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 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 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.
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 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 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 consonant digraphs activity has children match ch, sh, th and wh picture cards to word cards, with a memory game and practice page for kindergarten to 2nd grade. Answer key included.
Using the Seashells by the Seashore Consonant Digraphs Activity, students practice listening for and identifying initial and ending digraphs by collecting seashells into digraph buckets.
Blends, digraphs and tricky starts
By 2nd grade, single letter sounds are old news. Now kids master the trickier starts: blends where both sounds are heard (bl, gr, st, spr), digraphs where two letters make one new sound (sh, ch, th, wh), and hard and soft c and g. They learn that c says /s/ before e, i or y, as in city, but /k/ in cat. These beginning sounds help them decode longer words fast. The click is when a child reads "strong" without sounding out each letter.
Second graders need focused practice with the tricky starts. These moves give it.
Teach that two letters can team up to make one sound. Hold up sh, ch, th and wh cards, and kids sort word cards under the right team: ship, chin, thumb, whale. Then they read the sorted lists aloud as fast as they can.
Why it works: the National Reading Panel found that systematic, explicit phonics teaching clearly improves how children learn to read.
Try it withConsonant Digraphs CH SH TH WH ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Show pictures like giraffe, goat, gem and gum. Kids say each word and decide: hard g or soft g? Then reveal the rule: look at the next letter. Pictures let them hear the sound before they see the spelling.
Why it works: children learn more from words and pictures together than from words alone (Mayer, 2009).
Try it withHard Soft G Worksheet - PicturesWorksheetsOpen it →After practicing a sound in isolation, give a short passage full of words starting with it, like th. Kids read, answer questions and highlight every th word. Reading it in a story is where the skill transfers.
Why it works: shuffled practice teaches kids to choose the right strategy, not just repeat one, and it improved test scores in research (Rohrer and Taylor, 2007).
Try it withStarts With TH Reading Comprehension WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Fast games keep blend and digraph practice exciting.
ActivitiesRead a blend word to break each brick in the wall. Can you clear it before the timer?
Open Brick Breaker Consonant Blends Activity →
ActivitiesPractice br, gr, pr and tr words with a happy, feel-good theme.
Open Feeling Bright Great and Proud R Consonant Blends Activity →
WorksheetsCircle every hard c in one color and every soft c in another.
Open Circle Hard Soft C Words Worksheet →Teacher favorites right now: Popcorn Blends Activity, Plucking Blends L Blend Activity and Hard and Soft C and G Activity.
They focus on consonant blends like bl, st and spr, digraphs like sh, ch, th and wh, and hard and soft c and g. These help with reading longer words.
In a blend you hear each letter, like b and l in "blue." In a digraph two letters make one new sound, like sh in "ship."
Usually when it comes before e, i or y, as in cent, city and cycle. Before other letters, c usually says /k/. The same rule mostly works for g.
Go back to short daily practice with pictures and word sorts, focusing on one blend or digraph at a time. If struggles continue, ask the teacher about a reading check.
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