Free letter, number and word tracing
This letter formation game gives children a clear place to start and a path to follow. Choose a lowercase letter, a number from 0 to 10, or a Year 1 common exception word. Drag the green starting dot along the dotted trail to trace each shape in order. There is no timer, score for neatness or signup needed.
How to use the starting dot
- Choose Letters, Numbers or Words, then pick the shape or activity you want.
- Put a finger, stylus or mouse pointer on the large green dot. Hold and drag slowly along the dotted path.
- Watch the path turn green. If you drift away, the dot waits: return to it and carry on.
- Lift your finger between strokes. A new dot shows where the next stroke starts. For i and j, tap the dot above the stick.
- Finish the shape or every letter of a word to earn a sticker. Repeat it or choose the next one.
Start with simple lowercase letters
The first-letter set is c, o, a, e, b, d and l. Try c before o and a: the opening curve is shared, so a child can practise a familiar movement before adding more. The a is a single-storey print letter. The All lowercase letters option adds the rest of a–z when you are ready.
Say the movement as you trace: “around”, “down” or “back up”. Take turns with your child, or model the shape first. A short session with one or two letters leaves room to repeat a movement without rushing through the alphabet.
Number formation from 0 to 10
Numbers use the same starting-dot controls. Begin with the straight line in 1 or the round shape in 0, then choose other digits individually. The 4 has two strokes, and 10 is traced as a 1 followed by a 0. Lift your finger and look for the new starting dot between them.
To connect the written number with its meaning, count that many small objects after tracing. Our Ten-Frame Fill counting game offers another way to explore numbers up to ten.
Year 1 common exception words: five at a time
Words mode contains the 45 Year 1 example common exception words in England's English Appendix 1: Spelling. They are split into nine activities of five words in the published list order. Schools may introduce other words or use a different order according to their phonics programme.
Activity 1 starts with the, a, do, to and today. On screens with enough room, the full word appears on the tracing board and the starting dot moves through its letters in order. Smaller screens show one large tracing letter at a time, with the full word and current letter highlighted above. Lift your finger between strokes and letters. Completing a word earns its own sticker; completing all five earns an activity sticker. The next activity brings the next five words.
| Activity | Words to trace |
|---|---|
| Activity 1 | the, a, do, to, today |
| Activity 2 | of, said, says, are, were |
| Activity 3 | was, is, his, has, I |
| Activity 4 | you, your, they, be, he |
| Activity 5 | me, she, we, no, go |
| Activity 6 | so, by, my, here, there |
| Activity 7 | where, love, come, some, one |
| Activity 8 | once, ask, friend, school, put |
| Activity 9 | push, pull, full, house, our |
For editable letter-building and recorded whole-word practice, try Spelling Workshop. Its Year 1 and Year 2 example lists save separately.
Match capital and lowercase forms, order letters or complete an alphabet segment in Alphabet Workshop. Letter-name recordings are optional; they are different from phonics sounds.
Tips for parents, Reception teachers and tutors
Finger tracing can introduce a shape and its starting point. Follow it with making the same letter or word on paper so the child can practise holding and controlling a pencil too. These are unjoined print formations; match your school's preferred handwriting style where it differs.
Read the word together before tracing, then use it in a spoken sentence. Common exception words contain spellings that may differ from the sound patterns taught so far. This activity gives writing practice; for listening to letter sounds and blending decodable words, try Fred's Sound Box phonics game.
The Department for Education's writing framework places handwriting and spelling teaching in Reception. Choose the starting set by the child's current skills, with adult support when needed. The game belongs to Fun Games Now, created by UK SEND tutor Fearn Robinson.
Questions about the tracing game
Does it work on iPad and Android?
Use a finger on a modern touchscreen browser, a stylus or a mouse. Touch controls use the same starting dot on every device. The tracing area keeps a drag on the board; you can scroll the page from outside it.
Can my child pause or make a mistake?
Yes. Lift a finger at any point, then restart from the dot where you stopped. Wandering off the trail does not lose a life or erase progress. Use Start again for a fresh shape or Trace this word again to repeat a word.
Where do the rewards go?
Completed letters, numbers, words and five-word activities appear in the sticker book. Stickers are saved in this browser for another visit. An optional account can save them to a child profile.