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Kindergarten – 1st · Reading & Language Arts

Letters & Their Sounds

The alphabet, letter sounds, and blending them into first words. The foundation of reading.

Practice sets

Read the teaching notes, then let them practice on screen or print a sheet. Every set makes fresh problems each time, and you can change the numbers to match where your child is.

First letter sounds

Say this to your child first

Say the sound, not the letter name — "mmm", not "em". Sounding out only works if they know sounds. Do five minutes, often, rather than twenty once.

Watch out for

Mixing letter names with letter sounds. It is the single biggest thing that slows early reading down.

How this works

  1. 1. Read the notes above and do one problem together.
  2. 2. Open Practice and let them work on screen. Anything with one right answer is marked instantly; written answers are shown to you side by side with a good one, for you to judge.
  3. 3. Or open Print a sheet for a paper worksheet with an answer key for you.

What sound does it start with?

Say this to your child first

Say the whole word slowly, stretching the first sound: 'sssssun'. They should answer with the sound, not the letter name. This is the single most important skill for learning to read.

Watch out for

Answering with the letter name — 'es' instead of 'sss'. Correct it every single time, kindly. It is the biggest thing that slows early reading down.

How this works

  1. 1. Read the notes above and do one problem together.
  2. 2. Open Practice and let them work on screen. Anything with one right answer is marked instantly; written answers are shown to you side by side with a good one, for you to judge.
  3. 3. Or open Print a sheet for a paper worksheet with an answer key for you.

Words that rhyme

Say this to your child first

Hearing that cat and hat end the same way is what lets a child read a new word by comparing it to one they know. Say both words aloud and let them hear it before they answer.

Watch out for

Offering a word that starts the same instead of ending the same. Say the two words back to back and ask 'do those finish the same?'

How this works

  1. 1. Read the notes above and do one problem together.
  2. 2. Open Practice and let them work on screen. Anything with one right answer is marked instantly; written answers are shown to you side by side with a good one, for you to judge.
  3. 3. Or open Print a sheet for a paper worksheet with an answer key for you.

Sounding out three-letter words

Say this to your child first

Cover the word, say it slowly, then let them write it sound by sound. Blending three sounds into a word is the moment reading clicks — give it plenty of time.

Watch out for

Guessing the whole word from the first letter. Cover all but the first sound, then reveal one sound at a time.

How this works

  1. 1. Read the notes above and do one problem together.
  2. 2. Open Practice and let them work on screen. Anything with one right answer is marked instantly; written answers are shown to you side by side with a good one, for you to judge.
  3. 3. Or open Print a sheet for a paper worksheet with an answer key for you.