Word tracing for kids

If you’ve ever been scouring the internet looking for a specific word on a word tracing worksheet then you’re going to love this free editable word tracing worksheet practice printable. You can customize it to say anything you’d like!

Not only can you put together custom printable worksheets based on your child’s skill level or learning goals but it comes in multiple fonts too. There’s guided tracing and bubble letters for those early writers and cursive fonts for kids who need handwriting practice.

Free Editable Word Tracing Worksheet Practice Printable

I love that you can use this worksheet maker to customize your child’s writing practice. It’s perfect for preschoolers, kindergarten age kids, or homework help. The best part? It’s free!

Just enter the words you want on your printable worksheet into the generator, choose your font, and print it off. The more words you list the smaller they’ll get so make sure to adjust based on your child’s skill level. Preschoolers need larger words to practice on.

Why Should My Child Practice Word Tracing?

After they can write their name it’s important to have early writers broaden their writing skills. When they’re just starting out, though, it’s difficult for kids to remember how letters are formed. That’s why word tracing worksheets are helpful for early learners.

Worksheets are also a great way to improve vocabulary and get preschoolers ready to start kindergarten by practicing “school work”. You could also use this word tracing generator in your homeschool to teach all kinds of different concepts.

How to Choose Words for Word Tracing Practice

Most of the time writing practice worksheets choose the words for us. While that does take some of the uncertainty out of what to teach — it also means you don’t get to customize what your child is practicing. 

When you create your word tracing practice sheets in the free generator you’ll get a custom worksheet that can say anything you want.

Some ideas to help you choose what words to practice:

1. Choose words with letters you want your child to practice. That might be simple words like cat or fish, or pick words that frequent letters your child needs more practice with.
2. Work on vocabulary. Writing is a great way to reinforce learning a new word to young kids.
3. Improve spelling. By writing out words in repetition kids will eventually learn to spell better. Start with common words for your child’s age group or create custom worksheets based on your school age kid’s spelling tests.
4. Learn another language. If your child is practicing words in a second language or learning ESL custom writing worksheets based on tricky words or phrases can be really helpful.
5. Practice “like” words. Grouping words together on a single sheet can help reinforce the similarities between certain words, especially for beginner readers. For example, start with at, then add words like bat, cat, hat, and so on. Have your child write the “at” in one colour and the rest of the word in another.

If you’re still unsure then a great starting point is the Dolce word list. It’s broken down by age so you can pick words that are suitable for your child’s level. 

How Can I Keep My Child Engaged With Writing Practice

Sometimes practicing writing can feel like work to kids. Especially if you’re just introducing writing or worksheets. 

If your kids are struggling to stay on task it’s important to consider a few things. First of all, are they ready for worksheets? Preschool aged kids do best when they’ve already developed pre-writing skills. Before they can form letters kids should build strength and technique by tracing lines and basic shapes.

If you feel your child is ready for worksheets but just isn’t staying focused here’s a few ideas that might help: 

Offer Rewards and Incentives

Let’s face it — most of the time we do things in life because we want rewards or fear consequences. Kids are no different. Instead of pressuring them into working, though, it’s best if you give some kind of reward or incentive.

It might be a sticker on a chart that will eventually lead to prizes, an outing or playdate when they’re finished with “work”, or doing something together that they love. 

Make Sure Kids are at Their Best

You probably already know that there are certains times of day where your child is more agreeable than others. Take advantage of that and plan challenging activities like writing for those times where your kids are typically interested and engaged. 

Keep it Short

The average preschooler has about a ten minute attention span for difficult tasks like writing. Trying to push beyond their limits not only makes learning a chore, it also creates tension between the two of you. Sometimes it’s best to just end the activity when young kids are losing focus.

Get Creative

Writing isn’t fun for all kids, especially preschoolers. That’s OK! Remember, just because your kid doesn’t want to write at age 3 doesn’t mean they won’t enjoy it by the time they enter kindergarten. 

For those kids you still want to establish those early reading and writing skills, but you can do it in more interesting ways. Maybe you can have the child write with different instruments like markers or crayons. Another idea is to have them paint the word or arrange play dough over the letters. Look at what your kids are interested in and go from there!

Great for Fine Motor Skills

One last thing to keep in mind when using writing worksheets with your kids is that they don’t have to be done perfectly to be educational. What that means is even if your child traces just one word and opts to draw or scribble on the sheet they’re still developing fine motor and pre writing skills.

Preschool aged children shouldn’t be expected to write competently, especially younger ones. But, by introducing writing worksheets custom created for their age level and interests you’ll have a greater chance of success. If things don’t go well at first, keep trying. 

At the end of the day, though, the important thing is to spend time with your kids and have fun!