Letter size and spacing worksheets
Aligned with Common Core L.1.1a
Printable handwriting worksheets for first grade: tracing lowercase and capital letters from a green starting dot, sorting tall, small and tail letters, tracing words, and practicing finger spaces between words.
The worksheets
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Alphabet Chart
Every capital and lowercase letter on handwriting lines, with a picture for each.
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Neat Writing Chart
Tall letters, small letters and tail letters on handwriting lines, finger spaces between words, and a neat writing checklist.
Trace Lowercase Letters
Six lowercase letters with a model, three to trace and space to write. Each row says if the letter is tall, small or tail.
Trace Capital Letters
Six capital letters with a model, three to trace and space to write.
Tall, Small or Tail?
Twelve letters on handwriting lines. Decide if each one is a tall letter, a small letter or a tail letter.
Trace and Write Words
Seven short words with pictures. Trace each word twice, then write it twice.
Finger Spaces
Four short sentences to trace and copy, with pink marks that show where each finger space goes.
Fix the Spacing
Six sentences with the spaces taken out. Find the words and write each sentence with spaces.
Print the whole packet
One copy of every sheet above, in order. Tap + for more copies (up to 10).
For the parent or teacher
What it is
Neat printing comes down to three things: starting each letter in the right place, making it the right size, and leaving space between words. Handwriting paper has a top line, a dashed middle line and a bottom line. Tall letters reach the top line, small letters stay under the dashed line, and tail letters hang below the bottom line. These sheets use the same lines every time so kids can see exactly where each letter goes.
What comes next
Letter boxes, to practice letter size one box at a time.
How to teach it
- Start at the green dot. Most letters start at the top and go down.
- Say the size out loud. "b is a tall letter, so it touches the top line."
- Keep sessions short. Five careful letters are worth more than a page of rushed ones.
- Teach finger spaces by having your child put a finger down after each word before writing the next one.
- Check grip and posture before writing. Feet flat, paper slanted a little, and a relaxed pencil hold.
Common mistakes
- Starting letters at the bottom, which makes them slow and messy later on.
- Making small letters as tall as capital letters.
- Mixing up b and d. Point out that b starts with a tall line, then the circle.
- Running words together with no spaces.