Pre-Writing Practice: Trace the Lines and Shapes Worksheet
This worksheet builds pre-writing skills by having children trace a variety of lines and shapes — following dinosaurs, marbles, skateboarders, and cars along their paths — which develops the hand-eye coordination and pencil control needed before formal letter writing begins. For three- to five-year-olds, tracing varied line types like straight, curved, and zigzag paths builds the specific motor patterns that later show up in letter strokes like the curves in 'c' and 'o' or the straight lines in 'l' and 't.'
Part of the pack
Month 2: Learning & Development | Ages Up to 4Curriculum
How to use this worksheet
Look at the first tracing path together and point out where it starts and ends. Have your child trace along the dotted line with a pencil, following the path from the dinosaur, marble, skateboarder, or car to its destination. Move through each tracing path on the page one at a time, encouraging steady, controlled strokes rather than rushing. Finish by coloring the taco at the end as a small reward for completing all the paths.
Materials needed
- Pencil
- Crayons
Extension activities
- •Encourage your child to draw their own lines and shapes freehand after finishing the traced ones.
- •Have your child color the pictures after tracing to extend the fine motor practice.
- •Use playdough to roll out and shape the same lines and curves found on the worksheet.
- •Practice tracing larger versions of the same shapes in the air with a whole arm movement.
- •Set up a simple obstacle course at home that mimics the winding, curving, and straight paths from the worksheet.
Tips for parents and teachers
Encourage a proper pencil grip and provide positive reinforcement rather than correcting every wobble in the line. Start with shorter, simpler lines and shapes if your child seems frustrated, and gradually increase the complexity as their control improves.
Written by
Hemsweta Jain · Teacher Cheena
MBA and Early Childhood Educator, teaching since 2014 · Founder of RaisoActive, Mumbai
Every RaisoActive worksheet is designed and checked by the founder before publishing.
Published · Last reviewed
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