Mastering CVC words is something we spend a lot of time on in kindergarten. And, as with anything that requires a lot of practice, I’m always looking for ways to make it more fun! If you’ve been on the hunt for new ways to engage your students as you practice CVC words, you’re in luck! Today I’m sharing 5 of my favorite classroom activities to practice CVC words.
Practice CVC Words Daily for Best Results
Phonics is such a huge part of the kindergarten curriculum. It takes up a big part of our day, every day. Once my students have got letter sounds and identification down, it’s usually time to start working on CVC words. These words will lay the foundation for more advanced phonics skills and help build confidence as readers. Not to mention, they are often the first opportunity my kids get with “real” reading. This is very exciting for them and me! There’s nothing more exciting than teaching a child to read!
So when it comes to mastering CVC words, it’s best to practice a little bit each day. Some kiddos may progress faster than others, which is where differentiation in your small groups will save the day. But, no matter where your students are at, making sure to practice CVC words daily will make all the difference! So, without further ado, let’s take a peek at 5 of my go-to activities to practice CVC words in the classroom.
1. Cover it Up CVC Word Mats
These Cover it Up CVC Word Mats are something I use every single day in my small groups. They’re one of my favorite ways to practice CVC words and they promote independence. These are two things we’re always working toward in my room!
My favorite way to use these is as a warm-up for my reading groups. I lay out a page in front of each seat as we rotate during centers. Then, as the kids sit down, they get started while I finish the transition to the new center. This page takes them just a few minutes to complete. This is perfect for me because it allows me some time to swap out my materials without my kids waiting on me. It’s the perfect way to start each of my small groups.
To use, the students will identify the word family at the top of the page. Then, they use mini erasers, a BINGO dauber, or another kind of manipulative to cover all the spaces that show pictures of CVC words that are in that family. You can have each child work on different word families or have them use the same one and check each other’s work afterward. These pages are so great because they are no-prep and can be used to practice CVC words anytime you have a few minutes to spare!
2. Let’s Make a Square to Practice CVC Words
Next up, I have another versatile no-prep wonder that I know you and your students will love! Make a Square is a fun game that students will play with a partner.
To play, students will take turns drawing one line at a time to connect two dots side by side, either vertically or horizontally. When one student completes a square around a word or picture, they can claim it as their own but only if they can correctly read or name the word. If they identify the word or picture, they color it. If they cannot their partner can “steal” the square by correctly identifying and coloring the square. Players will continue to draw lines and claim and color squares until all squares are claimed. The player with the most colored squares wins!
This is such a simple and easy game to use in the classroom during center time. Just choose the word family and version you would like to use (pictures or words) and you’re ready to go! I like to print off extras of these pages and keep them on hand to use for last-minute learning activities and centers. My kids love working with a partner and I love that this is a fun and easy way for them to practice CVC words.
3. Small Group Games
Small group games are one of my favorite ways to practice CVC words. We all know that primary students love to play games, so why not use them to practice phonics skills? When choosing games, I look for ones that will be appealing to young students and are easy to use in a small group setting. Anything that encourages hands-on learning is always a winner! I have a ton of small group games for phonemic awareness skills that you can read more about here.
But, some of my favorite games for practicing CVC words can be found in this set for Segmenting and this set for Blending. These resources are each filled with 11-13 different games to practice working with CVC words through segmentation and blending. These are so great for your small group instruction time and will allow you to actively participate with your students. I like to use the games to model the skill first and then play together with my kids. Some of the games included are BINGO, Mystery Bag, Feed Me, SWAT, and more!
4. CVC Word Practice Pages for Interactive Notebooks
Do you use interactive notebook practice pages in your room? They’re one of my favorite ways to practice CVC words since they help to keep a record of everything we’ve learned. Not to mention, cutting, filling out, and gluing the interactive notebook pieces down into a journal is great fine motor practice! The CVC Word Family Interactive Notebooks we use include tons of fun activities such as:
- Sort by word family
- Word Family Word Search
- ABC Order
- Roll, Write, Graph
- Real & Not Real
- Building Words
- Highlight then Trace
- Spin, Spell, Write
- Word Family Sliders and more!
Inside the bundle, you get 22 different interactive notebooks for short vowel word families. These are such a great way to practice CVC words in your classroom! We usually work through these together as a class by completing a little bit of the notebook each day. This would be a fantastic way to start the day before you jump into centers and small groups!
5. CVC Word Search Puzzles
Last on this list of ways to practice CVC words I’ve got another no-prep option that is great for when you’re short on time! These CVC Word Search Puzzles are a fun activity for students during independent work time.
To use, students will look at each picture in the word bank and then say the word. The student will then write the CVC word in the boxes of the word bank. Next, they get to search for the hidden word in the word search puzzle. Once they find and circle the word, the student will check the box so they know that the word has been found.
This multi-step activity helps my kids stay focused on the task as they practice CVC words.
This resource comes with tons of word puzzle pages including 5 for each short vowel sound and 5 for mixed practice. That’s a total of 30 pages that you can use as a quick and easy way to practice CVC words. Try using these as activities for desk work, centers, homework, and even fast finishers! Since they’re no prep, you can print them off and you’re good to go!
Have Fun While You Practice CVC Words!
I hope you found something that looks like it would work in your classroom here. I think the most important thing to remember when you start planning practice activities for CVC words is to choose activities that will snag students’ interest. Endless flashcard drills simply won’t do, friends! Instead, focus on ways you can incorporate hands-on learning and have fun with it! I know your students will be CVC word wizards in no time!
Looking for More Ideas to Practice Phonics Skills?
Check out these posts next!
- Blending Sounds: Progressing From Letter Sounds to CVC Words
- Engaging No-Prep Phonics Games and Activities for Kindergarten
- Using Phonics Games to Teach Middle Sounds
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