Free Pre-Writing Worksheets: Standing, Sleeping and Slanting Lines

How the sheets are levelled

Each line goes from big and guided to small and independent. Many sheets mix two levels, so a child can finish the page a little more on their own than they started it.

Ink-saving black-and-white versions

Every PDF has a black-and-white twin next to the colour one. The pictures are true outline drawings, the backgrounds are white or very light grey and the start dots are black, so a home printer uses far less ink. The layouts and levels are the same, and children can colour the pictures in.

Black-and-white pre-writing pack (22 pages, PDF)Download black-and-white PDF

Why the order of the lines matters

Children do not learn all lines at once. Occupational therapists use a well-tested order, the one behind the Beery VMI test of copying shapes, and most children follow it. Here are the typical ages for copying each shape from a picture, as listed in an NHS children’s occupational therapy leaflet:

• Standing line ( | ): about 2 to 3 years
• Sleeping line ( — ): about 3 years
• Circle: about 3 years
• Cross ( + ): about 4 years
• Slanting line ( / ): about 4 years 4 months
• Square: about 4 years 6 months
• Slanting line ( \ ): about 4 years 7 months
• X: about 4 years 11 months
• Triangle: about 5 years 3 months

Most children can imitate a shape (watch you draw it, then do it) a few months before they can copy it from a picture alone. Different sources give slightly different ages, but the order stays the same, so treat the ages as a rough guide, not a test. What the order tells you is useful: a child who cannot yet draw a steady standing line will find a slanting line frustrating, and a child who can copy a cross and a square is usually ready to start letters. Slanting lines are harder because the hand has to move down and sideways at the same time, and stop at the right place. That is why this pack marks slanting lines, squares, X and triangles as stretch sheets.

How to use the sheets by age

• About 2½ to 3 (playgroup, nursery): Level 1 standing and sleeping lines, and the big circles. Trace with a finger first, then a chunky crayon. One or two lanes is a good session. Scribbling on big paper still counts as practice.
• About 3 to 3½ (nursery, pre-K, LKG): Level 2 standing and sleeping lines and circles, the curves, standing and sleeping lines together, and the first crosses. Start the “Your turn” strips.
• About 3½ to 4 and up (LKG, pre-K, reception): the Level 3 pages, waves and zigzags, then the stretch sheets for slanting lines, squares, X and triangles. When your child can copy a cross and a square, move on to the lines-to-letters page and alphabet tracing.

Go by the child, not the birthday. If a sheet ends in tears, go back a level; if it takes a minute, go up one. Five to ten minutes a day works better than one long session at the weekend.

Tips from occupational therapy

• Big before small. Draw the line in the air with a straight arm, on a steamy window or in a tray of sand or rice before the paper. Big arm movements build the “picture” of the line and the shoulder strength that steadies the hand.
• Use a vertical surface sometimes. Tape a sheet to the wall or an easel. Drawing on an upright surface keeps the wrist slightly bent back, the position used for writing, and strengthens the shoulder.
• Short crayons, not long pencils. A broken crayon or a short, chunky pencil is hard to hold in a fist, so small fingers move into a better grip on their own.
• Say the direction. “Top… down!”, “Across!”, “Round and back.” Words help children remember where to start, which matters later for letters like b and d.
• Use the start dot every time. Where a child starts a line becomes a habit, and starting at the top is the habit letters need. Put a finger on the green dot first.
• Trace the letter strip too. Every sheet ends with big dotted letters on four-line guides, each with a start dot. Trace one or two, and say “this letter has a standing line in it!”
• Reuse the sheets. Slip a sheet into a plastic sleeve and use a whiteboard marker, or print the black-and-white version.

Grip and sitting: what is typical

A child’s grip changes with age, and NHS occupational therapy guidance describes these usual stages: a whole-fist grip at 1–2 years; all fingers on the crayon with the palm facing down at 2–3; four fingers starting to move from the wrist at 3–4; a three-finger (tripod) grip, still fairly stiff, at 4–6; and a moving tripod grip with the fingertips doing the work at about 6–7. In England, the Early Years goal is a tripod grip “in almost all cases” by the end of Reception, when most children are 5. So a 3-year-old holding a crayon with four fingers is right on track. Don’t correct it; offer short crayons and lots of play with playdough, pegs, stickers and tearing paper.

For sitting, aim for feet flat on the floor (or on a box), a table at about elbow height and the other hand holding the paper still.

Which letters each line builds

• Standing lines: l, i, t, b, d, h, k, p, L, T, H, I, E, F and the numbers 1 and 4.
• Sleeping lines: t, f, e, z and the bars in A, H, T, E, F, L and 7.
• Circles: o, a, c, d, g, q, O, C, Q, G and 0.
• Curves: c, s, u, n, m, h, r, S, U, J and the numbers 2, 3 and 5.
• Slanting lines: v, w, x, y, z, k, A, V, W, X, Y, M, N, K and 7.
• Zigzags: z, w, M, W and N.

Ready for letters? Signs to look for

Your child is usually ready to move on to letter tracing when they can copy a standing line, a sleeping line, a circle and a cross, start at the top without being reminded, and hold a crayon with their fingers rather than a fist. Then try our alphabet tracing A to Z and number tracing 1 to 10.

When to ask for advice: every child is different, but talk to their teacher, health visitor or doctor if, by about 5, your child cannot copy a cross or a square, avoids drawing altogether, or finds holding a crayon painful or very tiring. A children’s occupational therapist can help.

Printing tips

• The PDFs are A4. On US Letter paper, choose “Fit to page” or “Scale to fit” so nothing is cut off.
• Use the black-and-white versions to save ink: outline pictures, white or light grey backgrounds and black start dots (the words on the sheet say “black dot” to match).
• Print the Level 1 pages on thicker paper if you have it; small children press hard.
• Every PDF ends with the one-page grown-up guide, so a single sheet printed for nursery still comes with the tips.

Sources: Solihull Children’s Occupational Therapy (NHS): pre-writing skills · Aneurin Bevan UHB (NHS Wales): developing a tripod grasp · Vancouver Coastal Health: developmental stages in pre-writing · UK Department for Education: EYFS fine motor skills goal · Schneck and Henderson (1990), American Journal of Occupational Therapy: grip development.

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