Pattern Tracing

Seven patterns, traced across the page

Each row prints one continuous repeating pattern between guide lines, for the pencil to follow without lifting. Choose which patterns and how many rows each gets.

Wave, zigzag, loop, arch, bump, square wave, spring.

What a continuous pattern trains that a letter does not

Flow. A letter is a short movement with a stop at the end; a pattern runs the width of the page without lifting the pencil, which is a different physical skill and the one that fluent handwriting is built on.

It also builds the left-to-right sweep of the whole arm. Children who write letter by letter with the fingers alone produce cramped, slow writing, and no amount of letter practice fixes it because the problem is which joints are moving.

The patterns are letters in disguise

That is why these seven and not some other set.

The arch is n, m, h and r. The bump upside down is u and y. The loop is the cursive e and l, and the beginning of every joined hand. The zigzag is v, w and the diagonals of k and z. The wave is the join itself, running along the baseline between letters.

A child who can run a smooth arch pattern across a page has the movement for four letters before meeting any of them.

Where to start

Wave and bump are the easiest, because the direction changes gradually. Zigzag and square wave are harder, since both require stopping and turning sharply — and the sharp corner is genuinely difficult for a three-year-old, who tends to round it or sail past.

Loop and spring are the hardest and the most useful, because they require a continuous rotation that keeps its size. Save them until the simpler ones are smooth.

Do it big first

Not necessarily on paper. The same patterns drawn in the air, in sand, in shaving foam or with a finger on a window are doing the same work and hold attention better.

Then move to the page. Use a thick pencil or a crayon rather than a sharp pencil — at this stage the grip matters far more than the point does, and a fine tip encourages exactly the tight finger grip you are trying to avoid.

Watch for pressing hard or stopping mid-row. Both mean the session has gone on long enough.

Before you print

Which patterns, rows per pattern (1 to 4), and labels on or off. A4 or US Letter at 100%.

Two or three patterns a sheet is plenty. When these are smooth, the pre-writing strokes break the movements into single lines and curves, and letters come after that.