Free printable letter S worksheets for preschool and kindergarten: trace uppercase S and lowercase s, find the letter, follow the letter maze and color S words.
Preschool and kindergartenCommon Core RF.K.1.D, RF.K.3.A2 free PDFs with answer keys
Change the numbers, layout and number of problems, then download a new PDF with its answer key.
S is one of the most useful letters for early reading and the start of the popular S-A-T-P-I-N teaching order. These free letter S worksheets cover tracing S and s, finding the letter in a mixed grid, an S maze and a coloring page for “S is for sun”.
Free letter S worksheets to print (PDF)
Each of these letter S worksheets is a one-page PDF; the find and maze pages add an answer key. Press Customize to change the colors or paper size in the maker on this page.
Trace S and sArrows first, then on their own.PDFCustomizeFind the letter SCircle and count, with key.PDFCustomizeLetter S mazeColor the S path, with key.PDFCustomizeS is for sunColor, trace and draw.PDFCustomize
The letter S sound
S says /s/, as in sun, sock, snake and star: a long, snaky hiss with the teeth close together. At the end of words, s often says /z/, as in dogs and is. S makes plurals (cats), joins h for sh (ship), and starts many blends: sl, sm, sn, sp, st and sw. Because it is so common, s is often one of the first letters taught.
S is for sun: letter S words for kids
Words that start with S: sun, sock, snake, star, seal, sandwich, scissors, spoon, soup, swing.
S inside or at the end: bus, glass, horse, dress, pencils, toys.
The color page uses sun, sock, snake and star, so children trace each word and color the matching letter.
Letter S at a glance
Place in the alphabet
19th of 26, after R and before T
Type
Consonant
Uppercase shape
Curves only
Often confused with
Z, the number 5 and a backwards S
Scrabble tile value
1 point
Grouping letters by shape helps handwriting: letters made of curves, like S, build the round strokes that a, d, g and q need later.
How to write S and s
Uppercase S: Start near the top right, curve left, then curve right and back again, like a snake.
Lowercase s: The same snake curve, small, between the middle line and the baseline.
S is a tricky shape: start just below the top on the right, curve back over the top, go across the middle and curve around the bottom. Children often write S backwards. Saying “curve back like c, then curve the other way” helps, and so does tracing big snakes in sand before using a pencil.
Letter S tracing and the rest of the pack
Trace: letter S tracing with arrows to follow, then uppercase S and lowercase s on their own.
Find the letter: circle every S and s hidden among similar-looking letters, then count them.
Letter maze: color the S squares to make a path from start to finish.
Color: color the big Ss, trace the S words and draw something that starts with S.
Letter S activities for preschool
Short, hands-on games make the letter S worksheets stick. Try one a day alongside the printed pages:
Sand writing: draw S shapes in a tray of sand or salt.
Snake slither: slide like a snake along a big S drawn in chalk outside.
Sock sort: pair socks while saying /s/ words for each pair.
Star stickers: put a star sticker on every S in a page of a magazine.
A letter S week plan
Monday: say the /s/ sound together, trace S and s on the first page, then try the Sand writing idea above.
Tuesday: work through the find-the-letter page, count how many you circled, and move on to Snake slither.
Wednesday: solve the letter S maze, then play Sock sort.
Thursday: color “S is for sun”, read sun, sock, snake and star aloud and finish with Star stickers.
Friday: write S and s from memory, look for S in a favorite picture book and reprint any page that felt tricky.
Letter S worksheets kindergarten teachers can use
Kindergarten readers use s in sad, sat, set, sip, sit, sun and bus, and in plurals like cats and pigs. The letter S worksheets teachers use usually come early in the year, since s appears in so many first words and in the sight words see, said and is.
Names: if someone in the family has a name that starts with S, the name tracing worksheets turn it into a tracing page.
Whole alphabet: the alphabet worksheets hub has all 26 letter packs plus ABC order and matching pages.
Letter S worksheets: frequently asked questions
What age are letter S worksheets for?
Preschool and kindergarten, usually ages 3 to 6. Kindergarten expects children to recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters (Common Core RF.K.1.D).
How many days should we spend on the letter S?
A letter-of-the-week plan uses one page a day: trace on Monday, find on Tuesday, the maze on Wednesday and coloring on Thursday, with Friday for review or a craft.
Why does s sometimes sound like z?
At the end of many words, like is, has and dogs, s says /z/. Children pick this up naturally while reading.
What is SATPIN?
A common phonics order that teaches s, a, t, p, i and n first, because together they make many simple words like sat, pin and tap.
Can I print a different letter or several at once?
Yes. The maker on this page can build packs for any letters, like S, A, T, P, I, N, or the whole alphabet.
