How it works
- Add names. Type a single name, or paste a class list with one name per line.
- Pick a handwriting style. Print for beginning writers, slanted print as a step toward cursive, or one of two cursive styles.
- Choose a size and rows. The sheet on the right updates as you go. Use the arrows to check each child’s page.
- Download and print. Every name is its own page in a single PDF.
What’s on each sheet
The first row shows the name in solid letters as a model. The rows below hold the name in gray or dotted letters to trace. With the default “trace, then write” layout, the last rows are left blank so children can try on their own. Each row has three-line handwriting guides: a solid top line, a dashed midline and a solid baseline, so children see how tall letters and short letters should be.
Teaching a child to write their name
Start with what they know
A child’s own name is usually the first word they want to write. Talk about its letters: the first one, how many there are, and which letters appear twice.
Capital first, then lowercase
Most classrooms teach names with a capital first letter followed by lowercase letters, the way children will see their name on books and labels. Type the name exactly as you want it practiced.
Little and often
A few rows a day works better than a whole page in one sitting. Slide the sheet into a page protector and use a dry-erase marker to practice again and again.
From tracing to writing
Once tracing feels easy, switch Rows to “Copy only” so children copy the model without guide letters.
Common Core standards
- L.K.1.APrint many uppercase and lowercase letters.
Summaries in our own words; see the Common Core State Standards for the full text.
