From sounds to words
- Beginning sounds. Hear the first sound of a word and match it to its letter.
- Ending sounds. Listen to the end of the word, which is harder to hear.
- Short vowels. The middle sound: c _ t, p _ g, s _ n.
- Build the word. Write all three sounds, one in each box.
- Rhymes. Hear that cat and hat end the same way.
- Word families. Change the first sound: cat, hat, bat.
- Digraphs and blends. Two letters, one sound (sh, ch) or two quick sounds (fr, st).
Pictures first
Phonics practice works when children say the word out loud. A picture gives them the word without needing to read it, so they can focus on the sounds. Each picture is chosen to have one obvious name, and the letters use simple shapes children learn first, like the single-story a.
Keep going
Pair these with sight words for the words that can’t be sounded out, and withpicture puzzles for spelling whole words with pictures.
Common Core standards
- RF.K.2.ARecognize and produce rhyming words.
- RF.K.2.DSay the first, middle and last sounds of three-sound (CVC) words.
- RF.K.3.AKnow the most common sound for each consonant letter.
- RF.K.3.BMatch the short vowel sounds to their letters.
- L.K.2.CWrite a letter for most consonant and short vowel sounds.
- RF.1.3.AKnow the sounds of common consonant digraphs like sh, ch and th.
Summaries in our own words; see the Common Core State Standards for the full text.
