Tracing Worksheets for Teachers
Explore free letter tracing worksheets and other printable tracing activities created by teachers for teachers to make tracing practice fun and engaging in your primary grade classroom.
From tracing letters to numbers, the printables in this elementary school teaching resource collection are all designed to help young learners develop their fine motor skills as they work on letter and number formation, as well as learn to write their own names. Cursive tracing worksheets are also included for middle grade students who are learning the next step of handwriting.
New to teaching students and curious what the research says about tracing, or just looking for some fresh ideas to make this activity more fun and effective? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Does Tracing Letters Do for Kids?
Handwriting is a key to communication — yes, even in the digital age! And for most students, it all starts with simple tracing exercises, following dotted lines over letters, numbers and shapes, which serve as a scaffold for these young learners.
The pre-drawn lines on a tracing worksheet allow students to follow along the given paths, receiving guidance and support from us — their teachers — as needed.
For pre-K and kindergarten students whose hand muscles are still developing, this practice is an important part of learning to hold and control a pencil or other writing utensils, unlocking the door to better letter formation and legibility of their handwriting.
But the benefits of tracing the alphabet or sitting down to trace numbers don't stop there!
Carefully moving a pencil over the dotted lines on a simple worksheet allows young learners to work on hand-eye coordination, building their ability to track and control their hand movements in relation to their visual focus.
How to Teach Pencil Grip
In order to be successful at tracing, students need to learn how to grip their pencils correctly. So how do you help your students grasp the proper grip technique? Let's start with the correct way to hold a pencil!
The Tripod Grip
Known as the tripod grip because it involves using three fingers, the most common way to hold a pencil approved by occupational therapists involves four basic steps:
- Position the pencil — A student should hold their pencil in the dominant hand, resting it on the side of the middle finger.
- Position the thumb — Once the pencil is in position, the student should place their thumb on the side of the pencil, opposite the index and middle fingers.
- Position the fingers — Next, have your student curl their index and middle fingers slightly and place them on top of the pencil.
- Apply pressure — Students should maintain a moderate but relaxed grip on the pencil, avoiding excessive pressure that will tire out the hand.
Tips for Teaching Pencil Grip
Teaching kids how to hold the pencil just right involves a lot of practicing — much like many of the skills they will learn in primary school. But these strategies can put them on the path to success in no time!
Model the Proper Technique
This may seem obvious, but we'd be remiss if we didn't mention from the start that it's important to model how to hold a pencil so your students can imitate you!
Start With Bigger Writing Utensils
Pencils are thin and can be hard for younger students to manage as they are still building their fine motor muscles. Thick crayons and markers can be helpful as a starting point and allow students to get a feel for different grips.
Employ a Guided Hand-Over-Hand Approach
It can help to physically guide a child's hand to hold the pencil correctly. This way your student can feel the correct grip and develop muscle memory through repetitive practice.
Don't Be Afraid to Add Supports
Plenty of adaptive tools are out there to help students struggling to hold a pencil. Specialized pencil grips provide additional support and promote the tripod grip.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Activities that promote fine motor skills, such as coloring, drawing and — of course, tracing — can help reinforce the correct grip over time.
Be Flexible
While the tripod grip is best for most students, it does not work for every child. Remember, the key is really for students to find a grip that allows them to write legibly and comfortably.
Tracing Ideas for the Early Years Classroom
This collection is full of printables that you can add to your lesson plans, including fun animal worksheets your students are sure to love, but we didn't stop there! Read on for some fine ideas for tracing in the classroom from our teacher team!
- Make Rainbow Letters — Have students use different colored markers or pencils for tracing practise to create a colorful result that looks like a piece of art, making the worksheet more fun!
- Use Cotton Swabs and Watercolors — Give each student a set of watercolors, some water and cotton swabs, and allow them to trace the alphabet by painting each letter from a to z with a cotton swab "paintbrush."
- Highlights — For a quick and easy tracing activity, write a letter, number or word with a bright-colored highlighter marker, then have students trace over it in pencil.
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Busy Binder - Kindergarten Morning Work Activity Book
Review daily calendar, math, literacy, and fine motor skills with a printable kindergarten Busy Binder workbook!
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Free ABC Tracing Sheet Bundle Pack
Use ABC Tracing Worksheets to help your students develop their handwriting and fine motor skills.
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Tracing Numbers 0-10
A worksheet to assist students when learning how to write the numbers 0–10.
- Free Plan
Writing the Alphabet - Handwriting Worksheet
Practice penmanship by tracing and writing uppercase and lowercase letters.
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Number Recognition Printable Dot Maze Pack
Utilize these number recognition printable worksheets to help your students identify the numbers 1 through 20.
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Tracing Numbers 0-20
Practice writing numbers 0–20 with this tracing activity.
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Number Handwriting Practice Worksheets
Provide number handwriting practice to your students with this set of worksheets for the numbers 0 through 20.
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Trace, Draw and Order Sentences Worksheets
Use this set of sentence cut-and-paste worksheets to help your students build simple sentences.
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Halloween Tracing Numbers Worksheets
Trace and write numbers to twenty with a set of spooky Halloween tracing numbers worksheets.
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Handwriting Practice Sheets - Colors, Numbers, Days and Months
Practice printing skills with a pack of printable handwriting worksheets.
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Tracing Lines - Fine Motor Skills
A set of 4 animal-themed line tracing worksheets.
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Cursive Writing Worksheets PDF - Alphabet
Practice writing the alphabet in cursive with a pack of printable cursive alphabet worksheets.
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St. Patrick's Day Tracing Mini Book
Help your kindergarten students learn and write about St. Patrick’s Day with a printable mini-book.
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Fine Motor Skills - Dinosaur Tracing Lines Worksheet
A dinosaur-themed tracing lines worksheet.
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Tracing and Drawing 2-D Shapes – Worksheet
A simple trace and draw worksheet for 2-D shapes.
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Cursive Practice - Sentences
A set of 6 sheets to practice writing sentences in cursive.
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Days of the Week Spelling Worksheets
Use these Days of the Week Spelling worksheets to help your students practice reading, writing, and spelling the Days of the week.
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Christmas Tracing Worksheets
Use these Christmas worksheets for preschool to practice tracing and fine motor skills.
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Kindergarten Seasons Worksheet
Practice identifying characteristics of each season and how to write them using this one-page worksheet.
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Cursive Worksheets — Cursive Letter Families
Trace and write cursive letters with a pack of Cursive Letter Family worksheets.
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Cursive Worksheets - Days, Months, Colors, Numbers
Trace and write days of the week, months of the year, number words, and color words in cursive.
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Just Joking! Cursive Joke Book Practice Worksheets
Trace 10 cringe-worthy jokes in cursive font and rewrite each joke independently in cursive on the lines.
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Fine Motor Skills - Dinosaur Tracing Pages
A set of 5 dinosaur-themed tracing pages.
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Cursive Alphabet Chart - Printable Cursive Practice Sheets
A set of 6 sheets to practice writing letters in cursive.
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Back to School Tracing Skills
Practice tracing and fine motor skills with this set of 8 back-to-school tracing worksheets.
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Dinosaur Tracing Pictures - Fine Motor Skills
A set of 5 dinosaur-themed tracing pictures.
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Days of the Week - Handwriting Sheet
A handwriting sheet to practice writing the days of the week.
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Pinning or Tracing Pages - Animals
Ten animal pinning pages.
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Alphabet Handwriting Sheets - Individual
Handwriting sheets for each letter of the alphabet.
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Alphabet Handwriting Sheets - Including Non-Examples
Handwriting sheets with opportunities for students to trace, identify and write the letters of the alphabet.
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Upper Grades Handwriting Sheets
Fifteen handwriting sheets for upper elementary.
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Alphabet Handwriting Sheet
A handwriting sheet with the alphabet and some words for students to trace.