This CVC vowel sounds worksheet asks Kindergarten students to name six pictures and write the short vowel they hear in the middle. Answer key included, so beginning readers get quick, no-prep practice hearing every short vowel.
This short i matching game worksheet lets kindergarten students name six pictures and write the matching short i word from a word box. An answer key is included for fast, easy checking.
This Short Vowel A Worksheet asks Kindergarten students to circle short a pictures, then trace and write cat, hat and fan. An answer key is included, so checking takes only seconds.
This Short U Beginning and Ending Sounds Worksheet asks Kindergarten students to name six pictures and write the letter they hear at each end of the word. Answer key included for fast, no-prep phonics practice.
This Fill in the Vowel CVC Worksheet has Kindergarten students trace the five short vowels, then say each picture and write the vowel missing from its CVC word. Answer key included, so checking takes seconds.
This short e matching game worksheet helps kindergarten students say each picture name, hear the short e sound and write the matching word. An answer key makes checking easy.
This short u matching game worksheet helps kindergarten students say each picture name, hear the short u sound and write the matching word. An answer key makes checking easy.
This short a matching game worksheet gives Kindergarten students six pictures to name and six short a words to write, with an answer key included, so they build the vowel sound they need for reading.
This short o matching game worksheet helps kindergarten students name six pictures and write the matching short o word from a word box. An answer key is included for quick checking.
The Short O Beginning and Ending Sounds Worksheet asks Kindergarten students to name six pictures and write the sound they hear at each end of the word. An answer key is included, so practice stays quick and confident.
This RF.K.3 common core worksheet has kindergarten students say each word and circle the one with a long vowel in every row. A simple answer key is included for quick checking.
A, e, i, o, u, here we go!
Kindergarteners learn the five short vowel sounds: /a/ as in apple, /e/ as in egg, /i/ as in itch, /o/ as in octopus and /u/ as in up. They learn that every word needs a vowel, and they hear the middle sound in short words. Then they blend sounds to read simple CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words: c-a-t → cat, p-i-g → pig. They also spell CVC words by listening for each sound. The click moment comes when a child changes one vowel to turn "hat" into "hit" and gets the joke.
Short vowels are the heart of early reading. These moves make the sounds stick.
Introduce a short vowel with a game where kids listen for that sound. Play it a few times during the week. Hearing the sound again and again in a game makes it automatic.
Why it works: teaching letter sounds directly and in order is one of the best-supported findings in reading research (National Reading Panel, 2000).
Try it withLetter A Sound GameGamesOpen it →Show a CVC picture like "cat" with a blank in the middle. Kids say the word slowly, find the middle sound and fill in the vowel. Listening for the middle sound is the tricky part, so stretch the word like a rubber band.
Why it works: going from real objects to pictures to symbols is a core recommendation of the U.S. Department of Education's elementary math guide.
Try it withFill in the Vowel CVC WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Show pictures of CVC words and have kids sort them by vowel sound. Start with just two vowels, like a and o, before adding more. Fewer choices means more success early on.
Why it works: pairing a picture with each word gives kids two ways to remember it, a well-tested principle of how people learn (Mayer, 2009).
Try it withCVC Vowel Sounds WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Kindergarteners love vowel games. Here are a few favorites.
ActivitiesKids plant flowers in the right vowel garden based on the sound they hear.
Open Short Vowel Garden Activity →
WorksheetsMatch short i words to pictures in a game that's quick and self-checking.
Open Short I Matching Game Worksheet →
ActivitiesKids read and sort short a words. Cat, hat, map, bat!
Open Short Vowel A Word Sort Activity →Teacher favorites right now: CVC Vowel Sounds Worksheet, Short I Matching Game Worksheet and Short Vowel A Worksheet.
Short vowels are the sounds a, e, i, o and u make in simple words like cat, bed, pig, hot and bug. Kindergarteners learn these sounds to read and spell CVC words.
A CVC word has a consonant, a short vowel and a consonant, like cat, sun or big. These are often the first words kids learn to sound out.
Many teachers start with short a, then short i or o, since those sounds are easier to tell apart. Short e and short i are often taught later because they sound so similar.
Play "I spy" with middle sounds or make CVC words with magnetic letters. Change one letter at a time, like cat to cut to hut, and read each new word together.
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