If your child confuses 'i' with 'l', the dot is the easiest fix. Tell them: 'i' has a head, 'l' does not. Practise writing them side by side: i l i l. Also note that 'i' has two sounds, the short /ɪ/ as in 'ink' and the long /aɪ/ as in 'ice'. Teach both, and tell the child that the same letter can sing two notes.

The smallest letter still carries a name. 'I' is the word you use for yourself. Write it well, and you write yourself well.