Kindergarteners need to recognize word families, and I have the activity to get them started.

You don’t need a reading certificate to practice word families with your five and six-year-olds.

I am here to help you understand Kindergarten word families so that you will see just how simple, familiar letter patterns can be! Be warned. – You will never see words the same. 😉

Simply put, word families are a group of words with the same ending.

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Why is it important to teach word families?

After children learn the letter sounds, they begin to put the sounds together to make words.

Word families help Kindergarteners recognize:

• Familiar letter patterns within words.

• Recognize that most CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) words have a short vowel sound.

• Recognize that most CVCe words have a long vowel sound.

• Blend three-letter sounds (phonemes) to make a word.

• Identify which letters come together to make a word we use.

• Identify which letters come together to form a nonsense word.

• Begin to hear a rhyming pattern within a group of words.

Word families are a great way to begin seeing and hearing letter patterns in words. The more we practice word families, the stronger reader our Kindergartener will become.

RELATED: Supplies don’t have to be complicated! Search our supply list here and see what we keep on hand. 

Which word family do you teach first?

Many educators would agree that the -at family is the first word family to introduce.

Below is a chart that lists the most popular word families to continue practicing at home.

Try working on ONE word family a week.

Play this word family activity listed here, and make a list to keep up at home. Remember to keep the chart you make at eye-level for your Kindergartener to refer back to it.

DOWNLOAD THIS word families chart here.

As your Kindergartener begins to practice and recognize these familiar letter combinations, they will also begin to read more words in one sitting.

The letter combinations will look and sound familiar!

This important skill will go hand and hand when your Kindergartener is writing.

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Let’s set up this Kindergarten word family activity!

You will see I have these lacing letters linked in our ABC Manipulatives post. I used these in my teaching days, and we carried on the tradition at home. They are small, so be cautious around younger children.

I talked with my Kindergartener about the -at family. We talked about different words that rhymed with the word cat.

Next, I placed the alphabet from A-Z in front of him.

I added a card to begin creating words from the -at family with each letter.

If the word was a word we use, he placed the letter in the bowl. If the word did not make sense after sounding out, he put it in the nonsense bowl.

Supplies:

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• Paper

• Marker

 

 

Now your Kindergartener is ready to play this word family activity!

When will you get started?

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