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Letter S Worksheets

4 free PDFsUS Letter or A4Answer key includedNo login

Trace uppercase S and lowercase s, trace the words sun, sock and seal, and circle every S and s in a letter hunt.

Curve back, then curve forward.

How to form uppercase S
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Download the Letter S worksheets

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

More letters

Alphabet packets A–Z

About these letter S worksheets

These letter S worksheets cover uppercase S, lowercase s, the words sun, sock and seal, and a letter hunt with an answer key. S makes the /s/ sound, the hiss of a snake.

S is one of the harder letters for kindergartners. It changes direction in the middle, curving back at the top and then forward at the bottom. Backward S’s are very common at this age. Uppercase and lowercase s are the same shape in two sizes, so practice on one helps the other.

Standards

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.1.APrint many upper- and lowercase letters.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.1.DRecognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

How to use them

  1. Before the uppercase page, draw a big S in the air with your child, hissing the whole time, and say “curve back, curve forward.”
  2. Trace the uppercase rows slowly. Speed is what usually sends S off course.
  3. On the lowercase page, check that each s starts just below the dashed midline and finishes on the baseline.
  4. Trace sun, sock and seal, then finish with the letter hunt and check it with the answer key.

Teaching tips for S

  • Uppercase S: start just below the top line on the right side. Curve back, up and over to the left and down toward the middle, then curve forward across the middle and around the right side, finishing at the baseline on the left. Say it while writing: “Curve back, curve forward.”
  • Lowercase s: the same path, made smaller, from just under the dashed midline to the baseline. Say it while writing: “Curve back, curve forward.”
  • Common mix-ups: a backward S, an s started at the bottom, S and 5 confused, and an S with a flat middle that looks like a Z.
  • Quick activities: lay a jump rope in an S shape and walk along it from the top; write s’s in a tray of sand, smoothing the sand after each one.

Questions about letter S

Why is S so hard for my child?

S curves one way and then the other, and the change happens in the middle of the letter. It’s one of the last letters many kindergartners form well. Short, frequent practice works better than long sessions.

How do I help with a backward S?

Give it a fixed start: top right, just under the top line, with a first move back to the left. If your child starts on the left side, the S will almost always come out reversed.