How to make a word tracing worksheet
- Pick a word set. The buttons above the box fill it with a whole set: color words, number words, shape words, days of the week, months, family words or short CVC words. The page opens with the ten color words.
- Or type your own words. One word per line, and each line becomes its own page, so seven words make seven pages. Mix sets, delete words you do not need, or add a child's favorite words.
- Pick the letters and size. Print, D'Nealian or cursive. Extra large and large lines suit preschool and kindergarten, medium suits first grade.
- Print or save as PDF. A whole set prints in one go. Download PNG saves one image per page.
What each page looks like
The first line shows the word in solid letters, with green starting dots and stroke order numbers and arrows on the first copy. The lines below repeat the word in dotted letters, across the whole line, so the child writes it several times in a row. Under More options you can add empty lines at the end for writing the word alone, fade the tracing line by line, or change the capitals: as typed, first letter capital, all capitals or all lowercase.
Long words such as Wednesday or September fit fewer times on a line, and very long ones are drawn a little smaller. Tick Landscape page for more room.
Why trace whole words, not just letters
Once a child can form single letters, the next step is putting them together. A whole word practices things a letter page cannot:
- Spacing inside a word. The letters of a word sit close together, with a wider gap before the next word. Tracing the same word across a line shows that difference again and again.
- Left to right. Each word starts on the left and moves right, letter by letter, and each new copy starts again on the left of the next gap.
- Letters on the lines. In one word, tall letters, short letters and letters that drop below the line sit next to each other, so the child has to keep each one at its own height.
- Reading and writing together. Saying the word while tracing it links the written word to the spoken one.
Ideas for each word set
- Color words (red to white, 10 words). Let the child color a small patch in that color next to the word, or trace with a crayon of the same color.
- Number words (one to ten). Pair each page with the numeral and a matching number of dots or stickers. For the numerals themselves, use the number tracing worksheets.
- Shape words (circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval, star, heart, diamond). Draw the shape at the end of the line. To trace the shapes, use tracing lines and shapes.
- Days of the week (Sunday to Saturday). Do one page a day on the matching day, starting with the capital letter.
- Months (January to December). Start with the child's birthday month and the current month.
- Family words (mom, dad, baby, sister, brother, grandma, grandpa, family). Add the names of the people in the family by typing them into the box. For a child's own name, use the name tracing worksheet generator.
- CVC words (cat, hat, bed, hen, pig, sit, dog, fox, sun, bug). Short consonant, vowel, consonant words, two for each short vowel. Sound out each word before tracing it.
Other word worksheets
For the Dolch lists, from pre-primer to third grade, use the sight word tracing worksheets. For a weekly school list with a line to trace and a line to write each word, use the spelling practice worksheets. When words turn into sentences, the handwriting worksheet generator makes trace and copy lines from any text. Not ready for words yet? Start with the alphabet tracing worksheets.