How to Create Vocabulary Words That Students Can Trace

Pictures of common objects help children learn vocabulary and writing.

Tracing worksheets are a helpful resource for children learning to read and write. Most tracing worksheets have two elements. In one column they have a picture of the word, so children with little or no reading ability can figure out what it is. In the other column, there are letters formed by dots or dashes that the child traces over. Tracing worksheets are most commonly used in preschool, kindergarten and ESL classes.

Instructions

1. Choose a brief list of words within a common theme. For example, an animals list could include cat, dog, horse, mouse, rabbit, pig and whale. Draw pictures of these in a vertical column on a piece of paper if you're comfortable with drawing. Otherwise, find images online and paste them into a document and print it.

2. Line up the ruler horizontally and make horizontal lines wide enough to hold each word to the right of the picture. Use a pencil to outline the word lightly, then make spaced out dots on the pencil to make an outline of the word. Gently erase the pencil lines.

3. Photocopy the sheet for as many copies as you'll need. Keep the original for future use.

References

• ESL Kids: Kids' Worksheet Generator!

Resources

• ESL Kids: Kids' Worksheet Generator!