Learning to write is a crucial skill for kindergarteners, which is why it’s important for preschoolers to get lots of practice. These cactus line tracing worksheets are a great way for preschoolers to practice handwriting skills this summer. They also go well with a desert-themed lesson plan.
Cactus Prewriting Worksheets for Summer
Prewriting skills are the fundamental building blocks for children to be able to develop their writing.
So, when I say that prewriting skills are fundamental skills to learning to write, that means they shouldn’t be skipped.
Ever.
So, how do we alleviate the possibility of our centers and journal practice getting a little stale?
We use a variety of prewriting practice cards to keep things fresh and exciting! We have beach prewriting cards and ice cream cone cards that offer additional summer prewriting practice. We also have an amazing year-long bundle of thematic prewriting cards!
FAQ About Teaching Writing Skills to Preschoolers
Prewriting skills are the fundamental skills preschoolers need to develop before they can effectively write and form letters. These skills include (but are not limited to) being able to draw, copy and color, and even just being able to make simple strokes with a pencil that mimic those found in writing. Prewriting is foundational to developing good handwriting skills.
A major prewriting skill is the ability to form the basic pencil strokes that make up all letters and numbers. They are as follows: |, —, O, +, /, square, \, X, and Δ. Focusing on building blocks outside of traditional letter and number tracing will help accomplish this. Children should practice hand and finger strength, crossing the midline, pencil grasp technique, hand-eye coordination, and even visual perception activities.
Some preschoolers will just sit down and start scribbling, drawing, or attempting to write letters. Others have no interest in using traditional writing materials. This is when all the hands-on activities mentioned above come in handy!
Allow your preschoolers to use playdough to make shapes or play with magnet letters. Or use magnet letters as stamps to make letter impressions! Sit down and make an alphabet book with your preschooler, or ask for help making a shopping list. Do loads of fine motor activities that force them to use the pincer grasp, like beading onto pipe cleaner or picking up small items.
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About These Prewriting Worksheets for Preschoolers
This cactus-themed printable pack features a little bit of everything when it comes to tracing practice. This will help meet the pre writing needs of all of your preschoolers.
Some of your students will only be ready for the “basic lines worksheets”. Others will be ready to trace letters, shapes, and more complex strokes. It is important to wait until they are ready, to move your preschoolers up to the alphabet tracing worksheets.
I will include a variety of ways to use these prewriting practice pages. Be sure to read to the end so you don’t miss a thing!
Cactus Themed Prewriting Practice Worksheets
This pack for preschoolers offers skills practice including tracing lines, letters, shapes, and numbers. You get to choose which pages will facilitate proper pencil grasp the best!
Materials
- cactus prewriting worksheets
- dry erase pouch
- dry erase markers
- small manipulatives
The Set-Up
Once you’ve printed the tracing pages on regular paper, you can slip them into some dry erase pouches. Then set them on a table or in your writing center with dry erase markers.
Make Prewriting Practice Hands-On
Writing practice–especially in preschool–doesn’t have to be limited to pencil and paper activities. You can make any prewriting printables fun and hands-on by adding some small manipulatives to the activity.
Read below to see how I use these manipulatives to teach fine motor skills in my preschool writing center.
How to Use the Cactus Prewriting Activities
There are many ways to use these cactus prewriting worksheets. They provide excellent practice in prewriting and fine motor skills. These worksheets include slanted line tracing, vertical line tracing, curved line tracing, alphabet tracing, number tracing, and more! Your preschooler’s readiness will determine which writing activities you use below.
Use a Dry Erase Marker
Preschoolers that are able to hold a writing utensil can use a dry erase marker with these printables. Simply place each printable in a dry erase sleeve.
Then using the pointer finger, have your child erase the written marks for more practice tracing lines and letters. Your child will absolutely love this part of the activity!
Use a Button
For preschoolers who are not ready to hold a marker, give them a button. Encourage your preschooler to slide the button along the lines. This will help them get a sense of feel for common line patterns that are found in writing letters.
Your preschoolers can also place buttons or other small manipulatives on the tracing lines. This is an excellent way to build fine motor skills.|
Please note: Do not use a laminated sheet or a dry erase sleeve. It makes the surface too slick and preschoolers can get frustrated because the buttons will slip.
Try Using a Pom Pom
Your preschoolers can also use a pom pom in the same way a button was used in the activity described above. It is another great hands-on way for preschoolers to learn how to form lines and letters. They will also be building fine motor strength by pinching the pom pom. Developing a good pincer grasp is important for a good pencil grip.
Stickers are fun too!
Stickers are another fun option to use on these printable worksheets. Your preschoolers will have fun peeling the stickers, which is also another great way to practice fine motor skills.
Encourage your young learner to stick stickers along the lines of a tracing sheet for fine motor practice and fun!
Don’t Forget Rainbow Writing!
Another perfect writing activity for kids is rainbow writing. With rainbow writing kids will trace a line or letter of the alphabet multiple times using different colored crayons or markers. This is a fun way to encourage preschoolers and kindergarteners to learn to write.
Here are some fun writing tools I like to offer my students for rainbow writing activities.
ONE MORE NOTE ABOUT TEACHING PREWRITING SKILLS
Using tracing worksheets can help young learners get a feel for the various shapes of letters and numbers. Kids typically enjoy following the traceable lines.
Preschoolers can learn to use a writing utensil without having it end up all over the paper! Whether they are learning to draw lines or completing letter tracing worksheets, they will be progressing in their writing development!
When my preschoolers first begin prewriting sheets, I stress the importance of starting at the left and tracing to the right. This is the natural progression in forming letters. Not to mention how we actually write in English. From left to right.
Get Your Free Cactus Prewriting Pack Here!
I hope it is clear that there is great significance in taking time to build prewriting skills. From basic line tracing to alphabet worksheets and beyond, this Cactus Prewriting Pack is a skill building gem! I bet you can’t wait to add these desert prewriting worksheets to your summer preschool activities!
You can grab your free copy below and we will send it right to your inbox.
You might also like these prewriting freebies!
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.
