Pre-writing
Circles Worksheet
Printable circles tracing practice. Closing a shape, and going anticlockwise. Trace the dashed guide, then try the empty row underneath. Adjust the size to suit the hand using it, then print or save a PDF.
Four steps
How to practise circles
- 1
Say the cue
Start at the top and go backwards all the way round.
- 2
Trace the guide
Start on the dot, follow the dashed line without lifting the pencil.
- 3
Try the empty row
The row underneath has no guide, so the movement is repeated unaided.
- 4
Shrink it over time
Reduce the row height as control improves.
What circles trains
Closing a shape, and going anticlockwise.
Say this while they trace: “Start at the top and go backwards all the way round.”
Why it matters later
o, a, c, d, g, q and the digit 0.
That connection is the reason to practise the movement on its own. When one of those letters later refuses to come out right, the problem is usually this movement rather than the letter, and a page of circles fixes it faster than another page of the letter.
Where it sits in the order
This is pattern 8 of 11 in the teaching order used across these sheets. If it proves difficult, step back to loops. Once it is comfortable, move on to spirals.
Related printables
See all pre-writing patterns, or move on to alphabet tracing and number tracing when the movements are secure.
Answers