Why does the words sheet skip words like chair and cheese?

Those start with ch, a different sound. A preschooler listening for the c sound would hear something else and get confused, so every word on the sheet starts with the hard c of cat.

Which words can come up on the C words sheet?

Six of these ten, mixed fresh each print: cat, cake, car, cow, cup, corn, cookie, crab, carrot and candle.

Should I teach C or K first?

C. It is the round shape a, d, g and o grow from, and most of the words a child knows with that sound start with c. K comes easier once C is settled.

Letter C worksheets for preschool, free printable PDF

Letter C worksheets

Letter C tracing worksheet for preschool, capital and small letter on penmanship guides — The picture follows the options you pick. Tap to see another version.

Two letter C sheets for three to five year olds in preschool and kindergarten. One has capital C and small c as dotted outlines on alternate rows. The other has six pictures, a cat or a carrot perhaps, all with the hard c sound.

Free printable PDF worksheet.

One page for every letter

Each letter has its own page, with its strokes in words, its sounds and, for most letters, a sheet of words that start with it.

The words you'll trace

Say each picture's name. Listen for the first sound. Then trace the word beside it.

cat
cake
car
cow
cup
corn
cookie
crab
carrot
candle

Every picture's name starts with the letter's sound, and beside it the word is printed as a dotted outline on a writing guide. The key page writes the words out in ink.

These are every picture the sheet has for this letter. Each print takes 6 of the 10, so the next sheet is a different mix.

What's on each sheet

Letter tracing. Trace the letter on each line. Then write it yourself on the rest of the line. 6 rows per page.
Words that start with the letter. Say each picture's name. Listen for the first sound. Then trace the word beside it. 6 of the 10 words, a new mix every time you print.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

Every other letter prints from one form on Preschool letter tracing.

How to teach this

C is the easiest curve to start with, and it comes back in a, d, g, o and q, so it is worth getting right. Start a little below the top line, on the right, and pull back up and around to the left, down and round to the bottom, stopping before the circle closes. Small c is the same move, smaller, starting at the middle line. Capital and small differ only in size, so watch that the small one stays below the middle line. C has two sounds. In cat, cake and cow it is the hard c, the same sound as k. In city and circle it says s. Every word on the words sheet uses the hard sound, so a child hears one clear sound for now.

Watch for: Starting the curve at the bottom and going up makes a backwards c. The pencil starts near the top and travels left first, against the way a clock turns. Capital C and small c look alike, so children write one size for both. Point at the lines: the capital reaches the top line, the small one stops at the middle.

Common questions about letter C

Why does the words sheet skip words like chair and cheese?: Those start with ch, a different sound. A preschooler listening for the c sound would hear something else and get confused, so every word on the sheet starts with the hard c of cat.
Which words can come up on the C words sheet?: Six of these ten, mixed fresh each print: cat, cake, car, cow, cup, corn, cookie, crab, carrot and candle.
Should I teach C or K first?: C. It is the round shape a, d, g and o grow from, and most of the words a child knows with that sound start with c. K comes easier once C is settled.