Word Family Circles

This dual-purpose worksheet supports students in Kindergarten and early Grade 1 as they practice essential pre-writing skills while reinforcing early phonics understanding. Students trace rows of circles to build curved-line control and fine motor coordination, then examine pictures to identify which words belong to the “ab” word family, combining handwriting readiness, visual discrimination, phonemic awareness, and early reading skills in one structured activity.

Learning Goals

• Early Literacy Skills (K-1) – Identify and categorize words that belong to the “ab” word family
• Pre-Writing Development – Strengthen circular stroke formation through repeated tracing practice
• Fine Motor Control – Improve grip stability, hand pressure, and smooth tracing motion
• Visual Processing – Use visual discrimination to connect images with correct word patterns

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed to support early literacy and handwriting development together
• Integrated Skill Practice – Combines phonics instruction with fine motor and pre-writing tasks
• Flexible Use – Suitable for literacy centers, morning work, RTI groups, or homeschool lessons
• Clear Layout – Simple format helps students focus on both tracing accuracy and word analysis
• Low Prep – Print-and-go worksheet requiring minimal materials

This printable worksheet helps young learners build confidence in both handwriting readiness and phonics-based reading skills. By tracing circles, students develop curved stroke mastery, motor memory, and visual motor coordination, while the word family component reinforces phonemic patterns and early decoding strategies. Whether used in a classroom or homeschool setting, this resource provides a practical way to strengthen foundational literacy and fine motor skills at the same time.

This worksheet is part of our Pre-Writing Strokes Practice Worksheets Collection.