# Learn To Write — Learn to write the easy way!

> Interactive tracing app for children to learn letter and number formation with stroke playback. (iPhone/iPad app by Justin Hackett Productions.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-to-write/id365974608 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Justin Hackett Productions](https://appshunter.io/developer/365974611)
- Category: Education, Games, Family, Simulation
- Price: $1.99
- Rating: 2.90/5 from 7 App Store ratings · 17 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 12.0 · 52 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2010-04-03
- Data updated: 2026-06-05
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-to-write/id365974608/reviews.md

## What is Learn To Write?

The app educators choose for classroom use, and the only app that records a child's letter strokes for parents and educators to review.

Learn to Write is a fun way for children to learn how to write their letters and numbers, and with the improved playback feature in version 4.1, it's easy for the teacher to make sure they do it correctly.  This unique playback function, found in Learn to Write,  saves the child's writing so you can play it back in real time to see how the child is forming letters and numbers. Children learn the proper strokes with the help of an adjustable-speed-animated ball that they can follow and write along with.  With each selection of a letter or number, an audio file says the letter to aid in memorizing the alphabet.  Over a dozen unique pen styles are available for tracing.

Parents enjoy the educational value and entertainment this mess-free learning tool provides (after all, who needs crayon, marker, or pencil stains on the carpet, table, or wall?). Also great for long car trips, doctor's offices, and other waiting times. Write letters and numbers, or draw on the screen, and push the play-back button to see it all in real-time.

Not only is this a great app for teaching children at home, educators are also choosing this app for classroom instruction.  You won't find silly cartoon characters and frustrating feedback that tells children they formed letters incorrectly when they failed to trace exactly as outlined.  You help children Learn to Write, and then you can review the strokes of every letter formed for further one-on-one instruction. 

Recommended for children 2 years and up.

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No in-app purchases.
No advertisements, popups, or storing of personal data.

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The strokes used in Learn To Write resemble the Zaner-Bloser style, which is also used in Romalda Spalding's The Writing Road to Reading, with the exception that O’s and Q’s are started at the top 12 o’clock position instead of the suggested 2 o’clock position.  Not all teachers agree on the proper strokes for some letters.  For example, some teachers prefer that the pen or stylus never leave the paper except to cross a t, or dot an i.  A person's handwriting often adapts with time to be as efficient as possible, while still maintaining proper form. This application is meant as a guide to children and parents, but your individual curriculum may differ slightly.


Instructions for use:

-Select numbers, or letters in lowercase, uppercase, or mixed case using the segmented control on the settings screen.

-When a letter is selected and the child writes upon the screen, the writing is saved in memory.  Pushing the triangle-shaped play button at the bottom of the writing screen plays back the last recorded strokes for each letter. A toolbar button allows the user to erase all of the saved strokes in memory.

-Red number icons on the settings screen give the total number of letter or number recordings.

-The brush button displays a pulldown menu full of usable brush styles.  Just touch the brush-style to select it.

-Letter buttons display the letter on the screen and turn orange when there are saved strokes for the letter. At any time the user can draw using one's finger, just like a real pen and erase the drawing with the erase button on the toolbar.

-The toolbar button with a letter and ball activates the animated red ball, which demonstrates proper letter or number formation.

- Adjust the speed of the ball and volume using the sliders on the settings screen.

-Press the home and power button at the same time to take a snapshot of the screen and save it in the photo archive of the device .

## Key features

- Interactive letter and number tracing
- Adjustable-speed animated stroke guides
- Real-time playback of writing strokes
- Audio pronunciation of letters
- Multiple pen styles
- Mess-free learning tool

## Recent user reviews (10 of 17)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-to-write/id365974608/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Doesn’t work

*2025-05-26, version 4.3*

this app doesn’t work. the review and record “functions” aren’t there and letters are cut off on the sides. contacted apple regarding this and haven’t heard back yet.

### 3/5 — Very buggy

*2025-01-02, version 4.3*

It is designed for landscape mode but will only work in vertical mode, which cuts off the buttons for H, I, Q, R, and Z. Meaning I cannot use those letter templates to teach my kiddo

### 2/5 — Hard to see child's writing

*2014-07-21, version 4.0*

Pen color is very, very light on the paper.

### 5/5 — Great App!

*2013-04-19, version 4.0*

I can't wait to have my boys try this out!  I love the "trainer" that demonstrates how the letter should be written.

### 5/5 — Our kids love it!

*2013-04-18, version 4.0*

I really like being able to play back my children's writing. Now I can tell if they did the strokes in the right order. Plus the kids like watching their writing play back on the screen.

### 2/5 — Incorrect teaching & thick lines

*2013-04-03, version 3.2*

As a homeschool mom of ages 1-16yr and a teacher it's a cute idea.   Will keep kids busy or babysit them with electronic animation.  We have no problem with adjusting the volume on the iPad.   However it teaches incorrect writing of letters!  Numbers mostly seem ok.   Have not seen how to adjust the line width though so tracing the letters and numbers as the ball is moving is a challenge with the small spacing.    Kids must watch the ball and then make letters beside or below.  Otherwise it's too chunky thick and hard to tell if they even are writing them the way they should.   It's cheap.  But I don't recommend if you want your kids to learn to print correctly.    It needs a fix here or adult supervision to point out the wrong way to kids to direct them the proper way.  If kids learn print wrong it can spill over into cursive.   Buyer beware.

### 1/5 — Hopeless

*2012-11-24, version 3.2*

I downloaded this for my three year olds. It is far too complicated. The letters are to close together for beginners. I am annoyed I paid for it.

### 1/5 — Poor buy for what you get for 2 bucks

*2012-08-31, version 3.2*

The line give to draw with are to large. The children can not see the letter or the number after they trace it.
It only displays a single number or letter on the line. The developer references Spaulding but does not seem to understand that these type of exercises should be training the young child to be writing left to right. Adding lines to reinforce reading left to right and then down a line would be useful as well.
It also would be nice to write all the numbers in order.
Another option button of the phonic sounds of the letters would be a bonus.

### 2/5 — Not very educational

*2012-07-08, version 3.1*

Agree with previous reviewer having capital and small letter together is not the best way for kids to learn. Especially as many are very close together meaning my daughter saw them as one letter. Should be option to have either small or capital letters.

### 1/5 — Waste of Money

*2012-04-26, version 3.1*

Do not buy. There are very few apps I buy that I feel this way about. This app is a waste of money. Bought the app and used it first day and never again. Wish I could get my money back. There are no lessons or anything to do with the app. It simply shows how to draw a letter, and that's it!! You can find that out anywhere online for free. I really thought there would be exercises or games that you would learn to write and be doing something. That is definitely not the case.

Waste of money!! DO NOT BUY AND WASTE YOUR MONEY LIKE I DID..............

## Frequently asked questions about Learn To Write

### What is the learning methodology used by Learn To Write?

Learn To Write utilizes an animated ball to guide children through proper letter and number strokes, similar to the Zaner-Bloser style. It also provides audio pronunciation for each letter to aid memorization.

### How does Learn To Write track a child's progress?

The app's unique feature is its ability to record and play back a child's writing strokes in real-time. This allows parents and educators to review how each letter and number is formed for one-on-one instruction.

### Is Learn To Write suitable for classroom use?

Yes, the app is chosen by educators for classroom instruction. Its stroke recording feature is particularly useful for teachers to assess and guide individual student progress without the mess of traditional writing tools.

### What devices does Learn To Write support?

Learn To Write is available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod. It is designed for touch-screen interaction on these Apple devices.

### How often is Learn To Write updated?

The app was last updated on January 11, 2024, with version 4.3. Updates typically focus on improving features like the playback function and ensuring compatibility with newer devices.

### Does Learn To Write have ads?

No, Learn To Write is ad-free. The developers have stated that there are no advertisements, popups, or storage of personal data within the application.

### What is the age rating for Learn To Write?

Learn To Write is recommended for children 2 years and up and has an age rating of 4+. This indicates it is appropriate for early learners developing their writing skills.

### What is the price of Learn To Write?

Learn To Write is a paid application priced at $1.99. There are no in-app purchases, meaning all features are available upon the initial purchase.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.3 — 2024-01-11

- Fixed an issue where the ball animation-speed was too fast.
- Fixed an issue on the iPad version that made the brush-size too large when writing.

### 4.2 — 2023-12-28

This app has been updated to run on iOS 12.0 or later, on wider range of devices.  Minor bug fixes have been implemented as well.

### 4.1 — 2016-03-01

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.

- Simplified user-interface.
- Automatically plays back writing when a letter is selected.
- It is now possible to go back and add additional strokes to a letter.
- Allows the user to erase each character individually.
- Works in landscape orientation on iPad.

### 4.0 — 2013-04-10

Now you can see how your child is writing his or her letters with the new playback function, unique to this app.  The last attempt at writing each letter is automatically saved for playback and review! So whether it's letters or numbers, you can always see what the finished writing looks like, and more importantly how it was formed to correct any mistakes.

- Saved strokes can be deleted with the reset button.  They are automatically deleted when the application is restarted.
- Red number icons, on the settings window show the total number of saved recordings.

### 3.2 — 2012-07-29

- Includes numbers 0 through 10.
- Ability to cancel guessing mode.
- In-app volume controls.
- Improved letter font including guidelines.
- Updated graphics for the iPad 3 retina display.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-05.*