Letter Order Placement Worksheet

Knowing the alphabet by heart and being able to put letters in order are two different skills, and the second one is what a child needs before a dictionary, an index, or a class list makes any sense. This Letter Order Placement Worksheet gives first graders four sets of six lowercase letters, printed out of order and pulled from all across the alphabet, and asks them to write each set in ABC order in the boxes below it. Because the letters are scattered rather than consecutive, students cannot simply sing their way to the answer; they have to hold the alphabet in mind and compare one letter against another.

The page is built to be written on. Each set prints its six letters in tinted tiles, and directly beneath sits a wide strip of six roomy boxes with plenty of space for early handwriting. The lowercase letters are set in a manuscript teaching font, so the single-storey a and g match the way children are taught to form them. Print this letter order placement worksheet for morning work, use it at a literacy center, or send it home for extra practice. An answer key is included on the last page, so checking the work takes seconds.

What’s Included

• One printable Letter Order Placement Worksheet in PDF format, ready to print
• Four sets of six lowercase letters, each set printed out of order
• Twenty-four different letters in all, so no letter repeats on the page
• A row of six large answer boxes under every set
• A complete answer key on the final page
• Name and date lines at the top of the page

Three Reasons This Helps Kids

• Letters drawn from across the alphabet force real comparing instead of reciting the alphabet song.
• Writing each letter, rather than circling or cutting, gives handwriting practice at the same time.
• Putting things in order is the skill behind dictionaries, glossaries and indexes later on.

Ideas for Teachers and Parents

• Ask students to say the alphabet quietly and tap each box as they find its letter.
• Time one set, then try the next and see whether the second set goes faster.
• Turn a finished row into a challenge: name the letter that would come right before the first one.
• Pair this 1st grade abc order worksheet with a word list so students can take the same skill to whole words.

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