Shape Tracing Worksheets

This free shape tracing worksheet generator makes printable tracing pages for 15 shapes, from circles and squares to stars, hearts and arrows. It runs in your web browser, with no sign-up, and nothing you choose is uploaded or sent to a server.

Use it to make a shape tracing sheet for a preschool or kindergarten lesson, or for practice at home. Pick the shapes, choose a tracing style such as dots, dashes or a grey line, and the preview updates as you change settings. You can print the pages directly or download a PDF.

The pages are black and grey line art, so they are cheap to print and easy to colour in.

How to make shape tracing worksheets

1. Open the Shapes setting and tick the shapes you want. The default is circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star and heart.
2. Choose a Layout. Big to small gives one page per shape, with one large example at the top and rows getting smaller. Rows of shapes gives one row per shape. Shape mix shows a grid with names underneath. Trace, then draw pairs dotted shapes with empty boxes for drawing.
3. Pick a Tracing style: Dots (the default), Dashes, Grey line, or Solid black, which is a model to copy.
4. Set Size to Large, Medium or Small.
5. Turn on Green start dots to mark where each stroke begins, and Direction arrows to show which way to go.
6. Switch Show shape names on or off, and switch the Name and Date line on or off. Edit the title if you want.
7. Turn on First shape in each row is a solid model for Rows of shapes, or Thick lines (to colour in) if children will colour the shapes.
8. Set Paper size (US Letter or A4) and Page direction (portrait or landscape).

Print opens the browser’s print dialog with only the worksheet pages. Download PDF builds a real vector PDF that prints at true size. Copy link copies a link that reopens the same settings.

Which shapes should preschoolers learn first?

Simple shapes usually come first: circle, square, triangle and rectangle. After those, move on to oval, diamond, star and heart, then pentagon, hexagon and octagon.

Counting sides helps with the last group. A pentagon has 5 sides, a hexagon has 6 and an octagon has 8. Tracing each shape slowly, and naming it as you go, connects the name to the outline.

How do you teach a child to draw a star or a heart?

Start at the green dot and follow the same path every time. The star is traced along its outline, with ten points and five tips, starting from the top tip. The heart starts at the dip at the top centre and goes round to the left.

Every closed shape is one stroke that starts at the top, or the top-left corner, and goes counter-clockwise. That means the child goes down the left side first. Using the same direction for every shape makes the pattern easier to remember.

Corners are the hardest part for many children. At each corner of a square or triangle, the child stops and changes direction without lifting the pencil. Tracing gives plenty of practice with this turn, so it is worth pointing out the corners before the child starts.

Using shape tracing worksheets with preschoolers

For preschool shape tracing, keep the pages simple. Choose two or three shapes, set the size to Large and keep the green start dots on. The Big to small layout suits young children well: they trace one big shape with the whole arm, then the smaller copies with the fingers, and the page stays about one shape only.

A short routine works for most children:

• Name the shape and count its sides and corners together before tracing.
• Trace the big shape with a finger first, then with a crayon or thick pencil.
• Trace the smaller copies, starting each one at its green dot.
• Finish with Trace, then draw: the child copies the shape freehand in the empty boxes, where only the start dot is printed.

Older children can work from the Shape mix grid, which prints each shape’s name under it, or trace a page of pentagons, hexagons and octagons and count the sides. Because every option is in the link, Copy link lets you make the same shape tracing worksheet PDF again next week, or send it to another parent or teacher.

Frequently asked questions

Where do you start tracing a square or triangle?

Start at the top, or the top-left corner for a square, and follow the green start dot. Go counter-clockwise, so the first line goes down the left side. Turn at each corner without lifting the pencil.

Can I print one shape per page?

Yes. Turn on One page per shape, or choose the Big to small layout, which already gives one page per shape.

Can children colour the shapes in?

Yes. Turn on Thick lines (to colour in) so the outlines are bold enough to colour inside. The pages are black and grey line art, which makes them easy to print.

Is it free and printable as a PDF?

Yes. The generator is free and needs no sign-up. Download PDF builds a real vector PDF in your browser that prints at true size.

Can I change how the shapes look for tracing?

Yes. Tracing style offers Dots, Dashes, Grey line and Solid black. Dots is the default, and Solid black gives a model for copying.

How many shapes are on one page?

In Big to small, each page has one big shape and four rows of smaller copies (2, 3, 4 and 5 per row), so 15 shapes to trace at Large or Medium size (Small adds one more copy per row). Shape mix fits all the chosen shapes on one page in a grid, each with its name.

Related tools

• Circle tracing: use it when you want extra practice on circles alone.
• Pre-writing worksheets: use it to move from shapes to the lines and strokes that come before letters.
• Tracing lines worksheets: use it for straight, wavy and zigzag line practice.
• Preschool tracing pack: use it for a wider set of tracing pages for preschool children.
• Kindergarten tracing pack: use it for tracing pages aimed at kindergarten skills.
• Tracing worksheet maker: use it to build tracing worksheets beyond shapes.
• Tracing words worksheets: use it once a child is ready to trace letters and words.