Name tracing worksheet generator

How to make a tracing worksheet

• Type your child's name, a few letters, spelling words or a whole sentence, one per line. Or tap a quick start: the alphabet, numbers, days of the week or sight words.
• Choose the letters: dotted, light gray or outlined. Dotted is the classic for name tracing; gray is easier for the youngest children to follow.
• Choose the size: large for preschool, medium for kindergarten and 1st grade, small for older children.
• Choose how many rows to trace and how many empty rows to write alone, then print.

The lines and the letters

Each row has a top line, a dashed midline, a red baseline and a light line below for tails. Tall letters like h and l touch the top line, small letters like a and o reach the midline, and letters like g, p and y hang below the baseline. The letters are in Andika, a font designed for children learning to read and write, with the a and g written the way children are taught to write them, and clearly different I, l and 1.

Tips for name tracing and handwriting practice

• Start with the name: it is the word children most want to write, and it has their most important letters.
• Use a capital letter only at the start of the name, as they will at school.
• Trace slowly, starting each letter at the top. Five careful copies beat a page of rushed ones.
• A short, thick crayon or pencil is easier for small hands than a long thin one.
• After tracing, try the empty row. Then try it without the lines at all.

When do children learn to write their name?

Many children start recognizing the letters of their name around age 3 and begin writing it, often with a few letters reversed, between 4 and 5. Kindergarten standards expect children to print most uppercase and lowercase letters by the end of the year. Reversals like b and d are normal well into 1st grade.