Short E Words Beginning and Ending Sounds Worksheet

Before a child can read a word, they have to hear the sounds inside it. The Short E Words Beginning and Ending Sounds Worksheet gives kindergarteners three familiar pictures and asks them to listen for the very first sound and the very last sound in each name. The short e in the middle is already printed, so all of a young student’s attention goes to the two consonants at the edges of the word, which is exactly the phonemic awareness step that leads into reading and spelling CVC words.

Each of the three cards holds one picture and three sound boxes, with a lowercase e already printed in the middle box. Students say the picture name out loud, stretch it slowly, then print the beginning letter in the first box and the ending letter in the last box. The pictures are a bed, a net and a pen, chosen because a five-year-old names each one the same way every time. The boxes are large and the letters are big, so kindergarten handwriting fits comfortably. Print the page for a small-group phonics lesson, a literacy center, or a quick check before you move on to a new vowel sound. The answer key on page two shows all three words filled in.

What’s Included

• One printable worksheet page with three large picture cards
• A short e already printed in the middle of every word, so only the beginning and ending sounds are missing
• Roomy sound boxes sized for kindergarten letter formation
• A full answer key page

Three Reasons This Helps Kids

• Hearing the first and last sound in a spoken word is the phonemic awareness skill that reading and spelling both rest on.
• Holding the vowel steady lets a child work on one job at a time instead of juggling three sounds at once.
• Three roomy items are short enough for a five-year-old to finish in one sitting and still feel successful.

Teacher and Parent Ideas

Use this kindergarten beginning sounds worksheet as a listening warm-up before anyone picks up a pencil: say bed, net and pen aloud and have the class clap the first sound, then the last. Cover the pictures and read the finished words together so students see that the letters they wrote really do build the word they said. At home, walk around the house and hunt for other short e words to add on the back of the page. Because the Short E Words Beginning and Ending Sounds Worksheet keeps the vowel constant, it also pairs neatly with the short a, short o and short u pages for a whole week of vowel work.

Related Resources

• Short A Words Beginning and Ending Sounds Worksheet
• Short O Beginning and Ending Sounds Worksheet
• Beginning Sounds Worksheet
• 44 Sounds of the English Language Video Lesson