3 free oval tracing worksheets
Free printable oval tracing worksheets for preschool and kindergarten. Dashed ovals with a start dot and arrow, from large to small, plus space to draw your own. PDF download.
An oval is a stretched circle, and tracing it teaches the same smooth, continuous curve children need for the letters O, C, G, Q and for the numbers 0, 6 and 9. It is slightly harder than a circle because the curve changes speed: tighter at the ends, flatter along the sides. These three worksheets start with large ovals, move to small ones, and finish with a mix of tall and wide shapes so children learn that an oval is still an oval whichever way it turns.
What Students Will Practice
- Tracing ovals in one smooth, counter-clockwise stroke, starting at the dot at the top
- Controlling the pencil around the tighter curve at each end
- Drawing tall (portrait) and wide (landscape) ovals
- Recognising ovals of different sizes and telling them apart from circles
- Drawing ovals independently in the free box at the bottom of each sheet
Oval tracing supports the pre-writing goals of preschool programmes and the Kindergarten geometry standard K.G.A.2 (name shapes regardless of orientation or size), and it prepares the hand for the curved letters of the alphabet.
Oval tracing worksheet 3
Mixed-size ovals to trace, then draw three of your own. Free printable PDF.
Oval tracing worksheet 2
Sixteen smaller ovals, tall and wide, for finer pencil control. Free printable PDF.
Oval tracing worksheet 1
Nine large dashed ovals with a start dot and direction arrow, plus a free-drawing box. Free printable PDF.
How to Use These Worksheets
Print at 100% on A4 or US Letter paper. Five to ten minutes per sheet is plenty for young children.
- Start at the dot, go left. The dot sits at the top of each oval and the arrow points left. This counter-clockwise direction is the one used to write O, C and G, so practising it here pays off later.
- Trace in the air first. Big arm circles, then finger tracing on the page, then the pencil. Starting large and physical builds the motion before the small muscles have to do it.
- Talk about circles and ovals. Ask “what is the difference?” An oval is longer one way. Hold up an egg and a ball if you have them.
- Move to sheet two when the curve is smooth. Smaller ovals need finer control. If the lines get wobbly or the ends turn into points, go back to the large sheet for another day.
- Finish with sheet three. Tall and wide ovals in one place. Ask your child to find the tallest and the widest before tracing, then draw three of their own in the box.
Common Mistakes to Watch For
- Pointed ends: The pencil slows too much at the ends and the oval turns into a lemon shape. Encourage one continuous, even-speed stroke.
- Not closing the shape: The line stops short of the dot. Say “all the way back home to the dot”.
- Going clockwise: Not wrong for the shape, but the counter-clockwise habit makes letter writing easier later. Gently redirect.
- Drawing a circle instead: Point at the dashed guide and ask which way it is longer, then trace slowly along the long sides together.
Frequently Asked Questions
What age are oval tracing worksheets for?
Ages 3 to 5. Introduce ovals after circles feel easy, since the changing curve needs a little more control. Sheet one suits preschool; sheets two and three suit kindergarten.
Why start at the top and go left?
Because that is the stroke used to write the letters O, C, G, Q and the number 0. Practising the same direction on shapes means the movement is already automatic when letters arrive.
Which shapes should come before and after ovals?
Lines and circles first, then ovals, then shapes with corners such as squares, rectangles and triangles. After the basic shapes, children can combine them into drawings and move on to letter and number tracing.
Can I reuse the sheets?
Yes. Put a printed sheet in a clear plastic sleeve and trace with a dry-erase marker, or simply print another copy. The PDFs are free for home and classroom use.
More Shape Tracing Practice
Complete the set with our circle tracing worksheets, square tracing worksheets, rectangle tracing worksheets and triangle tracing worksheets. Children who are ready for letters and numerals can move on to the number tracing worksheets 1 to 20 and the handwriting worksheets.
