Free printables

The marks that come before letters. A child who can copy a zigzag and an arch has the pencil control every letter is built from, and these are where a two or three year old should start.

• Straight down tracing worksheetages 2 to 4
• Straight across tracing worksheetages 2 to 4
• Slanting down tracing worksheetages 2 to 4
• Slanting up tracing worksheetages 2 to 4
• Crosses tracing worksheetages 2 to 4
• Kisses tracing worksheetages 2 to 4
• Zigzags tracing worksheetages 2 to 4
• Waves tracing worksheetages 2 to 4

See all 12 pre-writing strokes sheets

Closed shapes, traced along the centre line rather than around an outline. Squares and triangles teach the corners and straight edges that letters like E, H and T depend on.

• Circle tracing worksheetages 3 to 5
• Oval tracing worksheetages 3 to 5
• Square tracing worksheetages 3 to 5
• Rectangle tracing worksheetages 3 to 5
• Triangle tracing worksheetages 3 to 5
• Diamond tracing worksheetages 3 to 5
• Star tracing worksheetages 3 to 5
• Heart tracing worksheetages 3 to 5

One page per letter, with the capital and lowercase together so the pair is learned as a pair. Every sheet shows where each stroke starts and which way it goes.

• Trace the letter Aages 3 to 5
• Trace the letter Bages 3 to 5
• Trace the letter Cages 3 to 5
• Trace the letter Dages 3 to 5
• Trace the letter Eages 3 to 5
• Trace the letter Fages 3 to 5
• Trace the letter Gages 3 to 5
• Trace the letter Hages 3 to 5

See all 26 alphabet tracing sheets

Digit formation for nought to ten. Writing a numeral is a different skill from counting, and it usually arrives later.

• Trace the number 0ages 3 to 5
• Trace the number 1ages 3 to 5
• Trace the number 2ages 3 to 5
• Trace the number 3ages 3 to 5
• Trace the number 4ages 3 to 5
• Trace the number 5ages 3 to 5
• Trace the number 6ages 3 to 5
• Trace the number 7ages 3 to 5

See all 13 number tracing sheets

Short words that share an ending. Once a child can write cat, they can write hat, bat and mat by changing one letter, which is the first time writing starts to feel like a system rather than a memory test.

• Trace the at wordsages 4 to 6
• Trace the an wordsages 4 to 6
• Trace the ap wordsages 4 to 6
• Trace the ag wordsages 4 to 6
• Trace the ed wordsages 4 to 6
• Trace the en wordsages 4 to 6
• Trace the et wordsages 4 to 6
• Trace the ig wordsages 4 to 6

See all 30 word families sheets

The words that turn up on every page and cannot be sounded out. Said, was and one break the rules a child has just been taught, so they are learned whole instead.

• Sight words: the, and, is, it, aages 4 to 6
• Sight words: to, in, we, my, meages 4 to 6
• Sight words: he, she, you, are, wasages 5 to 6
• Sight words: go, no, so, do, upages 4 to 6
• Sight words: see, look, like, play, comeages 5 to 6
• Sight words: can, big, little, one, twoages 5 to 6
• Sight words: for, on, at, all, amages 4 to 6
• Sight words: said, have, this, with, theyages 5 to 6

See all 19 sight words sheets

Scissor skills, from a straight line to cutting a shape out. Cutting builds the same hand strength handwriting needs, and most children enjoy it more.

• Cutting straight linesages 3 to 5
• Cutting zigzag linesages 4 to 5
• Cutting wavy linesages 4 to 5
• Cutting over the bridgesages 4 to 5
• Cutting a spiralages 5 to 6
• Cutting out circlesages 4 to 6
• Cutting out squaresages 4 to 6
• Cutting out trianglesages 5 to 6

See all 10 cutting practice sheets

Reference pages for the wall. Nothing to trace: a chart is for pointing at when a child asks which way a letter goes.

• Alphabet chart: capital lettersages 3 to 6
• Alphabet chart: capital and lowercaseages 4 to 6
• Number chart: 0 to 20ages 4 to 6
• Pre-writing strokes chartages 2 to 4

Count from one and the shape appears. The dots follow the path the pen actually takes, so the movement is rehearsed along with the counting. Only marks made in one continuous stroke are here, because a letter drawn in three separate strokes makes a confusing puzzle.

• Join the dots: circleages 3 to 6
• Join the dots: ovalages 3 to 6
• Join the dots: squareages 3 to 6
• Join the dots: rectangleages 3 to 6
• Join the dots: triangleages 3 to 6
• Join the dots: diamondages 3 to 6
• Join the dots: starages 3 to 6
• Join the dots: heartages 3 to 6

See all 19 join the dots sheets