Printable First Grade Writing Paper

Sentences on long rows

First grade is when writing turns into sentences. The Texas standards ask first graders to print “words, sentences, and answers legibly leaving appropriate spaces between words”, and the Common Core to “print all upper- and lowercase letters” (L.1.1a), one step on from kindergarten’s “many”.

A sideways page suits that: each long row holds a short sentence. The rows here are Zaner-Bloser’s Grade 1 size, a ⅝” ruling on 10½ × 8 in paper, 1/8 in shorter than kindergarten’s, with a red baseline. Name and Date are printed just over the top row, and a US Letter page fits 7 rows.

Capitals, spaces and tails

• Capitals. A sentence’s first letter reaches the top line, the same height as b or l. A capital that stops at the midline looks like a small letter.
• Spaces between words. Leave a gap about as wide as a small o. Read the row aloud with the child, pointing at each word: a missing space shows up at once.
• Periods. The period sits on the red baseline, right after the last letter, not in the gap below it.
• Tails. Descending letters hang into the gap under the baseline and stop before the next row’s top line.

Zaner-Bloser or D’Nealian?

In kindergarten and first grade, Pacon’s multi-program papers put D’Nealian one year ahead: one 5/8 in paper is labeled “D’Nealian Grade K / Zaner-Bloser Grade 1” and one 1/2 in paper “D’Nealian Grade 1 / Zaner-Bloser Grade 2”. If your school teaches D’Nealian, first graders are on the half-inch size: choose 1/2 in under Letter height, or use the second grade writing paper, which opens with it.

For bigger letters, go back to the kindergarten writing paper with 3/4 in rows. The lined paper generator has every size from 1 in down.

Writing rows per page at 5/8 in (15.9 mm) letter height

Counted by the generator with this page’s settings: at least 1 inch of unruled space at the top, with the Name and Date labels just above the first row, 5/16 in (7.9 mm) between rows and a ½-inch bottom margin. Rows that don’t fit whole are left off, and the summary above the preview updates as you change the settings.