Free Alphabet Letter Formation Cards
Learning to write and recognize letters is a key milestone in early literacy. That’s why incorporating letter formation activities and letter recognition activities into your preschool routine is so important. These alphabet letter formation cards include beginning sound and provide a hands-on, engaging way to practice these essential skills.
Unlike traditional worksheets, these letter formation cards encourage preschoolers to practice tracing, coloring, and forming letters in multiple creative ways. Keep reading to discover three fun and effective ways to add these cards to your preschool writing center.
Teaching letter recognition and formation doesn’t have to be boring or repetitive.
These letter formation activities are designed to engage preschoolers through hands-on and interactive learning experiences with just the use of a simple printable that can be used again and again.
Whether your preschoolers are practicing tracing, forming letters with sensory materials, or connecting letters to their sounds (letter sound association), these alphabet cards are versatile tools for any preschool classroom. With so many creative uses, these cards are perfect for encouraging early literacy in a way that feels playful and fun.
Why Use Letter Formation Cards
Some preschoolers take to the pencil early and with ease, seamlessly transitioning through all the stages of writing. They seem to have a knack for learning the alphabet and forming letters just the right way.
This is not the case for many preschoolers. Learning to write letters isn’t easy for many. For some preschoolers, it doesn’t come easily or naturally at all. They find the task of writing letters overwhelming and laborious
Since learning the alphabet and learning letter sound association is such a big step for preschoolers, so is learning to write letters. They go hand in hand.
We also have number formation tracing cards!
The Reading and Writing Connection shows that there is a direct connection between learning to read and the ability to form letters and write. This means that any high-quality preschool program is going to teach, and allow ample practice, in both letter recognition and sounds in correlation with forming letters.
There are loads of studies that support this claim however, so does my own teaching experience.
One of my own sons used to be a struggling reader. As a kinder student, he was bright and curious, and he loved school. He progressed as any kinder teacher would expect through the big-box company curriculum, effortlessly learning all the letters and sounds, as well as all the phonemic awareness skills.
But as the end of his kindergarten year approached, he could read few cvc words without stopping to decode, and he could read even fewer sight words. His reading sounded like this.
I /k/ /a/ /n/ /s/ /i/ /t/ /o/ /n/ the /m/ /a/ /t/.
See the problem here?
Not only was he trying to decode high-frequency words, but since he had to stop and decode every single word in a sentence, his comprehension relied strictly on the picture in the decodable.
Watching my son struggle was not easy, so I went back to my college textbooks and searched the internet for the most recent, most reputable sources about how to help struggling readers. And there was something I kept coming across in my reading…the connection between reading and writing, which for my son had been the missing component to his reading instruction.
Letter Formation Cards with Beginning Sounds
These letter formation cards can be used in three different ways, and the skill level of your student will determine which instructional approach you take.
What’s Included
Like most my alphabet printables, this one includes both uppercase and lowercase letters. You can choose if you want to teach letter formation of both cases simultaneously or individually. They also use a font that demonstrates correct letter formation.
Each card features a corresponding beginning sound picture, too, which can be used for letter sound association while being colored in like a letter formation worksheet.
How to Use the Letter Formation Cards
At its most simple, these are alphabet tracing cards. But let me walk you through all the other ways to use these cards to teach proper letter formation.
Finger Tracing Letter Formation Activity
When you introduce a new letter of the alphabet to your preschooler, you also introduce the letter formation order when writing that letter — even if you aren’t actually practicing writing the letter. For example, you might have your preschooler write the letter in the air following your direction, or you might have your preschooler trace a sandpaper letter.
I do both those activities and then follow it up with a letter tracing card like these and I invite my preschooler to first practice tracing the letter with their finger. There are any number of chants you can add to the process. I prefer to use the Handwriting Without Tears method.
Big line down, frog jumps up, big line down, little line across.
Magic c, up like a helicopter, bump back down and turn.
Finger tracing is especially good for toddlers and young preschoolers who are still learning the basic feel of letter formation, but all preschoolers and kindergarten students who are learning to write will benefit from alphabet letter formation activities like this one.
Toddlers also benefit from these fine motor letter formation mats.
Another fun alternative is to have your toddler pinch a pom pom while tracing the letter.
- Package Includes: 700pieces pom poms,1in/2.54cm in diameter
- Can be applied to create toy, garland, wreaths gifts, art projects, necklace, camp crafts,…
- Ability to develop: intellectual development, hands-on, interactive toys,
Dry Erase Letter Tracing, Followed by Finger Tracing to Erase
These beginning sound letter formation cards can also be placed into a dry erase pocket for lots of repeated practice.
Preschoolers follow the directions for forming the letters on the card, perhaps say the Handwriting Without Tears chant (or other comparable letter formation chant) while writing with a dry erase marker. Add a second practice by having your preschooler use his finger to erase the marker, using the same letter formation.
I have my preschoolers say the letter chants every single time. From my experience, when preschoolers start the transition from tracing to copying, the chants help remind them where to begin each letter on their paper.
Try these Letter Formation Mats with Beginning Sounds for more practice!
- Oversized for Easy Inserting Paper: Oversized write and wipe pockets make kids can easily change the…
- Durable for Long Time Use: The heavy duty cloth binding makes our reusable dry erase pocket sleeves…
- Dry Erasable for Paper Reuse: It is still easy to clean the writing on the clear waterproof surface…
- Gentle Reminder: 1.When not in use, please make sure to cap the markers and store it horizontally….
- 12 Bold Colors 24 Count Dry Erase Markers : Our 24 pack colored whiteboard marker include 12 colors:…
- Long-Lasting, Consistent Color Ink: Our markers are designed with a sufficient ink supply, ensuring…
Alphabet Letter Tracing and Coloring with Crayons
The final step is inviting your preschooler to use crayons to color the pictures on each card and trace the letters. These letter cards can also be used for rainbow writing, which is a common and well-used letter formation activity that gives preschoolers and kindergarten students even more practice in writing.
Rainbow writing is when the same letter is practiced multiple times using different colors of crayons. You can read more about rainbow writing in our Easter Bunny Letter Formation Cards. It shares all the details of how to teach preschoolers to rainbow write.
The number of times you want your preschooler to practice the letter will determine the number of colors needed. I typically choose between 3-6 times. Three times if the preschooler is practicing several letters. Six times if they are practicing only a few letters at a time.
Finally, your preschooler can color the images on the letter formation tracing cards.
How to Teach Letter Formation
When I introduce new letters to my preschoolers, I follow the system I outline above.
- finger tracing
- dry erase, then finger tracing
- rainbow writing
If you have a preschooler who isn’t expressing any interest in learning to write, or if you have a young preschooler, try some of these tips:
- Trace the letter yourself with a dry erase marker and invite your toddler to eraser your lines with her finger.
- Use a cheap knit mitten as an eraser for dry erase markers.
- When tracing the letter, say the letter name over and over, or say the letter sound again and again.
- Use these letter formation cards with other letter building activities.
Be sure to check out this list of free letter formation worksheets.
Get Your Free Alphabet Letter Formation Cards Here
Think these alphabet letter formation activities are something your preschooler or kinder student will respond to? You can grab your own free copy by clicking the image below and it will be sent to your email.
Letter Formation Worksheets
Looking for letter formation worksheets for kindergarten students. Try some of these.
- Alphabet Coloring Pages
- 20+ Letter Formation Worksheets
- Alphabet Letter Tracing Worksheets
- OT Designed Letter Formation Worksheets
- Letter Tracing Worksheets for Handwriting Practice
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
Do you have this in uppercase?
Yes, they are included in the same download.
Hi Sarah.
Thank you for the Freebies!
These particular alphabet formation cards are not the beginning sounds formation cards, but simply the letter. I love those as well–great practice for the kiddos if the “beginning sounds” ones are not available.
Thanks for all the fun and educational ideas!
Thanks for letting me know. I have added the correct file.