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Early learning

Number 0 Tracing Worksheet

Printable practice for writing the number 0 and the word “zero”, on ruled lines with starting dots. Nothing at all. An empty hand, an empty plate. Print it or save a PDF.

Digit 0The word "zero"Ten framesPDF · SVG
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Four steps

How to practise the number 0

  1. 1

    Count it first

    Count out 0 objects before writing anything.

  2. 2

    Say the stroke aloud

    Start at the top, curve back and all the way around, closing the loop where you began.

  3. 3

    Trace, then try

    The guided row comes first, the blank row follows.

  4. 4

    Check the quantity

    Switch to ten frames to confirm 0 is understood, not just written.

Writing the number 0

Start at the top, curve back and all the way around, closing the loop where you began.

Say it out loud while the child writes. Starting the stroke in the right place is most of what makes a digit come out correctly, and it matters far more at this stage than how neat the result looks.

What 0 means

Nothing at all. An empty hand, an empty plate.

Count 0 real objects before writing the digit. A number that has only ever been a shape on a page is not much use, and the gap between writing a numeral and understanding the quantity behind it is the most common weak point in early maths.

The mistake to watch for

Zero and the letter O are the same shape. Context is the only thing that separates them.

Where this fits

Work through all the numbers in order, use the ten frame setting to check understanding, then move to the math worksheet generator for addition. For letters on the same writing lines, see the alphabet tracing worksheets.

Answers

Frequently asked questions

Start at the top, curve back and all the way around, closing the loop where you began.

Nothing at all. An empty hand, an empty plate. On the ten frame setting this page prints every frame from 1 up to 0, so the quantity is seen building rather than met on its own.

Zero and the letter O are the same shape. Context is the only thing that separates them.

Yes. The number word setting adds a line tracing "zero", which links the digit to the word a child will meet in reading.

Work through the whole set

Every number from 0 to 20 has its own sheet, with ten frames and missing number sequences on the same generator.