In this popcorn blends activity, K-2nd Grade children spin a blend, sort 12 picture cards into popcorn boxes and fill in a practice page, with an answer key included for quick checking.
This alphabet match activity has preschool and kindergarten students match 26 picture cards to the letter of their beginning sound, then practice on a worksheet. Answer key included for quick checking.
This beginning and ending sounds activity uses 12 picture clip cards and a recording sheet so preschool to 1st grade students find first and last letters. Answer key included.
Practice beginning sounds with this consonant sounds activity for Preschool through 1st Grade. Kids stack picture scoops on letter cones, then finish a practice page. Answer key included.
This hard and soft c and g activity helps 1st to 3rd grade students sort words by the sound of c or g using a simple rule. A sound sort sheet, practice page and answer key are included.
This l blend activity has 1st and 2nd grade students match picture cards to word cards and sort words by bl, cl, fl, pl and sl. Answer key included.
This alphabet picture matching activity helps preschool and kindergarten students say each picture name and match it to its beginning letter. Answer key included.
In this consonant digraphs ch sh th wh activity, Kindergarten to 3rd Grade students sort 16 picture-word cards by their first sound, with an answer key included for easy checking.
In this blending s blends activity, 1st and 2nd grade children match 15 picture cards to word cards, then sort the words by sn, sk, sl, st and sp. Answer key included.
This beginning consonant blends activity gives Kindergarten to 2nd Grade readers 12 picture clip cards, a recording sheet and a practice page, with an answer key included, so they can hear and write r-, l- and s-blends.
This blends mini book activity lets 1st and 2nd grade children make a travel book, write the blend for each picture and use each word in a sentence. Answer key included.
This b and p beginning sounds sort activity has PreK-1st grade students say each picture name and sort it by its first sound. Answer key included.
This letter roll beginning sounds activity has K-1st grade students roll a letter die, say its sound and find a matching picture card. Answer key included for quick checking.
This brick breaker consonant blends activity has 1st and 2nd grade students spin a blend and break picture bricks that begin with it. An answer key is included for each game mat.
This beginning sounds b, p activity has PreK-1st grade students clip b or p on 12 fun Bee or Pig? picture cards, then write the letter. Answer key included for quick checking.
This hard and soft c g sounds activity lets 1st to 3rd grade students sort picture cards by the sound c or g makes, with a practice page and answer key included.
This feeling bright great and proud r consonant blends activity has 1st-2nd grade students sort 20 balloon word cards by br, tr, gr, fr and pr. Answer key included.
Using the Beginning Consonants Baseball Activity, students play Baseball to practice identifying the beginning consonants of words.
This RF.K.3 common core activity has preschool and kindergarten students sort 26 picture cards onto letter cards by beginning sound. Answer key included, so practice stays quick and fun.
This beginning consonants activity helps PreK-1st Grade children hear the first sound in a word and match picture cards to letters. A practice page and answer key are included for easy checking.
Ball, bat, banana: hear that first sound?
Beginning sounds are the very first sounds kids hear in words, and they are one of the first steps to reading. Preschoolers and kindergarteners learn to hear that ball, bat and bus all start with /b/, then match each sound to its letter. They sort pictures by first sound, find words that start the same, and say the first sound of their own names. Soon they hear the middle and ending sounds too, and they are ready to blend words like c-a-t. The click comes when a child points to a sign and says, "That starts with my letter!"
These moves help little ears catch that very first sound.
Focus on one letter sound for a few days. Say it, write it, find it, and finish with a quick letter game where kids tap every picture that starts with that sound. Short, focused rounds build strong sound-letter links.
Why it works: the National Reading Panel found that systematic, explicit phonics teaching clearly improves how children learn to read.
Try it withLetter B GameGamesOpen it →Give kids a pile of picture cards and two or three letter mats. They say each picture name out loud and slide it to the matching letter. Saying the word is the important part, since kids hear the sound in their own voices.
Why it works: children learn more from words and pictures together than from words alone (Mayer, 2009).
Try it withBeginning Sounds B C D Pictures WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Draw three boxes and give kids three counters. Say "sun" slowly and push one counter into a box for each sound. Then ask, "What is the first sound?" Elkonin boxes show kids that words are made of separate sounds.
Why it works: kids understand an idea best when they touch it, then draw it, then write it, the order the U.S. Department of Education recommends for elementary math.
Try it withElkonin Box WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Little learners love sound games, especially when they get to be loud.
GamesKids tap pictures and hear the letter A sound come to life on screen. Perfect for centers!
Open Letter A Sound Game →
WorksheetsPull a picture from the bag, say the first sound and match it to its letter: j, k or l.
Open Beginning Sounds J K L Worksheet - Pictures →
WorksheetsKids listen for a sound and hop forward, stay put or hop back to show where they hear it.
Open Beginning, Middle, and Ending Sounds Worksheet →Teacher favorites right now: Popcorn Blends Activity, Alphabet Match Activity and Beginning and Ending Sounds Activity.
Many children start hearing beginning sounds around age 4, and most kindergarteners can name the first sound of a word by the middle of the year. Every child moves at their own pace.
Play "I spy something that starts with /m/." Say the sound, not the letter name. You can also sort toys by their first sound or sing silly songs that repeat one sound.
Most teachers teach them together, but the sound is what helps kids read. When you show a letter, say both: "This is B, and it says /b/."
After beginning sounds, kids learn ending sounds, then middle vowel sounds. Once they can hear all three, they are ready to blend and read simple CVC words like "dog" and "map."
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