How Trace your name & Trace a word make handwriting personal

What name and word tracing are for

Tomorrow Kid’s Tracing home keeps Lines → Shapes → ABC as the lesson spine. Beside Fun and Doodle sit two practice cards that make handwriting feel personal: Trace your name! and Trace a word!. Name tracing uses the on-device Kid Profile name. Word tracing offers twelve short picture words (CAT → CAR) in uppercase capitals.

Parent tip: set a first name once in Settings → Child Information, then open Trace your name as a Friday treat—not as a replacement for Lines or Shapes.

Where they live

1. Open Tracing from Home
2. Scroll past the Next-up lesson card
3. Tap Trace your name! or Trace a word! (practice cards beside Fun / Doodle)

Entry wiring: name opens TracingNameView; words open TracingWordListView from the Tracing list. Shared under-canvas pencils still apply—cosmetic ink only. For Crayon → Neon, see the Tracing Pencil styles guide.

Trace your name!

Trace your name! builds a letter-by-letter sequence from the Kid Profile name:

• Capital first letter, lowercase rest
• ASCII letters only, capped so the strip stays readable
• Empty name shows “What’s your name?” and asks a grown-up to add a name in Settings
• Deliberately records no progress (progressId: nil)—names change and are not curriculum

Celebration copy sounds like “You wrote your name!” so the payoff is identity, not a star ladder. For how to set or clear the name (and why it stays on-device), see the Kid Profile / Child Information guide.

Trace a word!

Trace a word! opens a Words grid of twelve picture words, easiest first:

| Word | Picture cue | | --- | --- | | CAT | 🐱 | | DOG | 🐶 | | SUN | ☀️ | | BUS | 🚌 | | PIG | 🐷 | | COW | 🐄 | | HAT | 🎩 | | CUP | 🥤 | | BED | 🛏️ | | EGG | 🥚 | | BOX | 📦 | | CAR | 🚗 |

Kids trace uppercase capitals letter by letter. Progress keys are word-* (separate from alphabet counters). On finish, celebration speech spells the letters aloud so pre-readers hear C, A, T while seeing the picture.

How name and word differ from the lesson path

• Lesson path — Lines → Shapes → ABC → abc → 123 with Next-up and stars (main Tracing guide)
• Trace your name — profile name; capital-then-lowercase; no progress recorded
• Trace a word — 12 picture words; uppercase; stars on word-* keys
• Fun / Doodle — come-alive scenes and free draw (Fun & Doodle guide); not name or spelling practice

A calm way to introduce it at home

1. Pass the Settings math gate and save a short first name under Child Information.
2. Open Tracing → Trace your name! and write the first letter together out loud.
3. On another day, open Trace a word! and start with CAT or DOG—point at the picture before the first stroke.
4. Skip name tracing if you prefer privacy—“What’s your name?” is a calm empty state, not an error.
5. Keep Lines → Shapes as the weekday spine; use name/word as personalization treats.

What to try next

Keep the lesson path as the spine of the week. When the profile name is set, unlock Trace your name once; when energy is high for spelling, try one new picture word. Ready to try it? Open Tomorrow Kid, open Tracing, and tap Trace your name! or Trace a word!.