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Dinosaur Prewriting Practice Tracing Paths

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Set your preschooler up for writing success with these dinosaur themed trace in the path fine motor pre-writing practice pages! Use them as a print and play no-prep activity or laminate them for repeated use. Your dino-loving child will love using them and you’ll love that they’re practicing important skills while having fun!

These prewriting practice tracing pages will help your child develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination as they trace along the path with a finger or draw between the lines with a marker or crayon. 

If your child loves dinosaurs, be sure to grab these free printable dinosaur bingo cards, dinosaur number puzzles, dinosaur ten frames, dinosaur preschool mazes, and dinosaur matching game, too.

A flatlay preview of four printable dinosaur trace in the path prewriting pages. Each page has four paths to trace to built prewriting skills. There is a dinosaur related clipart image at the beginning and end of each path. The pages are on a blue surface with colorful children's markers.

This post includes affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission on purchases made through links at no additional cost to you.

Make this activity reusable by laminating the pages or sliding them in page protectors for use with a dry erase marker. It’s also easy to cut the laminated pages into strips that you slip onto a binder ring for a go-bag activity that easy to wipe down after a car ride or trip to the doctor’s office.

In the image below, you can see my daughter using her car tracing pages cut into strips to see what I mean:

A top down view of a preschooler using a dry erase marker to color in a trace along the lines prewriting practice page with cars on it.

Table of Contents

  • What are prewriting skills?
  • How to print and use trace in the path prewriting pages
  • Free printable dinosaur tracing path download

What are prewriting skills?

In a nutshell, prewriting skills are all skills that must be learned before writing.

Prewriting skills help your child hold and use a pencil correctly and comfortably, draw, color, and copy shapes. These skills prepare your child to write legibly and confidently.

Your child won’t magically learn how to hold a pencil correctly the first time they pick one up. They may not be even able to use these tracing paths particularly well the first time they try. That’s okay! They need plenty of practice.

Unfortunately, many children are entering school with poor fine motor skills. Researchers have observed an inverse relationship between the amount of screen time a preschooler receives and their fine motor skills. In other words, the more screen time they have, the worse their fine motor skills are (source).

Luckily, it’s very easy to provide your child with opportunities to build their fine motor and prewriting skills.

How do I teach my preschooler prewriting skills?

Prewriting skills have a couple of different components.

  • Fine motor and manual dexterity skills.
  • Specific letter formation shapes | — O + / \ X Δ and a square. (source)

Before your child can write specific letters and numbers, they need to develop their finger strength, fine motor control, and hand-eye coordination.

There are many play-based ways to build and reinforce these skills:

  • Threading and lacing activities
  • Playing with play-dough (check out these alphabet play-dough mats for a recipe you can make at home!)
  • Using scissors
  • Using tongs and large tweezers with manipulatives
  • Drawing and coloring
  • Tracing
  • Practicing the specific pre-writing shapes
  • Making crafts
  • Building with blocks
  • Using fine motor trays to write in cornmeal, sand, etc.
  • Tearing paper
  • Using stickers
  • And more!

These dinosaur themed prewriting trace in the page paths can help keep your dino-loving child engaged, learning, and having fun! They’re perfect for homeschool preschool parents, classroom literacy centers, and therapists.

A preschooler's arm in a  red shirt holding a red crayon to trace a dinosaur themed trace in the path page.

How to print and use trace in the path prewriting pages

This set has four different pages with four tracing paths each. There is a mix of straight, wavy, and zig-zag paths to trace inside to teach and reinforce the necessary pre-writing letter formation shapes as well as curves.

Some of the paths are easy, but some of them are more challenging. It’s completely okay if your child can’t do every single one on the first try.

A preview of a dinosaur themed trace in the path fine motor practice page for preschoolers. The page is on a blue surface with colorful children's crayons.

As mentioned above, these trace in the path pages are perfect for toddlers and young preschoolers. Your child can even use a finger to trace the lines if they aren’t ready for a pencil or crayon yet.

For additional fine motor fun, be sure to grab these free dinosaur themed preschool mazes, too.

Materials needed:

  • Free dinosaur trace in the path printables. Download information is located lower in the post. Look for the big blue image that reads “click here to download.”
  • Paper and a printer.
    • I recommend 32 lb bright white paper. To see the difference this paper makes, stop by this post on the best paper for printables.
  • Laminator, dry erase pockets, or page protectors. Optional.
    • I love my inexpensive home laminator because it saves me the time and hassle of going to a copy center.
    • Instead of dry erase pockets, I usually use heavy duty “secure” page protectors
  • Scissors or paper cutter, if you want to make tracing strips. 
    • A guillotine style cutter is better for cutting laminated pages, but I usually use my paper trimmer.
  • Binder rings, optional for an easy go-bag activity or less mess at home.
  • Crayons, pencils, markers, etc. for tracing
    • Pencils and crayons are great for single use pages. We like Honeyscticks beeswax crayons because the colors are easy to see and they’re pure beeswax.
    • Instead of a dry erase marker, grab Stabilo Woody wax crayons. They’re a wax crayon that can work as a dry erase, too! They come off easily when wiped with a lightly damp cloth or paper towel (don’t get it too wet or you might ruin the printable, even if it’s laminated). These wax crayons provide more friction than a marker (which means a greater challenge) and they don’t have fumes.
    • Your child can fill the path with small manipulatives, like pompoms, using a pair of plastic tweezers.
    • Your child can also just use their finger for tracing.
HP Paper Printer | 8.5 x 11 Paper | Premium 32 lb | 1 Ream - 500 Sheets |...
Honeysticks Natural Beeswax Crayons - Classic Crayon Size and Shape for a...
Avery 76000 Secure Top Sheet Protectors, Super Heavy Gauge, Letter, Diamond...
Multi-talented Pencil STABILO woody 3-in-1 - Wallet of 6 - Assorted colors...
HP Paper Printer | 8.5 x 11 Paper | Premium 32 lb | 1 Ream - 500 Sheets |...
Honeysticks Natural Beeswax Crayons - Classic Crayon Size and Shape for a...
Avery 76000 Secure Top Sheet Protectors, Super Heavy Gauge, Letter, Diamond...
Multi-talented Pencil STABILO woody 3-in-1 - Wallet of 6 - Assorted colors...
HP Paper Printer | 8.5 x 11 Paper | Premium 32 lb | 1 Ream - 500 Sheets |...
HP Paper Printer | 8.5 x 11 Paper | Premium 32 lb | 1 Ream - 500 Sheets |...
Honeysticks Natural Beeswax Crayons - Classic Crayon Size and Shape for a...
Honeysticks Natural Beeswax Crayons - Classic Crayon Size and Shape for a...
Avery 76000 Secure Top Sheet Protectors, Super Heavy Gauge, Letter, Diamond...
Avery 76000 Secure Top Sheet Protectors, Super Heavy Gauge, Letter, Diamond...
Multi-talented Pencil STABILO woody 3-in-1 - Wallet of 6 - Assorted colors...
Multi-talented Pencil STABILO woody 3-in-1 - Wallet of 6 - Assorted colors...

How to use trace in the path prewriting cards

Make sure to get your download from lower down in the post.

Print the pages you want to use. If your child is new to this type of activity, you might want to skip printing the last page. If they’re very practiced at tracing, they might not be interested in the first, easiest page.

Demonstrate how to use the pages. You can start by tracing from left to right with your index finger, or you can jump straight to using a marker/crayon.

I cannot say enough good things about the Stabilo Woody pencils we purchased recently. They work on dry erase surfaces, as a “regular” art supply, and even as a watercolor crayon. They provide more friction than a dry erase marker (so they’re better for strengthening little hands.) They don’t have fumes like a dry erase marker and don’t instantly stain clothes, tables, and walls because they are water soluble. They’re easy to wipe off with a very slightly damp cloth or towel.

STABILO 880/10 Woody 3-in-1 Multi-Talented Pencil - Assorted Colours,...
STABILO 880/10 Woody 3-in-1 Multi-Talented Pencil - Assorted Colours,...
  • The multi-talented pencil, colouring, watercolour and wax crayon all-in-one
  • Due to its small chunky shape and size it suitable for childrens hands and allows a fine grip
  • High denseness and colour intensity, even on dark paper and glass - it is easy to wipe off ceramic type surfaces
Check current price
A top down view of two printable dinosaur trace in the path pages with two Stabilo Woody pencils on a white wood surface. The top page has the paths traced in green and red, the page behind has not been used.

If your child has trouble tracing, or if you want a new activity to keep your child’s attention, you can have your child place small manipulatives to fill the path instead of tracing inside.

Virtually anything small can work for covering the path. You can use nature treasures, pompoms, balls of play dough, mathlinks cubes, etc. After placing the manipulatives, you can count together how many it took to reach the end of the line. You may even want to leave the objects on the line so you can count and compare how many it takes to fill various lines. It’s amazing how many ways you can use these simple printables for learning. 

Free printable dinosaur tracing path download

Please note that the artwork in these printables is copyright by DigitalArtsi and is used under license. Thank you, Jane, for your beautiful artwork and generous licensing.

Like all free preschool printables on The Artisan Life, these are for personal and single classroom use. You are welcome to use them with Scouts groups, home school co-ops, personal therapy clients, etc.

You are not licensed to redistribute the files or printouts to others for their personal use. Instead, please send your friends and coworkers to this page so they can download their own copies.

If you agree to these terms of use, click below:

text "click here to download your printables"

Make sure to grab these additional free printables for dino-loving preschoolers while you’re here on The Artisan Life:

Dinosaur Printables & Toys

Your dino-loving child will adore these dinosaur themed printable activities and toys.

Free Printable Dinosaur Do a Dot Pages

Preschoolers and toddlers love do a dot coloring pages! Make them no mess when you provide round coding label stickers instead of dauber markers.

Free Printable Dinosaur Preschool Mazes

These dinosaur themed easy mazes for toddlers and preschoolers are preschooler tested and approved.

Free Printable Dinosaur Coloring Pages with Names

Your little dino-lover will have so much fun coloring these free printable dinosaur coloring pages with names! Download each dino individually so you can get exactly the dinosaurs your child is asking for.

Free Printable Dinosaur Number Building Puzzles

Help your preschooler or kindergartener practice counting with these colorful number building puzzles.

Free Printable Dinosaur Ten Frames in Spanish & English

Help your child learn their numbers in Spanish and English with these free printable dinsaur ten frames.

Free Printable Dinosaur Matching Game (for your dino-loving child)

This dinosaur matching game will challenge your toddler or preschooler with three levels of difficulty. You can also use it as a game of dinosaur Memory and get the whole family playing!

Free Printable Dinosaur Bingo (for a roaring good time)

Everyone can play this free printable dinosaur bingo becuase no reading is required!

text "free printable dinosaur prewriting cards for preschoolers at home" with an arrow pointing at two printable trace in the path practice pages. Each page has four paths to trace with a dinosaur image on either end.
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Filed Under: fine motor worksheets, Preschool worksheets, Printable

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  1. Marta

    April 2, 2021 at 18:07

    Súper agradecida!!!

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natashalh - the artisan life

Hi, I’m Natasha! I’m so glad you’re here.

I’m a former classroom teacher with a Masters of the Arts in Teaching turned homeschooler & gardener. I share educational & planner printables and tips for making gardening with kids successful and affordable.

I also publish printed coloring & activity books. You can also find me on YouTube.

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