18 Educational Tracing Activities for Kids

Tracing is a pre-writing activity that can help kids prepare for school. Here are tracing activities that teach letters, numbers, shapes, sizes, and seasons.

Boy Writing In Cursive on Paper
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Tracing is more than just a fun activity for kids. Researchers have found that tracing strengthens handwriting and helps kids recognize letter shape, size, and formation. It's also a great fine motor skills exercise.

Read on for 18 tracing activities that teach kids letters, numbers, shapes, sizes, and seasons.

01 of 18

Uppercase Rainbow Letters

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Help kids learn to write the alphabet by tracing each letter repeatedly with different-colored crayons or pencils.

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Lowercase Rainbow Letters

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Once kids have mastered uppercase letters, use the same colors to trace lowercase letters.

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Tracing Basic Shapes

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Identifying shapes and objects are a learning milestone for kindergarten. Give your child a head start by having them follow the outlines of basic shapes in four sizes, then shade them in with crayons or markers.

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Shapes of All Sizes

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Reinforce the concept of sizes by comparing small, medium, and large. Outline the shapes and then color each size with its own hue.

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Winter Weather

When it's cold and snowy outside, what should you wear? Encourage kids to circle the appropriate clothes in this tracing activity.

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Spring Weather

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Teach kids what to wear when it's warm and rainy outside so they can enjoy spring activities in comfort.

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Summer Weather

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When it's sunny and hot outside, what summer gear should kids wear? Print out this tracing activity and circle the appropriate clothes.

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Fall Weather

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Have your kids circle the appropriate clothes for chilly, windy weather.

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The Number One

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Introduce your kids to math by teaching them the numbers one through ten with tracing activities that double as coloring sheets. Have them trace different digits along dotted lines, identify numbers on fingers, and learn about different land and sea animals.

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The Number Two

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Color two pigs in the pen and trace the corresponding figure.

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The Number Three

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Color three sheep in the meadow and follow the dotted lines to practice this curvy numeral.

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The Number Four

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Color four ducks on the pond and outline the angular decimal in this tracing activity.

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The Number Five

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Color five mice in the wall and guide a pencil along dotted lines.

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The Number Six

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Color six sharks in the sea and repeat the rounded symbol on paper.

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The Number Seven

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With this tracing activity, kids can color seven turtles around a reef and then duplicate the prime number.

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The Number Eight

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Color eight crabs on the sand and then reproduce the number, which is essentially two connected threes.

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The Number Nine

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Color nine fish in a school, and then master this number that resembles an upside-down six.

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The Number Ten

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Color ten shells by the seashore and then draw a one and a zero to form a two-digit number.

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