Shape tracing worksheets provide valuable experiences for young students. Learning shapes, of course, provides a strong foundation for mathematical and spatial concepts, but also serves to strengthen the fine motor skills necessary for writing and independent activities of daily living. Because students can work independently on shape tracing, these types of worksheets are great to have on hand for use during small group activities, testing, or assessments. They can even be stored in a location (or as part of an interactive board) where students can access and work on their own as part of a math center or a quiet time activity.
When choosing shape tracing worksheets, consider the objective and the students’ current level. There are a wide variety of activities available, including many that include shapes beyond the standard geometric patterns. Worksheets that include curving shapes or lines can be especially helpful in developing fine motor control for handwriting. Some worksheets may also include traceable shape names or other handwriting practice or ask students to identify shapes. The wide variety of pre-made worksheets available will support nearly any learning objective. If you’d like to add your own touch without creating worksheets from scratch, consider adding additional shapes or words on to an existing worksheet prior to copying.
We’ve scoured the internet to find some of the best shape tracing worksheets available. Read on for our top picks and tips for finding other time-saving shape tracing activities!
Table of Contents
Top Shape Tracing Worksheets
- Colors And Shapes Printable Workbook By TeachSimple
This one makes our favorite list as it provides ongoing shape practice in a workbook format which can be printed out for each student. The book is jammed with activities students will enjoy so much that they might not even realize they are practicing both geometry and fine motor skills!
- Real World Shape Identification Worksheet By TeachSimple
This worksheet pack stands out from the crowd by including fun, colorable illustrations of shapes found in everyday objects. The printable packet includes printable sheets that cover the basics – triangles, rectangles, squares, and circles – for the preK to first grade set. Students will have fun searching the illustrations for shapes after they’ve completed the tracing activity.
- Busy Learning About Shapes Worksheet By TeachSimple
This pack of worksheets from TeachSimple cleverly covers multiple learning objectives in one clear worksheet format. Each sheet (one per shape) includes shape tracing activities, word identification and tracing and shape identification for maximum reinforcement.
- Shape Tracing Worksheets By Cool 2 Be Kids
Cool 2 Be has assembled a variety of printable shape tracing and identification worksheets that goes beyond the “circle, triangle, rectangle” to include more challenging shapes such as hearts, stars, and diamonds. Although it may take some searching, there is a wide variety of worksheets available to print from the site.
- Shape Tracing Worksheets By Math-Salamanders
This small collection of Trace the Shape worksheets has the kindergarten geometry basics covered. This particular worksheet collection will be of special interest to UK teachers, as it includes an option to accommodate the UK definition of trapezium (rather than the US’s trapezoid.)
- Let’s Talk Shapes Worksheet By TeachSimple
This PDF worksheet packet earns high marks for versatility and cuteness! Colorful pictures of cartoon shapes encourage early learners to practice identifying and tracing the basic shapes, and the simple exercises can be completed independently.
- Cartoon Shape Worksheets By Teachers Mag
Cartoon boys and girls introduce the basic shapes on these adorable worksheets perfect for the earliest learners. Students can color in the cartoon child who holds the shape, then review items that are that shape and trace.
- Shape Tracing Worksheets By Homeschool Share
These simple and effective printable worksheets focus solely on shape tracing. Each one features shapes of various sizes with an accompanying picture and shape words to color in. We love this worksheet for students who could use some practice in identifying shapes or building up those fine motor skills.
- Shape Tracing Sheets By Preschool Mom
Here’s another set of worksheets that keeps it simple, with an emphasis on tracing shapes. The directions are straightforward, making it easy for kids to engage with the shape tracing activity independently. Each sheet provides multiple chances to practice drawing one shape – diamonds, squares, rectangles, circles, triangles, and pentagons.
Where to Find Shape Tracing Lessons Online
The internet has opened up a whole new world of access for teachers, making it easier than ever to find lesson plans and worksheets online. Unfortunately, it is that exact abundance of information that has made it harder than ever to find reliable, effective lesson plans amongst the endless flood of information.
While there are certainly many free teaching resources to be found online, it’s important to weigh out how much time to spend looking for them, and to figure out where to find the lessons that fit your needs. Many of the lesson plans available online include worksheets or activities that do not provide stated lesson objectives, or assessment guidance, or do not align with standards. Therefore, teachers today have to spend a lot of time vetting out sources.
Teaching websites that sell individual lesson plans or units are one option to consider, as the activities are typically reviewed for quality and packaged with information on objectives, assessments, and standards. However, many teachers find that paying per individual lesson or unit is prohibitively expensive.
Another option – and our favorite – is to subscribe to a quality, peer-reviewed teaching website such as TeachSimple. Teach Simple provides lesson plans that are submitted by teachers (a great way to support your fellow educators!) and include everything that you need to get started teaching.
TeachSimple’s site makes it easy to search by grade level, subject matter, or standard, and find materials to suit any classroom’s needs. Because TeachSimple operates on a simple subscription basis, there is never any additional charge. Subscribers are free to download as many resources as they need.
Finding the right lesson plans – whether it’s shape tracing worksheets or high school level geometry lessons – can be tricky and time-consuming. Using a subscription lesson plan site such as TeachSimple can not only cut preparation time, but save search time, as each lesson is already vetted out and aligned to lesson objectives.
