

Handwriting Without Tears, created by occupational therapist Jan Olsen in 1977, uses simple shapes, double-line paper and a vertical cursive that looks close to print. Early lessons start with wooden pieces and a small slate before pencil work. It's known for being easy on young and struggling writers.

Zaner-Bloser is the classic school program. It teaches traditional manuscript in K–2 and slanted cursive from grade 2C, using short lessons and four Keys to Legibility: shape, size, spacing and slant.

For ease and fine-motor support, choose Handwriting Without Tears. For traditional cursive that matches many schools, choose Zaner-Bloser.

Teaching approach

Handwriting Without Tears is developmental and multisensory. Capitals come before lowercase because they're easier to form. Cursive letters are taught in groups that share a starting stroke. A smiley face in the corner of the slate and pages reminds kids to start at the top.

Zaner-Bloser Handwriting follows a three-step routine: watch the letter modeled (in the book or through a QR code to an animated video), practice tracing and writing, then circle the best letter and check it against a Key to Legibility. The Homeschool Student Package adds 20 dry-erase activity cards for fine-motor practice.

What a lesson looks like

Handwriting Without Tears (early grades): Build a capital letter with Wood Pieces, then try Wet-Dry-Try on the slate: you write the letter in chalk, your child traces it with a wet sponge, dries it, then writes it. Finish on the workbook page, following numbered strokes. Usually 15 minutes or less.

Zaner-Bloser: Your child watches the letter model, traces and writes it, then words and a sentence, and evaluates their best letter. About 15 minutes a day. Grade 2 is a choice: 2M for another year of print or 2C to start cursive.

Price and value

As of October 2026, Handwriting Without Tears 2025 student workbooks are $13.50 each on the official Learning Without Tears store (kindergarten and 1st grade checked). Teacher's guides and manipulatives cost extra. The 2025 student editions aren't designed to be mixed with 2022 teacher materials.

Zaner-Bloser Homeschool Student Packages are $59.27 retail, and Student Editions alone are $19.87 per grade. The Teacher Edition is $147.73. The homeschool store carries the 2020 edition, not the newer 2025 school edition.

Handwriting Without Tears is the cheaper choice per year, especially if you skip the teacher's guide after the early grades.

Who should choose Handwriting Without Tears

• Preschoolers and kindergartners just starting to write
• Kids with fine-motor delays or handwriting frustration
• Left-handed children
• Families who want low-cost workbooks and hands-on tools

Who should choose Zaner-Bloser

• Families who want traditional slanted cursive
• Children who may move to a school that uses Zaner-Bloser
• Parents who like clear models and built-in self-checks
• Families starting cursive in 2nd or 3rd grade

Alternatives to both

• Learning Without Tears: the publisher's broader early learning line.
• The Good and the Beautiful: low-cost handwriting books from a Christian publisher.
• Spectrum Workbooks: inexpensive practice.
• Make free practice pages with our handwriting worksheet generator or name tracing generator.

See the best handwriting curriculum and more handwriting programs.

Can you use a scholarship for either?

Often, yes. Handwriting workbooks and teacher materials are curriculum, a commonly allowable expense in education savings account programs such as the Arizona ESA and Florida's FES-UA. Zaner-Bloser's store says its products are pre-approved in programs in Alabama, Arizona, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Texas. Each program decides what it reimburses. Save your pick to your wishlist and apply once to the scholarships your family may qualify for.