Printable Tracing Lines Worksheets
Tracing lines worksheets help kindergarten children build the pencil control they need before writing letters. Children trace straight lines, curves, circles, zigzags and loops, many of them from one picture to another, like a bee flying to a flower.
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Structured, printable skill sheets with step-by-step guidance for Tracing Lines.
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About Tracing Lines
What this skill is
Every printed letter is built from a few simple strokes: straight lines, slanted lines, curves and circles. Tracing those strokes on their own lets a child practice holding the pencil and staying on a path without also having to remember which letter they are writing.
When children learn it
Pre-writing strokes come in preschool and early kindergarten, before and alongside letter formation. They lead into the kindergarten standard on printing upper and lowercase letters (Common Core L.K.1a).
Teaching Tips
- Start with the easy level, where each line sits inside a wide gray lane. When your child stays inside the lane comfortably, move to the narrower lane and then to the dashed line alone.
- Have your child trace each line with a finger first, then with the pencil.
Common Mistakes
- Going too fast. Speed pulls the pencil off the dashed line, especially on zigzags, where the pencil has to stop and change direction at every point.
- Holding the pencil in a fist. A fist grip moves the whole arm and makes curves wobbly. Thumb and two fingers give finer control.
- Lifting the pencil partway along a line and starting again somewhere else, which leaves gaps and jumps in the line.