Free number 16 tracing worksheets

Free printable number 16 tracing worksheets for preschool and kindergarten: a model 16 with a how-to-write cue and rows to trace, the word "sixteen", a ten frame and pictures to count and color, plus two answer-key pages.

5 worksheets

Answer keys included

Preschool–Kindergarten

Free PDF download

Maths

Trace the number 16: model, formation cue and five rows
A big model 16 with a how-to-write cue, five rows of dashed 16s to trace and a blank line to write it alone. Free printable PDF.
Number 16 and the word "sixteen": trace and write
Trace the digit 16 and the word "sixteen" side by side in five rows, then write both on the last line. Free printable PDF.
Count and color 16: ten frame and three groups
A ten frame showing 16 as ten and more, three groups of 16 pictures to count and color, and a row of 16s to trace. Free printable PDF.
Find and color the number 16 (with answer key)
A grid of numbers with look-alike distractors: color every 16, then count how many you found. Answer key on page 2. Free printable PDF.
How many? Counting pictures around 16 (with answer key)
Six boxes of pictures with counts close to 16: count each group and write the number. Answer key on page 2. Free printable PDF.

Five worksheets for one number: 16. The first sheet shows a large 16 in color with a short cue for how to write it (the 1 first, then the 6 beside it), then five rows of dashed 16s to trace and a blank line to write it alone. The other four sheets make sure the child connects the digit to the quantity: the word "sixteen" beside the numeral, two ten frames and groups of pictures to count and color, a grid where every 16 has to be found among look-alike numbers, and six boxes of pictures to count that land a little above and below 16. Everyday anchors for 16: sixteen ounces in a pound; sixteen squares on a 4 by 4 grid.

What's in this set

Trace the number 16. Model digit and formation cue at the top, three rows that begin with a colored model, two rows that do not, and a final row to write 16 without help.
Number 16 and the word "sixteen". The digit and its word on the same handwriting rule, traced together five times, then written on the last line. 16 dots at the top show the quantity.
Count and color 16. Two ten frames, one full and one with 6 dots, so 16 is seen as 10 and 6. Then three groups of 16 pictures in rows of five to count, write and color, and a row of 16s to trace.
Find and color the number 16. A grid of numbers that includes look-alikes (61, 6). Color every 16, count them, and check the answer key on page 2.
How many? Numbers around 16. Six boxes of pictures: two hold exactly 16, the rest hold a few more or a few less. Write each count. Answer key on page 2.

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How to use these worksheets

Print at 100% on A4 or US Letter. One sheet a day is plenty; start with the tracing page and end the week with the how-many page. Use a thick crayon for the first rows and a pencil once the shape is steady.

Say it, then write it. Read the cue on sheet 1 out loud while the child traces the colored 16 with a finger: write the 1 first: start at the top and draw one straight line down. Then the 6 right beside it: start at the top, slide down and curl round into a loop at the bottom. Only then pick up the pencil.
Watch the first row, not the last. If the first dashed 16 comes out wrong, stop and fix it; five rows of a wrong stroke build the wrong habit.
Link the digit to the amount. On the count and color sheet, have the child touch each dot in the ten frame and each picture while counting, then write the count before coloring. 16 is 10 and 6 more. The ten frame on the count and color sheet shows one full frame and 6 extra dots, which is how kindergarten standard K.NBT.A.1 wants teen numbers understood.
Find and color. Ask the child to name each number they decide not to color. That is where the reversal of 16 and 61 gets noticed.
How many? Cover the answer key. After writing all six counts, ask which boxes had more than 16 and which had fewer.

Common mistakes to watch for

Writing 61 for 16 and confusing the 6 with a 9. Go back to the model at the top of sheet 1 and trace it in the air three times before the next row.
Starting at the bottom. Every digit here starts at the top. Put a small dot at the start point with a highlighter if needed.
Counting without touching. Eyes skip pictures; fingers do not. On the counting sheets, one touch per picture, one number per touch.
Coloring first. On the count and color page the count comes first, the coloring is the reward.

Frequently asked questions

What age are number 16 tracing worksheets for?

Ages 4 to 6. Teen numbers are kindergarten work (K.CC.A.3 asks children to write numerals 0 to 20), but a preschooler who can count to 16 can trace the digits and do the ten frame page.

How do you teach a child to write the number 16?

Say the stroke out loud as you model it: write the 1 first: start at the top and draw one straight line down. Then the 6 right beside it: start at the top, slide down and curl round into a loop at the bottom. Trace it in the air, then with a finger on the colored model, then with a pencil on the dashed rows. The most common slip is writing 61 for 16 and confusing the 6 with a 9; catch it on the first row rather than the fifth.

Why do children write 16 backwards?

Because of how the word sounds. "Sixteen" starts with the six sound, so the child writes that digit first. The number and word sheet puts the digits and the word side by side, and the ten frame sheet shows the 1 as a full ten, which is the fix: 16 is 10 and 6 more. The ten frame on the count and color sheet shows one full frame and 6 extra dots, which is how kindergarten standard K.NBT.A.1 wants teen numbers understood.

Do these worksheets have answer keys?

Yes for the two sheets that need one: find and color the number has the targets highlighted on page 2 of its PDF, and the how many? sheet has the counts on page 2. The three tracing and counting sheets have nothing to mark.

Can I laminate these or use them in a classroom?

Yes. The PDFs are free for home and classroom use. Put a sheet in a plastic sleeve and trace with a dry-erase marker to reuse it, which works well for the five-row tracing page.

More counting and tracing practice

Work backwards through the numbers before this one: number 13, number 14, number 15. The number tracing worksheets 1 to 20 cover several numbers per sheet for revision. For counting without writing, the ten frame worksheets and count and color worksheets use the same objects and frames as this page. Print the number flashcards to say the number before writing it, and the missing number worksheets or before and after numbers once the digits are steady. Numbers past 20 live on the hundreds chart worksheets. If the pencil grip or the lines themselves are the problem, step back to the pre-writing worksheets, the line tracing worksheets or the shape tracing worksheets. For counting practice that feels like a game, try the dot to dot 1 to 20 and dot to dot 1 to 50.