Published Nov 6, 2026
There is nothing to check on this page. What matters is that your child traces slowly along the dots, from left to right.
Practiced today: a straight line, waves, hills, a zigzag, loops, and steps. These are the same strokes that later make letters: straight lines for l and t, curves for c and s, zigzags for v and w.
Wobbly lines are normal at three and four. Take a short break between rows if little hands get tired.
Made with the help of AI from public curriculum standards, then checked. Mistakes can slip through, so please look it over before use. Found one? Tell us and we will fix it.
Each row on this page is a tiny winter story: bring the hat to the snowman, help the penguin swim to the fish, catch the snowflake with the mitten. Your child traces a dotted path from the picture on the left to the picture on the right. The six paths cover the basic strokes that later build letters and numbers: straight lines, waves, hills, zigzags, loops, and steps. Tracing from left to right also practices the direction we read and write in.
Head Start ELOF P-PMP 3: Building hand strength and control for holding pencils, cutting, and tracing
Short descriptions in our own words. About our standards.
Read each little story aloud before your child traces that row. Show how to hold the crayon near the tip, with the paper steadied by the other hand. Speed is the most common problem: fast tracing wanders off the dots. Encourage your child to go slowly, like a snail, and to stop at the end picture. Thick crayons or markers are easier for small hands than thin pencils.
Easier: Trace each path with a finger first, then with a crayon. Do the first three rows today and the rest another day.
Harder: Ask your child to trace each path twice in two colors, then draw a new wavy path between two winter pictures on the back.
There is nothing to check on this page. What matters is that your child traces slowly along the dots, from left to right.
Practiced today: a straight line, waves, hills, a zigzag, loops, and steps. These are the same strokes that later make letters: straight lines for l and t, curves for c and s, zigzags for v and w.
Wobbly lines are normal at three and four. Take a short break between rows if little hands get tired.
It is made for Preschool (ages 3-4). The level is ★ easy, so it works well as a first practice page.
About 10 minutes. Young children can do it in two short sittings with a break in between.
On the second page of the PDF and on this page under Show the answer key. To print for a whole class, print only the first page of the PDF.
Head Start ELOF P-PMP 3 (building hand strength and control for holding pencils, cutting, and tracing).
Yes. Print as many copies as you need for your own children or students. Please do not resell it or upload it to other websites.
