Free printable tracing worksheets as PDF

Pre Writing Tracing Worksheets

Choose the pre-writing strokes your child is working on and print a page of big, dotted strokes to trace.

Pre writing tracing worksheets give a child big dotted strokes to trace before letters: lines, a circle, a cross, diagonals, a square, an X and a triangle. This free generator makes them in your web browser for all nine pre-writing strokes, so a practice sheet is ready in a few clicks. There is no sign-up, and nothing is uploaded.

Each page is black and grey line art, so it is cheap to print and can be coloured in. You choose the paper size, which strokes to include, the tracing style, and the layout. The preview updates as soon as you change a setting, so you can check the finished page before you print or download it.

These sheets suit preschool and kindergarten children who are not yet writing letters. Parents, teachers and childminders can use the same settings to make a single sheet or a full set for a group.

How to make pre-writing worksheets

  1. Choose a paper size: US Letter or A4.
  2. Under Strokes, tick the strokes you want. All nine are on by default.
  3. Under Layout, choose One page with all strokes (one row per stroke, with a solid model followed by dotted copies) or One stroke per page (big model + rows).
  4. Under Tracing style, pick Dots (the default), Dashes, Grey line, or Solid black.
  5. Turn Green start dots on to mark where each stroke begins, and Direction arrows on to show which way to go.
  6. Tick First copy in each row is a solid model if you want the first box in each row to be a copy to follow.
  7. Edit the title, and switch the Name and Date line on or off.
  8. Check the preview, then click Print, Download PDF, or Copy link.

The preview updates as you change settings, so you do not need to regenerate anything. Copy link copies a link that reopens the same settings, which is useful if you want to make the same sheet again later. Download PDF builds a vector file that prints at true size. With all nine strokes on one page, each row starts with the solid model, so the child can look left to see the stroke before tracing the dotted copies.

What are the 9 pre-writing strokes?

The nine pre-writing strokes are vertical line, horizontal line, circle, cross (+), diagonal /, square, diagonal , X, and triangle. These are the basic shapes a child learns to copy before writing letters, and they appear on the tool in this order. Each one is drawn in a set direction on the sheets, so children practise the same movement each time.

In what order do children learn pre-writing shapes?

Children usually learn the strokes in the order the tool lists them: vertical line, horizontal line, circle, cross, diagonal /, square, diagonal , X, and triangle. Simple straight lines come first, and shapes with corners and crossing lines come later. This order follows typical development, but every child moves at their own pace.

At what age can a child copy a circle, cross or triangle?

Approximate ages often quoted from the Beery developmental test of visual-motor integration are around 3 for a circle, around 4 for a cross, and around 5 for a triangle. Copying a triangle is often taken as a sign a child is ready to learn letters. Treat these ages as a rough guide, because children vary a lot.

How do I teach the cross and X (two-stroke shapes)?

Teach each shape as separate strokes, in the order shown. For the cross, draw the vertical line down first, then the horizontal line from left to right. For the X, draw both diagonals, each one from the top down. On the sheets, the numbers 1 and 2 sit at the start dots, so a child can follow the order by eye.

Can I print one stroke per page?

Yes. Choose the layout One stroke per page (big model + rows). Each page has a large model at the top, then rows of the stroke getting smaller, and a last row of empty boxes with only the start dot, where the child draws the stroke alone. This suits a child who is ready to copy a shape without help.

Frequently asked questions

Are my worksheets sent to a server?

No. The generator runs in your web browser, and nothing is uploaded or sent to a server. Your settings and pages stay on your device.

What paper sizes can I print on?

You can choose US Letter or A4. The Download PDF option builds a file that prints at true size on either.

Can the pages be coloured in?

Yes. Each page is black and grey line art, which makes it cheap to print and suitable for colouring.

Do children need to know letters before using these sheets?

No. The strokes come before letters, and they are the building blocks for letters such as l, t, o, c, v, w, x, k and z. Children can start tracing these shapes before they learn to write any letters.

Which way are the circle and the square drawn?

The circle is one stroke that starts at the top and goes counter-clockwise, the same way as the letters c and o. The square is one stroke from the top-left corner going down first, and the triangle starts at the top point and goes down to the left.

Is it free?

Yes. The generator, the printed pages and the PDF downloads are free, with no account and no limit on how many sheets you make.