Letter S 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.

Click on the picture to download the printable.

See the entire Letter of the Week curriculum.

Blank lowercase letter- great for crafts, painting, or decorating.

LETTER S UPPERCASE TRACING WORKSHEET-

Trace the uppercase letter S.

How to Teach the Letter S

S is a good letter to teach because kids can hear it so clearly, and it shows up in a lot of the words they already know. The shape is a curvy line with no straight edges, so it takes a little patience to write. Here is how I'd use the letter S worksheets on this page.

1. Start with the hiss. S says /s/ as in sun. Have your child make a snake sound, "sssss," with their teeth close together and their tongue behind them. Unlike /z/, there is no buzz in the throat, so a hand on the neck will feel nothing. It's also a sound that can be stretched out, which makes it easy to hear at the beginning of words.

2. Trace the snake. Capital S and lowercase s are made the same way, just in different sizes. Start at the top right, curve to the left, swoop back to the right, and finish at the bottom left. Describing it as a slithering snake helps kids remember the path. Before they pick up a pencil, let them trace S shapes with a finger in a tray of sand, with a pipe cleaner bent into a curve, or with a toy snake on a table.

3. Collect S words. A sock, a spoon, a star sticker, and a stuffed snake are easy to find. Go on a "sock sort" or have your child scoop and say "s-s-scoop" at a sandbox or a bowl of dry rice. More words to use are sun, sit, sand, soap, sandwich, seven, and spider.

4. Watch for backwards S. This is probably the most common letter reversal at this age, so don't be surprised when you see it. A small green dot at the start and a little arrow on the first curve help your child remember which way to go. S is also sometimes mistaken for 5 or Z, so show them side by side and count the curves.

The tracing pages, coloring sheets, and beginning sounds worksheets on this page support each of these steps.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Letter S

Why does my child write S backwards?
It's extremely common, especially between ages 4 and 6. The S has no straight lines to guide the hand, so the direction is hard to feel. Marking the starting point and practicing the motion in a large space, like on a chalkboard or in the air, helps a lot. Most kids sort it out with time.

What sound does the letter S make?
S makes the /s/ sound, as in sun, sock, and snake. At the end of some words, it makes a /z/ sound instead, like in dogs and rose. For now, focus on the hissing /s/ at the beginning of words, and save the /z/ for later.

What words start with the letter S?
Good beginner words are sun, sock, soap, spoon, star, snake, sand, sit, seven, sandwich, spider, and strawberry. Words with blends, like snake and spider, are a little harder, so start with simple ones like sun and sit.

How do I help my child tell the difference between S and Z?
Have them put a hand on their throat. S is quiet, and Z has a buzz, like a bee. For the letters themselves, S is all curves, and Z is made of straight lines. Writing both on the same page, one under the other, makes the contrast easy to see.

What age do kids learn to write the letter S?
Many children can recognize S at 3 or 4, and writing it comes closer to 4 or 5. The curves take practice. If your child gets frustrated, go back to drawing wavy lines and snakes for a few days before returning to the letter.

What are some playful ways to practice the letter S at home?
Make a salt tray and write S with a fingertip, go on a scavenger hunt for things that start with /s/, or build a snake out of play dough. Singing a short song with S words in it is a fun way to practice in the car, too.

Which letter S worksheets should I begin with?
I'd start with tracing, since the curves are what take the most time. The beginning sounds page comes next, and it checks whether your child can pick out /s/ from other sounds. The coloring pages are good for a break, once the harder work is done.

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