Letter E Preschool Printable Worksheets

All printables for personal or classroom use only.

These letter of the week printables are great for tot school, preschool, and kindergarten children. Children can work on one letter activity each day.

Letter E Coloring and Activity Pages

Letter E Tracing Worksheets

LETTER E UPPERCASE TRACING WORKSHEET-

Trace the uppercase letter E.

LETTER E LOWERCASE TRACING WORKSHEET-

Trace the lowercase letter e.

How to Teach the Letter E

The letter E is one of the most useful letters to teach because it is the most common letter in English, and its short sound is easy to practice. Here is how I teach the letter E to preschoolers and kindergarteners, using the free letter E worksheets on this page.

1. Start with the letter E sound. E has several sounds, but always begin with the short E, /e/ as in egg. Have your child open their mouth halfway and say "eh, eh, egg." Keep the sound short and crisp, and save the long E sound (/ē/ as in eat) for later.

2. Teach how to write the letter E. Capital E is one straight line down and three lines across: "line down, top, middle, bottom." Lowercase e starts in the middle: "across, curve up and around, stop at the bottom." Practice in the air, in a salt tray, or with a finger on your child's palm before picking up a pencil.

3. Practice with words that start with E. Use familiar short E words like egg, elf, elephant, elbow, envelope, edge, and exit. Have your child crack open a plastic egg and find a small E object inside, or point to an elbow and say "e-e-elbow."

4. Watch for common mix-ups. Capital E is often confused with F, so remind your child that E has three arms and F has two. Lowercase e is sometimes written backwards or starts at the wrong place. Put a green dot at the starting point, the middle line, and say "across first, then around."

Use the letter E tracing worksheets, coloring pages, and beginning sounds worksheets on this page to practice each step.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Letter E

What age should my child learn the letter E?
Most children begin learning letters between ages 3 and 4. Capital E is easy to trace by age 4 because it uses straight lines, while lowercase e may take until age 5 because of the curve. There is no need to follow alphabet order, so teach E whenever your child is ready.

What sound does the letter E make?
E makes a short sound, /e/ as in egg, and a long sound, /ē/ as in eat. It can also be silent at the end of a word, as in cake. For preschoolers, start with the short E sound and save the long E and silent E for kindergarten and first grade.

What words start with the letter E?
Easy words that start with E include egg, elf, elephant, elbow, envelope, end, exit, and engine. Pick words your child can picture, and add new ones as they gain confidence.

What is the difference between short E and long E?
Short E says /e/ as in bed and egg. Long E says its name, /ē/ as in eat and tree. Teach the short sound first because it is the one heard at the start of most beginner words. Introduce the long sound once your child knows most of their letter sounds.

How do I help my child tell the difference between E and F?
Count the arms. E has three lines going across and F has two. Have your child trace both and count out loud. You can also have them add the third arm to a pre-written F to turn it into an E.

What is the easiest way to teach the letter E to a preschooler?
Keep it short and hands-on. Say the /e/ sound, trace the letter in sand or shaving cream, and match it to a few E words like egg and elephant. Five to ten minutes a day works better than one long lesson.

Which letter E worksheet should we start with?
Start with tracing to build the strokes, then move on to the beginning sounds worksheet. Finish with coloring for a relaxed review. Keep sessions to about 5 to 10 minutes at this age.