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Name tracing worksheets

Type a name, or a list of names for a whole class, and print a sheet for each: the name to copy, rows to trace over and rows to write it alone.

Make a tracing sheet

On the sheet
26 sheets, one letter each, with the size and style chosen here.

NameDate stringmash.com/name-tracing

Making a sheet

Type the name. The first row shows it in solid letters to copy, the rows after it are dotted, dashed or light grey for tracing over, and the last rows are left empty so the name can be written without help. Fill the page puts as many tracing rows on the sheet as fit; pick a number instead to leave more rows to write on.

For a class, type every name on its own line. Each line becomes its own sheet, up to 40, and Print sends them all at once. A first name and surname on one line share a sheet, and a name too long for the row moves down to a smaller size, with a note under the form.

Print with the scale at 100% or Actual size rather than Fit to page, so the rows come out the size they say. Nothing typed here leaves your device: the sheet is drawn on the page itself.

The rows and the letters

Each row has three lines, the same as handwriting paper. Capitals and tall letters like b, d and l reach the top line, small letters like a, e and m stop at the dashed midline, and g, p and y drop below the baseline into the space before the next row.

The three sizes match multi-program handwriting paper sold for each grade: 1 1/8 inch rows for pre-K and kindergarten, 5/8 inch rows for Zaner-Bloser first grade and D'Nealian kindergarten, and 1/2 inch rows for Zaner-Bloser second grade and D'Nealian first grade. The same rows, without letters, are on lined paper.

The letters are plain print with a round a and g. They're drawn from Hershey Simplex, one of the Hershey fonts, which were made around 1967 for early computer screens; the font data's licence says they were created by Dr A. V. Hershey while working at the US National Bureau of Standards, in a data format created by James Hurt of Cognition, Inc. Each letter is a single pen line rather than an outline, so there's one clean path to trace. The sheet doesn't add arrows or starting dots, because the stroke order differs between handwriting schemes, so follow the one your child's school teaches.

One letter at a time

To practise a single letter, the letter tracing worksheets page fills a sheet with one letter, capital, small or both, and Print A to Z pack prints all 26 sheets in one go. The same choice is in the Practise menu above.

Questions

Can I make sheets for a whole class at once?

Yes. Type one name per line and Print makes one sheet for each, up to 40.

Which size should I use?

1 1/8 inch rows for pre-K and kindergarten, 5/8 inch for first grade and 1/2 inch for second grade, following the Zaner-Bloser grades. D'Nealian uses each size a year earlier, so 5/8 inch for kindergarten and 1/2 inch for first grade.

What happens to accents, like the é in Zoé?

The letter is drawn without its accent and a note under the form says which ones, so you can add them by hand. Letters outside the English alphabet are left out.

Why are the rows the wrong size when printed?

The print was scaled. Set the scale to 100% or Actual size in the print dialog, and choose the same paper there as here.

Is there a cursive version?

Not yet. The letters are print only.

Is it free to use in class?

Yes. Print as many sheets as you like for home or school.

Sources

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