Pre-Writing Lines Worksheets

What are pre-writing skills?

Before children can write letters they need to control a pencil. Pre-writing skills are the basic strokes that every letter is made from: vertical and horizontal lines, diagonals, circles, curves and loops. Practising these shapes as patterns builds hand strength, eye-hand coordination and a feel for direction, so that real letters feel familiar when they arrive.

How to use the generator

1. Choose the patterns you want. Each row of the worksheet uses the next pattern in your list.
2. Pick Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced.
3. Set the number of rows, check the preview and press Print or Save as PDF.

Choosing a level

• Beginner uses big, widely spaced shapes and thick dots, with only a few repeats. It suits children of about two and a half to four.
• Intermediate makes the shapes smaller and adds more repeats.
• Advanced uses tight patterns with many repeats and several lines at once, for children of five and older who are nearly ready to write.

What each pattern prepares

• Straight lines from left to right teach reading direction and prepare letters such as e, t and f.
• Standing lines prepare l, i and t.
• Slanting lines prepare v, w, x and k.
• Curved lines prepare the humps in n, m and h.
• Waves and zigzags teach smooth, controlled changes of direction.
• Loops prepare cursive e and l.
• Spirals build wrist control and prepare round letters such as a, c and o.

Tips for success

Start with a chunky crayon or pencil rather than a thin pen. Say a rhyme as you trace, for example “up and over, down and under”. It is fine if the line wobbles at first; stop when your child tires and come back another day. Large movements on a whiteboard or in sand are also a good warm-up before paper.