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Pre-writing

Triangles Worksheet

Printable triangles tracing practice. Combining slants with a straight base. 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.

TrianglesTrace then tryAdjustable sizePDF · SVG
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Four steps

How to practise triangles

  1. 1

    Say the cue

    Up the hill, down the hill, straight along the bottom.

  2. 2

    Trace the guide

    Start on the dot, follow the dashed line without lifting the pencil.

  3. 3

    Try the empty row

    The row underneath has no guide, so the movement is repeated unaided.

  4. 4

    Shrink it over time

    Reduce the row height as control improves.

What triangles trains

Combining slants with a straight base.

Say this while they trace:Up the hill, down the hill, straight along the bottom.

Why it matters later

A, V, W and shape recognition.

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 triangles fixes it faster than another page of the letter.

Where it sits in the order

This is pattern 11 of 11 in the teaching order used across these sheets. If it proves difficult, step back to squares.

Related printables

See all pre-writing patterns, or move on to alphabet tracing and number tracing when the movements are secure.

Answers

Frequently asked questions

Combining slants with a straight base.

A, V, W and shape recognition.

"Up the hill, down the hill, straight along the bottom." Saying the movement out loud gives a child something to follow that a printed arrow cannot, and it builds the habit of starting in the right place.

Start with 30 mm rows or larger for a child under four, then reduce as control improves. Large movements come from the shoulder and elbow, which develop well before the fine finger control that small writing needs.

Go back to squares, which trains stopping and turning a corner deliberately. There is no benefit in pushing through a pattern the hand is not ready for.

Work through the whole progression

Eleven patterns, ordered from the easiest movement to the hardest, with a mixed sheet that samples all of them.