Browse

Shape Tracing for Preschool

8 free PDFsUS Letter or A4No login

One shape per page: a picture of a real thing with that shape, a big shape with arrows, smaller shapes to trace and a box to draw one alone.

Download the shape tracing for preschool worksheets

Trace one shape

Shapes review

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

About these shape tracing for preschool worksheets

Tracing shapes builds the same hand control children need for letters: circles become a, c and o, and lines with corners become squares, triangles and many capital letters. These shape tracing worksheets are sized for preschool hands, with a thick grey path, a big start dot and arrows.

Each page teaches one shape. It starts with a picture of something that shape, like a clock for a circle or a door for a rectangle, and one big shape with arrows on every side. Then come two shapes to trace, two smaller ones, and an empty box where the child draws the shape alone.

Pages cover the circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval, star and heart, plus a review page with six shapes and their names.

Standards

  • ELOF P-PMP 3Child demonstrates increasing control, strength, and coordination of small muscles.
  • ELOF P-MATH 9Child identifies, describes, compares, and composes shapes.
  • ELOF P-LIT 6Child writes for a variety of purposes using increasingly sophisticated marks.

How to use them

  1. Name the shape and point to the picture: "A clock is a circle." Look for the same shape around the room.
  2. Trace the big shape with a finger first, following the arrows, then with a crayon.
  3. Circles start at the top and go around to the left, the way children will later write c, a and o.
  4. On shapes with corners, stop at each corner and say "turn" before going on.
  5. The box at the bottom is for drawing the shape alone. Any closed shape with the right number of sides is a success.

Teaching tips

  • If corners get rounded, slow down and make a dot at each corner first.
  • Children often find triangles and stars hardest. Do circles and squares first.
  • Let children color the traced shapes when they finish; coloring inside a shape is more fine motor practice.

Questions teachers and parents ask

Which shapes should preschoolers trace?

Start with the circle, square, triangle and rectangle, then the oval, star and heart. Those cover the curves, lines and corners used in letters.

Where should a child start tracing a circle?

At the top, going around to the left. That is the same start and direction as the letters c, a, d and o.

Is there a page with several shapes?

Yes. The review page has a circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star and heart to trace, each with its name.