Shapes Tracing and Coloring Book: Free Printable Workbook (PDF)
A free 31-page shapes workbook for ages 3 to 5. Ten shapes each get a tracing page and a shape-hunt page, followed by tracing practice and four matching games. Download the PDF in US Letter or A4 and print it at home or in class.
Download the Shapes Tracing and Coloring Book
- 31 pages for ages 3–5
- Free for home and classroom use, with no sign-up or email address
- Two PDF files: US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) and A4
- Prints in black and white or in color
Print at 100% (Actual size). Choose US Letter in the United States and Canada, and A4 almost everywhere else. How to print a workbook
Who this workbook is for
Shapes sit between drawing and early math: children learn to name them, notice their sides and corners, and later use the same strokes to write letters and numbers. This book is meant for ages 3 to 5. Children who can trace a circle and a square are ready for the pages on star, heart and hexagon, which are harder.
The ten shapes are circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval, star, heart, diamond, hexagon and pentagon. For quick one-page practice with your own choice of shapes, use our shape tracing worksheets, and for a closer look at which shapes children can draw at which age see the guide on Pre-Writing Shapes by Age: When Can Kids Draw Each Shape?.
What is inside the Shapes Tracing and Coloring Book
The workbook has 31 pages. Every page is numbered in the bottom corner, so you can print one section at a time.
| Pages | Section | Number of pages |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Cover, a page for parents and teachers, and the contents | 3 |
| 4–11 | Circle, Square, Triangle, Rectangle | 8 |
| 12–17 | Oval, Star, Heart | 6 |
| 18–23 | Diamond, Hexagon, Pentagon | 6 |
| 24–26 | Shape Practice | 3 |
| 27–30 | Shape Games | 4 |
| 31 | Certificate of achievement | 1 |
Circle, Square, Triangle, Rectangle (pages 4–11)
Four shapes, eight pages. Each shape page has a big dotted shape with a green start dot and a red arrow, four outline shapes to color and the shape word to trace and write. Each shape-hunt page is a grid of 30 mixed shapes where your child colors every circle (or square, triangle or rectangle), leaves the rest white and writes how many they found. Look-alikes are kept apart on purpose: the rectangle hunt has no squares and the circle hunt has no ovals.
Oval, Star, Heart (pages 12–17)
The same two pages for three shapes that are harder to draw. The oval is a stretched circle, the star needs five points and the heart combines two curves with a point. The oval hunt contains no circles, so the first hunts feel fair.
Diamond, Hexagon, Pentagon (pages 18–23)
The diamond is a tilted square with four equal sides, the hexagon has six sides and the pentagon five. Counting the sides aloud while tracing helps these names stick. The hexagon and pentagon hunts do not mix the two together.
Shape Practice (pages 24–26)
Three tracing sheets (circle, square, triangle and rectangle; oval, star, heart and diamond; hexagon, pentagon and octagon). Every shape is shown once in color with its name and then as three dotted shapes to trace, with a strip of outline shapes to color underneath.
Shape Games (pages 27–30)
Two “which shape is different?” pages, a shadow matching page that joins each colored shape to its dark shadow, and a picture matching page that pairs identical shapes. These pages train careful looking, which later helps with reading letters.
Sample pages
A few pages from the finished workbook. The PDF is sharp enough to print at full size.
Skills your child practices
- Naming ten common shapes
- Tracing curves, corners and straight sides
- Counting sides and corners
- Spotting a shape among look-alikes
- Matching and sorting by shape
How to use this workbook
Print and sort the pages
Choose US Letter or A4 and print at 100% (Actual size). Start with the first section; the other shapes can follow over a few weeks.
Trace the big shape slowly
Start at the green dot and follow the red arrow. Say the shape name and count the sides when you reach each corner.
Color the practice shapes
Use one color per shape type so your child sees that a large and a small circle are still circles.
Do the shape hunt
Ask your child to find and color every one of the named shape and to count them at the end. The number is written in the box.
Go on a real-life shape walk
A clock is a circle, a window is a rectangle, a slice of pizza is a triangle. Linking the page to real objects makes shapes meaningful.
Shape words that help
“Corner” and “side” are better first words than “vertex” and “edge”. A circle has no corners and one curved side, which surprises many children. Do not worry about exact lines; smooth, slow tracing matters more than a perfect result.
When your child can trace all ten shapes, try drawing them without dots, then build pictures from them (a house from a square and a triangle, a snowman from three circles). The Pre-Writing Activities for Preschoolers: 15 Fun Ideas guide has more ideas.
Free worksheet generators to go with this workbook
Every page in the workbook was made with the same tools you can use yourself. Use them to print extra practice with your own words, names or numbers.
Shape Tracing
Dotted or solid shapes, names and a coloring strip.
Visual Discrimination
Spot the odd one out, find the match, same or different.
Shadow Matching
Join each picture to its shadow: 4 to 10 pairs.
Picture Matching
Match identical pictures or things that go together.
Scissor Skills
Cutting practice: lines, zigzags, curves, shapes and pictures.
Guides for parents and teachers
Pre-Writing Shapes by Age: When Can Kids Draw Each Shape?
The pre-writing shapes in order, with the usual age children can copy each one: line, circle, cross, square, diagonals and triangle, and how to practice.
Pre-Writing Activities for Preschoolers: 15 Fun Ideas
Fifteen fun pre-writing activities for preschoolers that build the strokes, strength and control children need before they start writing letters and names.
Shadow Matching Activities for Preschoolers
What shadow matching is, the skills it builds and eight easy shadow matching activities for preschoolers, from printable sheets to flashlight play.
More free printable workbooks
Pen Control and Pre-Writing Book
Lines, curves, zigzags, loops and spirals, plus paths from a bee to a flower, to build pencil control.
Dot Marker Activity Book
Big letters, numbers, shapes and pictures filled with circles for dot markers, stickers or fingertips.
Scissor Skills Cutting Practice Book
Cutting practice from first snips to zigzags, shapes and pictures to cut out and color.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Shapes Tracing and Coloring Book free?
Yes. It is free for home and classroom use and needs no sign-up. You may print as many copies as you need for your own children or students. Please do not sell the file or put it on another website.
Which shapes are included?
Circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval, star, heart, diamond, hexagon and pentagon. The practice pages also include the octagon.
How many shapes are in each shape hunt?
Between eight and ten shapes of the named kind are hidden in a grid of 30. The count changes from page to page, so children cannot just remember the answer.
Can I use it with a group?
Yes. Print one set per child and let them compare their shape-hunt counts. The matching pages work well as a quiet-time activity.
What if my child cannot trace yet?
Use the coloring strips and the shape hunts first, which need no tracing. Then try the Pen Control and Pre-Writing Book for line and curve practice.