Pre-writing worksheets
The strokes before the letters: lines, waves, loops and spirals to trace.
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Your files stay on your device
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored, and you can even turn off your internet connection before you start.
How it works
- Choose one stroke for a whole page, or all of them from the easiest to the hardest.
- Pick the size: large for a first pencil grip, smaller as control improves.
- Choose dotted lines or pale grey ones to go over.
- Download and print; each row starts at the green dot.
Frequently asked questions
- What order should the strokes come in?
- Roughly the order children manage them: straight lines across and down, then slants, zigzags and waves, then arches, cups and loops, which are the shapes joined handwriting is made of, and spirals last. “All of them” prints them in that order.
- Why is there a green dot?
- It marks where the pencil starts, so the stroke is made the way writing goes: left to right, lines and slants from the top down, and spirals from the middle out.
- Which size should I choose?
- Large for three- and four-year-olds holding a chunky crayon, medium for most of preschool, small for children about to start letters.
- Is anything uploaded?
- No. The sheet is drawn in your browser as sharp lines. On the free plan a small line with our name is printed at the foot of the last page.
Related tools
✍ Tracing worksheet generator Any words, dotted along the middle of every stroke, on the lines children learn on. ⊿ Maze generator One way in, one way out, and a page of wrong turns. ▧ Handwriting practice paper Four lines with a red baseline, sized for first letters or older pupils. ⑩ Hundreds chart The chart for the wall, and the one with gaps for the desk.