Number Tracing Worksheets to Trace and Count

Trace the numeral, then count the pictures and see that the two are the same thing. Each sheet gives one enormous hollow number with dashed guides inside its body, and beside it exactly that many identical drawings.

Ages 3-6 35 sheets

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Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 3 to trace and three ducklings to count Trace the Number 3 and Count the Ducklings A hollow number three with dashed guides running down the inside of it, and three matching ducklings on the facing half of the page waiting to be counted. Download Free PDF Watch on YouTube
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 5 to trace and five rockets to count Trace the Number 5 and Count the Rockets The numeral five drawn as one big outline with dotted guides tucked inside, printed next to five identical rockets so the quantity on the paper is the answer. Download Free PDF Watch on YouTube
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 1 to trace and one apple to count Trace the Number 1 and Count the Apple A tall hollow numeral one with dashed guides down its body, and a single apple on the facing half so one shape means one thing. Download Free PDF Watch on YouTube
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 1 to trace and one sleepy crescent moon Trace the Number 1 and Find the Moon One drowsy crescent moon sits opposite a hollow one, which is the only numeral a child can finish in a single downward stroke. Download Free PDF Watch on YouTube
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 1 to trace and one seated cat to count Trace the Number 1 and Count the Cat A seated cat with its tail curled round its paws, printed beside a hollow one for a child who is still learning that a single object is counted once. Download Free PDF Watch on YouTube
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 2 to trace and two butterflies to count Trace the Number 2 and Count the Butterflies Two identical butterflies with their wings spread flat, facing a hollow two whose curve and flat base a child traces in one sweep. Download Free PDF Watch on YouTube
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 2 to trace and two rain boots to count Trace the Number 2 and Count the Boots Two rain boots stand side by side next to a hollow two, a pairing a child already knows from getting dressed for the rain. Download Free PDF Watch on YouTube
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 2 to trace and two fish to count Trace the Number 2 and Count the Fish Two round fish swim opposite a hollow two, and the numeral is drawn big enough that a small hand can follow the whole curve without lifting the pencil. Download Free PDF Watch on YouTube
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 3 to trace and three balloons to count Trace the Number 3 and Count the Balloons Three balloons on their strings face a hollow three, whose two stacked curves are the shape most children get backwards first. Download Free PDF Watch on YouTube
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 3 to trace and three oak leaves to count Trace the Number 3 and Count the Leaves Three lobed oak leaves sit beside a hollow three, a page that works as well in an autumn table as it does in a maths folder. Download Free PDF Watch on YouTube
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 4 to trace and four kites to count Trace the Number 4 and Count the Kites Four diamond kites with bows on their tails, printed against a hollow four, which is the first numeral that asks a child to lift the pencil. Download Free PDF Watch on YouTube
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 4 to trace and four knitted mittens to count Trace the Number 4 and Count the Mittens Four knitted mittens with ribbed cuffs face a hollow four, and counting them in pairs is the first step towards counting in twos. Download Free PDF Watch on YouTube
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 4 to trace and four toy cars to count Trace the Number 4 and Count the Cars Four side-on toy cars line up opposite a hollow four, close enough together that a child can touch each one while counting out loud. Download Free PDF Watch on YouTube
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 5 to trace and five smiling stars to count Trace the Number 5 and Count the Stars Five smiling stars share a page with a hollow five, and each star has five points, so the number is drawn twice over in a way a child can see. Download Free PDF Watch on YouTube
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 5 to trace and five five-petalled flowers to count Trace the Number 5 and Count the Flowers Five flowers with five petals apiece stand beside a hollow five, so the count can be checked twice without a single word printed on the page. Download Free PDF Watch on YouTube
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 6 to trace and six bumble bees to count Trace the Number 6 and Count the Bees Six striped bumble bees face a hollow six, a numeral that starts as a long curve and only becomes a loop at the very end. Download Free PDF
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 6 to trace and six spotted ladybirds to count Trace the Number 6 and Count the Ladybirds Six spotted ladybirds sit opposite a hollow six, and each one carries six spots on its shell for a child who wants to count twice. Download Free PDF
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 6 to trace and six toy drums to count Trace the Number 6 and Count the Drums Six toy drums with crossed sticks are printed beside a hollow six, a set big enough to count in twos or in threes. Download Free PDF
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 7 to trace and seven sitting frogs to count Trace the Number 7 and Count the Frogs Seven wide-eyed frogs sit facing a hollow seven, the fastest numeral on the page to trace and the easiest one to draw upside down. Download Free PDF
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 7 to trace and seven spiral-shelled snails to count Trace the Number 7 and Count the Snails Seven spiral-shelled snails face a hollow seven, and the spiral on each shell is a tracing exercise all by itself. Download Free PDF
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 7 to trace and seven party hats to count Trace the Number 7 and Count the Hats Seven cone party hats with pompoms are lined up against a hollow seven, one for each day if a child wants a reason to count them. Download Free PDF
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 8 to trace and eight crayons to count Trace the Number 8 and Count the Crayons Eight wrapped crayons stand opposite a hollow eight, the one numeral a child traces without ever taking the pencil off the paper. Download Free PDF
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 8 to trace and eight turtles to count Trace the Number 8 and Count the Turtles Eight plated turtles walk beside a hollow eight, a count high enough that most children start grouping them without being asked. Download Free PDF
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 8 to trace and eight spotted mushrooms to count Trace the Number 8 and Count the Mushrooms Eight spotted mushrooms face a hollow eight, drawn thick enough that the shape survives a cheap printer on draft. Download Free PDF
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 9 to trace and nine acorns to count Trace the Number 9 and Count the Acorns Nine capped acorns sit opposite a hollow nine, which a child traces as a circle first and a straight tail second. Download Free PDF
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 9 to trace and nine sewing buttons to count Trace the Number 9 and Count the Buttons Nine four-holed buttons face a hollow nine, small round shapes that are easy to point at one at a time without losing the place. Download Free PDF
Number tracing worksheet with a hollow number 9 to trace and nine penguins to count Trace the Number 9 and Count the Penguins Nine round penguins stand in front of a hollow nine, the largest single-digit count and the last stop before a number needs two shapes. Download Free PDF
Count and circle worksheet with six strawberries to count and three outline numbers to choose from Count the Strawberries and Circle the Right Number Six seeded strawberries on one half of the page and three outline numerals on the other, so the child counts first and commits to an answer second. Download Free PDF
Count and circle worksheet with eight cupcakes to count and three outline numbers to choose from Count the Cupcakes and Circle the Right Number Eight iced cupcakes with cherries on top, printed against three big outline numerals so a wrong count is corrected by looking, not by being told. Download Free PDF
Count and circle worksheet with four owls to count and three outline numbers to choose from Count the Owls and Circle the Right Number Four round-eyed owls on one side of the page and three big outline numbers on the other, so counting comes first and picking the right answer comes second. Download Free PDF
Count and circle worksheet with two sailboats to count and three outline numbers to choose from Count the Sailboats and Circle the Right Number Two sailboats ride their water lines beside a one, a two and a three, the smallest count on this page and the one where a child first learns that the answer is not always the biggest numeral offered. Download Free PDF
Count and circle worksheet with three watermelon slices to count and three outline numbers to choose from Count the Watermelon Slices and Circle the Right Number Three wedges of watermelon sit opposite a two, a three and a four, a count small enough to check twice on the fingers of one hand before the pencil commits to a circle. Download Free PDF
Count and circle worksheet with five teddy bears to count and three outline numbers to choose from Count the Teddy Bears and Circle the Right Number Five sitting teddy bears face a four, a five and a six. Five is the first count on this axis that will not fit in a single glance, so the finger has to touch each bear in turn. Download Free PDF
Count and circle worksheet with seven pencils to count and three outline numbers to choose from Count the Pencils and Circle the Right Number Seven tilted pencils are printed against a six, a seven and an eight, three numerals close enough together that guessing from the size of the group stops working. Download Free PDF
Count and circle worksheet with nine houses to count and three outline numbers to choose from Count the Houses and Circle the Right Number Nine little houses stand in rows beside a seven, an eight and a nine, the longest count the page holds, and the one where a child learns to keep a place instead of starting again. Download Free PDF

Writing a numeral and understanding a quantity are two separate skills, and most worksheets teach only the first. A child can copy a perfectly good 5 without any sense that five is more than three. These 35 sheets put both halves of the idea on one piece of paper, side by side, so the shape and the amount are learned in the same sitting.

The tracing guides sit inside the big hollow numeral rather than on a ruled line underneath it. That is deliberate. A young child following a line inside a shape can see how far there is left to go, which a row of dotted characters never shows, and the guides run in the direction a pencil actually travels rather than in the direction a printer scans.

Print these landscape on ordinary paper. There is no grey ink and no shading anywhere on them, so a cheap mono printer on the draft setting puts down every line, and a sheet that comes out clean can be slipped into a plastic sleeve and traced over with a dry-wipe pen as many times as you like.

How many times should a child trace each number?

As many as fit inside the shape, and then stop. There are several guides inside every numeral on purpose, so the repetition is finished when the shape is full rather than when a timer says so. If a child wants more, print the sheet again.

How it works

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  3. Print at home or at school and start working

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