Letter S Tracing Worksheets (Free Printable Uppercase S & Lowercase s PDF)
Free printable Letter S tracing worksheets for preschool & kindergarten. Practice uppercase S, lowercase s, stroke order arrows, and "S is for Sun" phonics words. Features "Start at the 2 o’clock skyline dot: curve back left like a tiny C to the middle, then switch and wind a smooth snake belly to the grass!" stroke prompts, Sun, Star, Snake, Strawberry vocabulary, and instant 300 DPI PDF downloads.
S is for Sun
/s/ as in sun
Letter S (Uppercase)
3 Printable Letter S (S$s) PDF Sheets
1-Click Direct PDF DownloadSheet 1: Uppercase S Tracing
Skyline-to-baseline S with green starting dots
Sheet 2: Lowercase s Tracing
Midline & baseline s motor formation drill
Sheet 3: Ss + Sun Words
Includes Sun, Star, Snake
Letter S Phonics Words, Alliteration Sentences & OT Cues
6 Phonics Anchor Words for Letter S (/s/ as in sun)
Letter S Decodable Copywork Sentences
Start at 2 o’clock, curve counterclockwise like a tiny magic-c to the middle, then switch direction to belly-curve right.
Starting at the bottom or reversing the top curve so "S" faces backward.
How to Teach Letter S: Verbal Path Chants & Mouth Articulation
Uppercase S Verbal Path Chant
“Start at the 2 o’clock skyline dot: curve back left like a tiny C to the middle, then switch and wind a smooth snake belly to the grass!”
Lowercase s Verbal Path Chant
“Little s starts just under the dashed line: curve left like a tiny c to the middle, then slither right and curl up on the grass!”
Speech-Language Mouth Cue (/s/ as in sun)
The /s/ phoneme is a voiceless alveolar sibilant ("the hissing snake sound"): smile gently, keep your teeth nearly closed, place your tongue tip right behind your top front teeth, and hiss a thin stream of air.
Developmental Milestone & Grade Readiness (S)
Because Letter S requires a mid-stroke directional inflection (switching from counterclockwise to clockwise right at the midline), it is one of the top three most reversed letters in Kindergarten alongside b/d and z.
Letter S Orthographic Mapping & Syllable Breakdown Table
Syllable division, phonics patterns, and sentence context for all 6 Letter S target words.
| S Word | Syllables | Phonics & Spelling Rule | Copywork Context Sentence | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | sun (1) | Pure CVC word • /s/ + short /ŭ/ + /n/ | “The warm golden sun rose over the hills.” | |
| Star | star (1) | Consonant blend st- + r-controlled -ar | “Make a wish upon the evening star.” | |
| Snake | snake (1) | Consonant blend sn- + long /ā/ VCe | “A harmless garden snake slithered through the grass.” | |
| Strawberry | straw-ber-ry (3) | 3-letter blend str- + vowel team aw | “Pick a ripe red strawberry from the patch.” | |
| Seal | seal (1) | Initial /s/ + long /ē/ vowel team ea | “The harbor seal clapped its flippers on the rock.” | |
| Sailboat | sail-boat (2) | Compound word • vowel teams ai + oa | “Wind filled the white sails of the sailboat.” |
Practice Sibling Letters in the Magic-C Curve Family
Occupational therapists group Letter S with these sibling letters because they share the same starting stroke pathway:
Frequently Asked Questions: Letter S (S$s) Tracing
Why do so many kindergarteners write Letter S backward?
Letter S requires switching from a counterclockwise curve in the top half to a clockwise curve in the bottom half. Teach students: "Start with a tiny Magic C at the top!" Once the top curves left like a C, the rest of the S falls into place.
Are Capital S and lowercase s shaped the same?
Yes! Both uppercase S and lowercase s use the exact same sinuous snake curve—Capital S spans from Skyline to baseline, while lowercase s fits snugly beneath the dashed midline.
Why is Letter S included in the very first week of phonics instruction?
Like /m/, the /s/ sound is a continuous sibilant ("sssss") that students can stretch out and blend seamlessly into early CVC words like "sat", "sip", and "sun".
Can I download a printable Letter S worksheet packet on this page?
Yes! Click any "Download PDF" button on the Sheet 1, Sheet 2, or Sheet 3 cards above.
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