First Grade Handwriting Worksheets

First grade handwriting worksheets in 19 mm print with starting dots: 84 short lines to trace twice and copy once.

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NameDateWe rode a bikeWe rode a bikehome.home.Made at homeroomtools.com

1 first grade line on 1 page, Letter portrait.

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Pick from the 84 first grade lines

The whole list is under the tool. With scripts on, each line here can be pressed to put it on the sheet.

Next step Try the 2nd grade linesType your own sentence

All 34 tricky words

A vowel with a surprise sound 15

  • any 3 letters. It is many without the m, with the same surprise a.
  • come 4 letters. The o sounds like the u in up, and the e is silent.
  • does 4 letters. The oe sounds like the u in up, and the s sounds like z.
  • from 4 letters. The o sounds like the u in up.
  • many 4 letters. The a sounds like the e in hen.
  • put 3 letters. It looks as if it rhymes with cut, but the u sounds like the oo in book.
Show all 34 tricky words (28 more)

A vowel with a surprise sound, continued

  • said 4 letters. The ai sounds like the e in red, so it cannot be sounded out.
  • some 4 letters. It rhymes with come and ends in the same 3 letters.
  • there 5 letters. The word here sits inside it, a clue that it is about a place.
  • they 4 letters. The ey sounds like the ay in day.
  • want 4 letters. The a sounds like the o in hot.
  • was 3 letters. The a sounds like the u in up, and the s sounds like z.
  • were 4 letters. It rhymes with her, and the last e is silent.
  • what 4 letters. It starts with wh, like when, where and why.
  • you 3 letters. The ou sounds like the oo in zoo.

A letter that is not heard 12

  • are 3 letters. The e at the end is silent.
  • could 5 letters. The l is silent. would and should end in the same 4 letters.
  • friend 6 letters. The i is not heard, and the word end sits at the back.
  • give 4 letters. The e is silent and the i stays short, unlike in five.
  • have 4 letters. The e is silent and the a stays short, unlike in gave.
  • know 4 letters. The k is silent, so it sounds like no.
  • people 6 letters. The o is not heard: the eo sounds like the ee in see.
  • should 6 letters with a silent l, and sh at the start.
  • talk 4 letters. The l is silent, and walk works the same way.
  • two 3 letters. The w is silent. This is the number 2, not to or too.
  • would 5 letters with a silent l. It sounds just like wood.
  • write 5 letters. The w is silent, so it sounds like right.

Other odd ones 7

  • because 7 letters. Say be and cause, then spell the second part c, a, u, s, e.
  • of 2 letters. The f sounds like v.
  • once 4 letters. It is one with a c before the e, and the same hidden w sound.
  • one 3 letters. It starts with a w sound that is not written.
  • the 3 letters, 2 of them tall. It is the most common word in written English, so it is worth getting neat.
  • who 3 letters. The wh sounds like h alone.
  • your 4 letters. It is you with an r on the end.

How this list was compiled: Written for this site on 2026-09-18: 34 common short words that cannot be fully sounded out, in three groups, with the odd part of each described from standard American pronunciation. That the is the most common word in written English was checked on 2026-09-18 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_common_words_in_English, which ranks the first in a list drawn from the Oxford English Corpus. Letter counts were counted. No entry names a real person, a handwriting program or a character from a book, film, show or game. Licence: own work

All 84 first grade lines

Word family rows 10

  • bug rug hug The ug family: 3 g's with tails, and 2 tall letters, the b and the h.
  • can fan man The an family. Only 1 letter is tall, the f. Everything else stops at the dashed line.
  • cat hat sat 3 words from the at family. Only the first letter changes, so the a and the t can look the same all 3 times.
  • hop top mop The op family. 3 p's, so 3 tails to drop under the baseline.
  • jet net wet The et family. 3 t's to cross and 1 dot for the j.
Show all 84 first grade lines (79 more)

Word family rows, continued

  • log dog fog The og family. 3 g's under the baseline and 3 tall letters over the dashed line: l, d and f.
  • pig big dig The ig family. 4 tail letters drop under the baseline: 3 g's and the p. Under More options, tick Add a fourth line to see where they stop.
  • pin win fin The in family. 3 i's, so 3 dots to remember.
  • red bed fed The ed family with 5 tall letters: 3 d's, a b and an f.
  • sun run fun The un family. Just 1 tall letter, the f, and no tails, so the rest of the row stays under the dashed line.

Short vowel sentences 8

  • A big pig dug a pit. 6 words, which is as long as a sentence gets on this page. big, pig and pit have short i.
  • A fox hid in a box. 6 words. fox and box rhyme, which gives 2 x's to write.
  • The bug hid in a rug. 6 words. bug and rug rhyme, and their g's are the only 2 tails.
  • Dad had a tan cap. 5 words. Dad, had, tan and cap all have the short a of cat.
  • Mom got a hot pot. 5 words. Mom, got, hot and pot share the short o.
  • The pup dug in mud. 5 words, 3 of them with the short u of sun: pup, dug and mud.
  • Six kids sit and sip. 5 words, 4 of them with short i: Six, kids, sit and sip.
  • Ten red hens sat. 4 words: 3 with short e, then sat with a short a.

sh, ch, th and wh 8

  • The chick can chirp. 4 words. chick has ch at the front and ck at the back, 2 pairs in 1 word.
  • chin chip chop 3 words that start with ch. Each c is small and each h is tall, 3 times over.
  • She has a red shell. 5 words with sh twice, once with a capital S and once small.
  • ship shop shell 3 words that start with sh, 2 letters that make 1 sound.
  • This path is thin. 4 words with th 3 times: at the start of This and thin, and at the end of path.
  • this that then 3 words that start with th. Both letters are tall, and the t is the one with the cross.
  • when where why 3 question words that start with wh, 12 letters in all.
  • Which fish is his? A question of 4 words. Which starts with wh and ends with ch, and fish ends with sh.

Blends at the start of a word 8

  • A crab can grip. 4 words. cr and gr both end in r, so say each one slowly before you write.
  • A frog can swim fast. 5 words with 3 blends: fr, sw and the st at the end of fast.
  • The flag flaps. 3 words with fl twice. 5 tall letters reach the top line, and the capital T stops just under it.
  • frog flag flip 3 words that start with a blend, fr or fl. In a blend both letters are heard.
  • Grab a snack and sit. 5 words. Grab starts with gr and snack with sn.
  • My sled slid. 3 words, 2 of them starting with sl. Only 1 letter differs between sled and slid.
  • Plant a plum pit. 4 words, 3 of them starting with p. Only the 2 small ones have tails. The capital P stands on the baseline.
  • stop step spin 3 words that start with st or sp, 12 letters in all.

Silent e pairs and sentences 8

  • A cute mule ate hay. 5 words. cute, mule and ate all end in an e that is not heard.
  • cap cape Add an e and the a says its name. 2 words, 7 letters, 1 of them silent.
  • cub cube 2 words, 7 letters, and 2 tall letters, both b.
  • hop hope 2 words. The silent e turns short o into long o, and both words keep a p tail.
  • I made a cake. 4 words, 2 of them with a silent e: made and cake.
  • kit kite 2 words, 7 letters. The e on kite is not heard, but it turns the i long.
  • pin pine 2 words. With the e, the i sounds like the word I.
  • We rode a bike home. 5 words, 3 of them with a silent e: rode, bike and home.

Periods, question marks and exclamation points 10

  • Can you see me? A question of 4 words. The dot of the question mark sits on the baseline, like a period.
  • Did the bell ring? A question of 4 words. bell ends in a double l, 2 tall lines side by side.
  • I am six. A telling sentence of 3 words that ends with a period. Swap six for your own age.
  • Is it time to go? A question of 5 short words, none longer than 4 letters.
  • Stop. Look. Listen. 3 sentences of 1 word each, so 3 capitals and 3 periods in one line.
  • Watch me jump! 3 words that end with an exclamation point, the mark for a shout or a surprise.
  • We won the game! 4 words and an exclamation point: a tall line with a dot under it.
  • What time is it? A question of 4 words in 12 letters.
  • Where is my hat? A question of 4 words: 1 capital to start and 1 question mark to end.
  • Yes, it is. An answer of 3 words with 1 comma and 1 period, 2 marks that both sit on the baseline.

Number words 8

  • A cat has four legs. 5 words with the number word four, not the word for.
  • Five ducks swim by. 4 words, 3 tall letters and 1 tail letter, the y in by.
  • four five six 3 number words, 11 letters. four has a u that is easy to drop.
  • I have two hands. 4 words. two is the number, with a w that is not heard.
  • one two three 3 number words, 11 letters. one and two are not spelled the way they sound.
  • seven eight nine 3 number words, 14 letters. eight has a gh in the middle that is not heard.
  • ten eleven twelve 3 number words. eleven has 6 letters, and 3 of them are e.
  • Ten toes wiggle. 3 words. wiggle has a double g, so 2 tails side by side.

Color words 9

  • A plum is purple. 4 words with 3 p's, so 3 tails to drop under the baseline.
  • black white brown 3 color words of 5 letters each, 15 in all.
  • Grass is green. 3 words, 2 of them starting with gr, one with a capital G and one small.
  • green orange purple 3 color words: 5 letters in green, 6 in orange and 6 in purple.
  • My hat is red. 4 words, none longer than 3 letters. Swap hat and red for what you are wearing.
  • pink and gray 3 words with 3 tails: p, g and y.
  • red yellow blue 3 color words, 13 letters. yellow has a double l and a y tail.
  • The sky is blue. 4 words. sky ends in a y tail, and the b and the l of blue both reach the top line.
  • Snow is white. 3 words, 11 letters. white starts with wh and ends in a silent e.

About me starters to finish 9

  • I am in first grade. 5 words in 15 letters, and a full sentence to copy as it is.
  • I am six years old. 5 words. Change six to seven if you need to.
  • I can The shortest starter, 2 words and 4 letters. Finish it with 1 thing you can do.
  • I like to A starter of 3 words. Finish it with something you do: read, swim, draw.
  • I live in A starter of 3 words. The town or city you add takes a capital.
  • My best friend is A starter of 4 words. friend is the hard one: the i comes before the e.
  • My favorite food is A starter of 4 words in 16 letters. favorite has 8 letters and is the longest word in this group.
  • My name is A starter of 3 words with no period yet. Trace it, then write your name on the empty row and add the period.
  • My pet is a A starter of 4 words, none longer than 3 letters. No pet? Write the one you wish for.

Names and the word I 6

  • Ann has a pet hen. 5 words, 1 capital. The name comes first, so one capital does both jobs.
  • Dad and I fish. 4 words with 2 capitals. Dad takes one here because it is used as his name.
  • Is Max at home? A question of 4 words with 2 capitals: one to start it and one for the name.
  • Kim and Ben jog. 4 words with 2 names, so 2 capitals.
  • My dog is Rex. 4 words. A pet's name takes a capital too, even at the end of the sentence.
  • Sam and I ran. 4 words with 2 capitals: the name Sam, and the word I, which is always a capital.

How this list was compiled: Written for this site on 2026-09-18. Every sentence has 6 words or fewer and every line wraps onto 1 or 2 rows at the Large letter height, checked against the tool's own layout. Three groups follow first grade conventions in the Common Core language standards, read on 2026-09-18 in the standards document at https://learning.ccsso.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ELA_Standards1.pdf: L.1.1a (print all upper- and lowercase letters), L.1.2a (capitalize dates and names of people) and L.1.2b (use end punctuation for sentences). Counts of words, letters, tall letters and tail letters were counted, and other counts were made one by one. The Common Core State Standards were published in 2010 and are the copyright of the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers; this site is not affiliated with or endorsed by either, and the sheets follow no single curriculum. Revised on 2026-09-20. The first names in the lines (Sam, Ann, Max, Kim, Ben) and the dog Rex are made up. No line names a real person, a handwriting program or a character from a book, film, show or game. Licence: own work

How it works

First grade handwriting worksheets need short lines and big letters. All 84 lines have 6 words or fewer. The 10 groups run from word families, short vowels and blends to end marks, number words, color words and about me starters.

Read the full guide

From rhyming rows to full sentences

The 10 groups climb from rows of 3 rhyming words to sentences that finish with an end mark, a grade 1 item in the Common Core language standards. The 6 about me starters, such as My name is, stop early on purpose: the child finishes them on the empty row.

Six rows at 19 mm

At Large a printed page holds 6 rows: 2 rows of text, each traced twice with an empty row under it. A line that fits one row fills 3, and a sentence that wraps onto 2 fills the page. No line here needs more. For single words, open More options and set What to practice to Tricky words: 34, such as said or two, repeated across each row.

  • Print the same line two days running and keep both sheets. Side by side, they show a child the change.
  • On a word family row, have the child say each word before tracing it.
  • If 19 mm looks cramped, try Extra large, 26 mm, on the silent e pairs: all 5 fit one row.

Questions and answers

Can I print this first grade handwriting practice at home?

Yes, free. Press Print worksheet, or choose Save as PDF in the print window. Share link reopens the same line and settings, so a parent can print the sheet a teacher chose. The link holds whatever was typed, so leave children's names out of it.

What size are the lines on these first grade handwriting worksheets?

Large: tall letters are 19 mm, small letters stop at the dashed line about 12 mm up, and rows sit 29 mm apart. Every line has 6 words or fewer, so none needs more than 2 rows. Extra large is 26 mm.

Where should a first grader start each letter?

At the dot. Each traced letter carries one where the pencil lands, mostly at the top. Two are worth pointing out: e starts in the middle, and d starts at the dashed line with its round part, while b starts at the top line.

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