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Color by Letter Worksheets for Preschool

11 free PDFsUS Letter or A4Answer key includedNo login

Big, simple pictures with a letter in every part and a crayon key, from one letter in two cases to matching big and small letters.

Download the color by letter worksheets

One letter, big and small

One letter in both cases on a single picture, with two colors.

Two or three letters

Tell two or three letters apart: A and B, C and D, a and b, then R, S and T.

Match big and small letters

The key shows big letters; the picture has small letters or a mix. Children match each one to its big letter.

Print at 100% (actual size) for the cleanest tracing lines.

About these color by letter worksheets

Color by letter is a favorite way for preschoolers to practice letter names, because the reward is right there on the page. Each picture is split into a few large parts, and every part has one letter in it. Children find the letter in the color key, pick up that crayon and fill the part in until the whole picture appears.

The pages build slowly. The first set uses one letter in both cases, such as B and b on a butterfly, so children notice that a letter has a big and a small form. Next come two or three letters on one picture, like A and B on a kite or R, S and T on a rocket. The last set is the hardest: the key shows only big letters, and the picture has small letters (or a mix) that children must match.

Every part is big enough for a 3 or 4 year old with a fat crayon, with thick black outlines and plenty of white space. Children who cannot read color words color each crayon in the key first, so they can match by color. An answer key on page 2 shows the color of every part.

Standards

  • ELOF P-LIT 3Child identifies letters of the alphabet and produces correct sounds associated with letters.
  • ELOF P-PMP 3Child demonstrates increasing control, strength, and coordination of small muscles.

How to use them

  1. Color the crayons in the key together first: say the color, color the crayon, then say the letter beside it.
  2. Point to one part of the picture and ask, "What letter is this? Find it in the key." Then color that part.
  3. Start with the single-letter pages, then move to pairs, then to the big and small letter matching pages.
  4. Let children color one part at a time and name the letter each time. Short sessions of 10 to 15 minutes work well.
  5. Use the answer key on page 2 to check the finished picture together.

Teaching tips

  • Some letters look alike in both cases, like C and c or S and s. The single-letter pages use letters whose big and small forms look different, such as B and b, F and f, G and g, and T and t.
  • If a child mixes up two letters, trace each one with a finger and talk about how they differ: "A has a point at the top; B has two bumps."
  • Coloring inside a big part builds hand strength. It is fine if color goes over the line; praise the effort and the right color.
  • For an extra challenge, ask children to say a word that starts with each letter before they color it.

Questions teachers and parents ask

What is a color by letter worksheet?

It is a picture split into parts, each with a letter in it. A key matches each letter to a color. Children name the letter, find its color and color that part until the picture is done.

Can preschoolers who cannot read color words use these?

Yes. Color each crayon in the key first, together. Then children match the letter to the crayon by its color, not by reading the word.

Do these color by letter pages have answer keys?

Yes. Page 2 of every worksheet shows the same picture with the right color word in each part.