• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
The Artisan Life
  • Dot Marker Pages
  • Valentine’s Printables
  • Journals & Planners
  • Preschool + K Printables
    • Alphabet Tracing Worksheets
    • Fine Motor Practice Pages
    • Spanish Preschool Pages
    • CVC & Sight Words
    • Dot Marker Pages
    • Preschool Math
    • Kindergarten Math Worksheets
    • Cut & Paste Puzzles
  • Coloring
  • Gardening + DIY
    • Gardening
    • DIY Cleaning Products
    • DIY Skincare Products
    • Craft Tutorials
  • Shop

Free Printable Mermaid Prewriting Cards for Preschoolers

  • Share

Your mermaid loving child will love practicing their fine motor skills with these free printable mermaid prewriting cards. Use them as a print and play no-prep activity or laminate them for repeated use!

These prewriting practice tracing pages will help your child develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. They feature a specific set of prewriting shapes that help your child practice stokes that are used in letter formation. They also help reinforce left to right as your child traces from the mermaid on the left to the shell on the right.

If your child loves mermaids and the ocean, be sure to grab these free printable ocean animal dot marker coloring pages and free printable mermaid picture bingo cards.

A preview of three pages of printable mermaid themed prewriting practice cards for preschoolers. Each page has four cards to cut out and trace. There is a mermaid on the left of each card and a shell on the right. Each card has a different dotted shape or line to trace. The pages are on a light blue background 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.

You can make these prewriting practice cards reusable by laminating the pages or placing them in page protectors for use with a dry erase marker or wax crayon. We use secure page protectors with a flap to keep the page inside.

It’s also easy to cut the laminated pages into strips that you slip onto a binder ring for a go-bag activity. We use these binder rings because they actually stay shut instead of popping open constantly.

Sale
ninahouse Box Packed 1 inch Plastic Loose- Leaf Rings Multi-Color Binder...
ninahouse Box Packed 1 inch Plastic Loose- Leaf Rings Multi-Color Binder...
  • PLASTIC LOOSE -LEAF RINGS -use high grade plastic to make flexible loose leaf rings with bright colors
  • EASY STORAGE -multi colored binderrings packed in a durable plastic box easily for office and home storage
  • MULTICOLORED -there are 100pcs of plastic loose -leaf rings in 5 different colors
Check current price

Table of Contents

  • What are prewriting skills?
  • How to print and use prewriting cards
  • Free printable mermaid tracing cards download area

What are prewriting skills?

Prewriting skills are all skills that must be learned before your child can write fluently.

Prewriting skills help your child hold and use a pencil correctly and comfortably, but they also include drawing, coloring, and copying the specific prewriting shapes. These prewriting shapes teach the basic building blocks of letters.

Prewriting skills include both:

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

These printable prewriting cards help your child focus on these specific letter formation shapes needed to write letters confidently and accurately.

Your child won’t know how to hold a pencil correctly at first, no matter how many times you demonstrate. This is okay and totally normal. Do demonstrate the correct grasp and make sure to model it, yourself, whenever possible, but don’t stress if your child doesn’t use it yet. It takes years for correct pencil grasp to develop. Just keep modeling the correct grasp and providing plenty of opportunities to practice.

Fine motor and prewriting skills help your child in many ways. These skills translate to more legible, confident writing, but also help your child perform important tasks like tying their own shoes, buttoning clothing, zipping, and brushing their teeth.

How do I teach my child prewriting skills?

There are many play-based ways to build and reinforce both fine motor and prewriting skills:

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

These mermaid themed prewriting practice cards are a fun, easy way to help your child practice prewriting skills. They’re perfect for homeschool preschool parents, classroom literacy centers and fine motor centers, and therapists.

A preview of three pages of printable mermaid themed prewriting practice cards for preschoolers. Each page has four cards to cut out and trace. There is a mermaid on the left of each card and a shell on the right. Each card has a different dotted shape or line to trace.

How to print and use prewriting cards

This set has three pages with four tracing paths each. Each “path” is comprised of a row of a specific prewriting shape. The cards feature cute mermaids on the left and shells on the right to help your child work on left to right order.

Materials needed:

  • Free mermaid prewriting card printables. Download information is located lower in the post.
  • Paper and a printer.
    • I recommend 32 lb bright white paper. It’s brighter for better looking clipart and thicker for more durable prewriting cards.
  • 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 use heavy duty “secure” page protectors. They’re cheaper and easy to organize in a 3 ring binder.
  • 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 because it’s safer for little helpers.
  • Binder rings, optional for an easy go-bag activity or keeping your classroom centers organized.
  • 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 with food grade colorants.
    • Instead of a dry erase marker, try 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.
    • 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 prewriting cards

Get your download from lower down in the post.

Print the pages you want to use. The shapes build in difficulty. The first page is the easiest, the third page is the most challenging. (I’m sorry the photo below is so dark/poor quality. My daughter was super excited to use these and was looming over the pages/blocking the light as I tried to take pictures.)

A preview of three pages of printable mermaid themed prewriting practice cards for preschoolers. Each page has four cards to cut out and trace. There is a mermaid on the left of each card and a shell on the right. Each card has a different dotted shape or line to trace. The pages are on a white wood background.

Laminate the pages, if you’re laminating. Cut after laminating to save yourself time. (If you cut first, you have to cut everything out again after laminating.)

A picture of a page of mermaid themed prewriting practice cards on a paper trimmer. The page has four strips that are being cut along a solid line to form prewriting practice cards for preschoolers.

Show your child how to use the pages. You can start by tracing from left to right with your index finger, or you can go straight to using a marker/crayon. As adults, we tend to talk too much.

Try (if you can – it’s a challenge!) to simply show how to trace the shapes without describing what you’re doing. This allows your child to focus on what you’re doing instead of trying to process your words and actions at the same time.

My daughter is used to trace in the path pages, so sometimes she wants me to demonstrate how to trace the separate shapes multiple times.

A preview of four cut apart and laminated prewriting practice cards with a mermaid theme. A card with dotted squares to trace has been traced with a green dry erase crayon.

We enjoy using Stabilo Woody pencils instead of dry erase markers. They work on dry erase surfaces (including windows and mirrors), as a “normal” art supply for everyday coloring, and even as a watercolor crayon.

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. If this sounds too good to be true, stop by this post with free printable dinosaur coloring pages to see a quick video of these pencils in action.

Sale
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

You can also make play dough “snakes” and use them to form the tracing shapes. Get a recipe for homemade play dough that stays soft in this post with alphabet play dough mats.

Free printable mermaid tracing cards download area

Like all free preschool printables on The Artisan Life, these are licensed for personal and single classroom use. You are welcome to use them with Scouts groups, home school co-ops, personal therapy clients, etc as long as you are personally organizing the activity and not charging specifically to participate.

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:

five purple arrows pointing down on a white background
Text "click here to download your printable"

I hope your little learner enjoys these tracing cards as much as mine does! Make sure to grab these educational free printables for preschoolers while you’re here on The Artisan Life:

Preschool Learning Printables

Download these additional free activities to keep your little one busy and learning without tons of prep time.

Free Printable Alphabet Coloring Pages

Reinforce the alphabet in a fun way with these free printable alphabet coloring pages.

Free Printable Alphabet Play Dough Mats

Download the entire alphabet of play dough mats and discover a recipe for play dough that lasts for months.

Free Printable Spanish Alphabet Tracing Worksheets

Teach your preschooler Spanish at home with these free printable Spanish alphabet tracing sheets!

Free Printable Car Theme Fine Motor Tracing Strips

Your cor-loving child will adore tracing along the "road" with these free car themed prewriting tracing pages.

Free Printable Ocean Prewriting Cards

Help your child practice the specific prewriting shapes that develop skills needed to write letters and numbers with these fun ocean themed prewriting practice cards.

Free Printable Dinosaur Ten Frames in Spanish & English

Free Printable Dinosaur Number Building Puzzles

Your little learner will love building the dinosaur pictures and counting along with these free printable dino number building puzzles.

Farm Theme Number Order Puzzles

Help your child learn how to count with these farm theme number order puzzles

Dinosaur Prewriting Practice Tracing Paths

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

  • Share

Buy me a coffee

Filed Under: fine motor worksheets, Preschool worksheets, Printable

Previous Post: « Free Printable Ocean Theme Roll & Count Mats (preschool math activity)
Next Post: Free Printable Cinco de Mayo Count and Graph Worksheets for Preschoolers »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

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.

Let's be friends!

Search The Artisan Life

The Artisan Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The Artisan Life also uses affiliate links for other sites. For a full look at my policy, please visit its page here.

Buy me a coffee

Footer

Privacy Policy | Disclosure & Disclaimer | Terms and Conditions | Contact
COPYRIGHT © 2012 – 2023 The Artisan Life · ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
If you have any questions feel free to contact me directly here: natashalh(at)stalkingthewildsnark(dot)com. I do not accept guest posts and will not respond to unsolicited requests for guest posts or links. Stock images by Depositphotos

Copyright © 2023 The Artisan Life on the Foodie Pro Theme