Letter boxes worksheets
Printable second-grade letter box worksheets: a letter box chart, copying words and sentences in bold or light boxes and outlines, and fading boxes.
The worksheets
- See it all
Letter Boxes Chart
Small, tall and tail letters, each with its box shape, and the word "happy" in its boxes.
Copy Words in Bold Boxes
Words like rain, puppy and jumped to copy into letter boxes, with shaded boxes in a strong blue, the easiest to see.
Copy Words in Light Boxes
Words like rain, puppy and jumped to copy into letter boxes, with pale shaded boxes, for kids who need less help.
Copy Words in Bold Outlines
Words like rain, puppy and jumped to copy into letter boxes, with boxes drawn with a dark outline.
Copy Words in Light Outlines
Words like rain, puppy and jumped to copy into letter boxes, with faint outlines, the last step before plain lines.
Copy Sentences in Bold Boxes
Sentences like "We played in the snow." to copy one letter per box, with shaded boxes in a strong blue, the easiest to see.
Copy Sentences in Light Boxes
Sentences like "We played in the snow." to copy one letter per box, with pale shaded boxes, for kids who need less help.
Copy Sentences in Bold Outlines
Sentences like "We played in the snow." to copy one letter per box, with boxes drawn with a dark outline.
Copy Sentences in Light Outlines
Sentences like "We played in the snow." to copy one letter per box, with faint outlines, the last step before plain lines.
Fading Letter Boxes
Each word is written three times as the boxes fade away, ending on a plain line.
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
Letter boxes, sometimes called shape boxes, give every letter its own box shaped like the letter. Small letters get a short box, tall letters and capitals a tall box, and tail letters a box that hangs below the line. They help kids whose letters are uneven in size or drift off the line, and they make a great warm-up for neat writing.
What comes next
Spelling vowel teams, using neat writing to spell longer words.
How to teach it
- Start with the chart. Sort a few letters into small, tall and tail together.
- Point to the box before writing each letter and say which kind it is.
- Begin with bold boxes, then move to light boxes and outlines as letters get steady.
- Use the fading boxes sheet to check that letters stay the same size without the boxes.
Common mistakes
- Making tall letters short. Tall letters and capitals touch the top of the box.
- Letting tails sit on the line. Tails hang down into the bottom of the box.
- Writing two letters in one box, or skipping the space between words.