Back to School Activities for Preschool and Up – Free Printables

Getting ready for back to school is the perfect time to focus on building strong foundations for learning. Preschoolers and early elementary students benefit from practicing prewriting skills before moving on to letter formation. This free printable packet of Back to School Activities for Preschool and Up includes 8 engaging pages to help children strengthen fine motor and early handwriting skills in fun and playful ways.

You can download the FREE PDF at the bottom of this post. Look for the email sign up box.

What’s Included in the Free Printable Packet

This packet provides a variety of prewriting and tracing activities designed for preschool and up:

• Prewriting horizontal straight and curved lines – practice controlling a pencil with smooth strokes.
• Prewriting vertical straight and curved lines – develop directionality and hand-eye coordination.
• Trace around the shapes – improve spatial awareness while staying inside paths.
• Finish the picture – trace the missing parts of school supplies such as a tablet, microscope, and globe, then color them in.
• Uppercase alphabet practice – trace letters with stroke line cues to reinforce correct formation.
• Lowercase alphabet practice – build consistency and accuracy with stroke cues for lowercase letters.

Benefits of Practicing Prewriting Skills

Before children begin formal letter formation, prewriting activities help them develop the underlying motor skills they need for handwriting success.

• Fine motor control – tracing lines and shapes strengthens small hand muscles.
• Visual-motor integration – children learn to match what they see with the movements of their hands.
• Hand-eye coordination – following paths and tracing shapes encourages accuracy.
• Confidence building – successful completion of simple prewriting pages creates a positive foundation for learning letters.
• Smooth transition to handwriting – mastering prewriting strokes makes forming letters easier and less frustrating.

By practicing these skills, children are better prepared for the demands of writing in school.

MORE HELPFUL RESOURCES

If you’re looking for more ideas to support handwriting and fine motor development, check out these resources:

• Prewriting Worksheet
• Prewriting Song
• Preschool Pumpkin Worksheets – Free Printable Packet
• Shapes Worksheet Preschool – Free Printables
• Pretend Play Hair Salon Worksheets – Free Scissor Practice Printables