Handwriting and tracingPre-K to grade 1
Name tracing worksheet
You type a child's name and the page fills with it, first in dark ink and then in grey copies to trace. Every other line is left empty for the child to write the name unaided. It is for preschool through first grade.
- Type your details or print blank
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On this page
What prints
Once you type a name, the title becomes "Trace the Name" followed by that name. Lines alternate: a tracing line, then an empty line, then a tracing line again. On a tracing line the first copy of the name is dark, and the copies after it are light grey, repeated until the line is full. The empty lines below share the same top line, dashed middle line and baseline, so the child can write the name in the same size.
If you leave the box empty, the title reads "Name Tracing", the instruction asks you to write a name on the first line for your child to copy, and all lines are blank. That works well for a name you would rather write by hand, or for a name with characters the sheet cannot print.
At the large setting one page holds seven lines, which is four tracing lines and three empty ones. Medium and small give more lines per page.
The settings
- Practice. Set to "A name".
- Name to trace. One line of up to 24 characters. Only the first line you type is used. Capital letters print as typed, so write "Emma" and not "EMMA" if you want only the first letter tall.
- Line size. Opens on Large (pre-K and K). The two smaller sizes, for grades 1 to 2 and for grades 3 and up, shrink the lines.
A longer name needs a smaller size. At the large setting the letters are tall, and a name that is too wide for the line will not print at all, so check the preview. A first name with a long surname may fit better on medium lines. If it still does not fit, trace the first name on one page and the last name on another.
Teaching tips
A child's own name is often the first word they learn to write, and it tends to be written with a capital letter followed by lowercase ones. Many children write all capitals at first, so point out the tall first letter and the shorter ones that follow.
Say the letters aloud while tracing, and let the child tell you which letter comes next. Do two or three lines, not all seven. Because the research on early writing stresses fluency with handwriting and spelling, short and frequent sessions beat one long one.
Worked example: Olivia, age four
A grandparent types Olivia into the name box, keeps the large size and prints one page. On the first line the child sees one dark "Olivia" and then two grey copies. The parent says each letter softly: "O, l, i, v, i, a". Olivia starts every letter at the top, pulls the pencil along the grey, and the grandparent lifts a finger to show where the dot of each "i" goes after the letter is finished.
The empty line below is for writing alone. The first try is usually wobbly, and that is expected. The grandparent circles the best letter, and they stop after two lines. The next day they do lines three and four.
Once the name is steady, move on to letter tracing worksheets to learn the rest of the alphabet, or to handwriting practice sheets for whole sentences.