Bubblegum CVC Word Building Mat for Kindergarten

Teaching CVC Words in Kindergarten:

EARLY READING SKILLS

CONNECTING A VISUAL IMAGE WITH A WRITTEN WORD IS VERY IMPORTANT IN EARLY READING AND CONNECTING LETTERS AND SOUNDS. PICTURES ARE GREAT FOR VISUAL LEARNERS.

One of the first steps in reading is practicing CVC words. When children realize they can blend sounds (phonemes) to create words, they will gain confidence in their reading skills.

Using letter tiles/magnets/cutouts to physically build the CVC words is a great way to help your hands on leaners get motivated. Using multiple senses and learning styles is so much more beneficial then simply reading words off a list.

Start by introducing and modeling this activity in a whole group setting. Students will see how to complete the activity and practice the task together several times. Then, the activity could be used as a center or small group activity during guided reading. Let your kindergartener explore and have fun. It’s okay to not check for accuracy every time.

This activity can also be used as a formal assessment. Working individually or in a small group, students can identify short vowel words.

These adorable CVC picture cards include different words families, words with the same vowel, rhyming words, beginning consonants, and other spelling patterns. Using smaller sets of the cards can help focus your student on a specific task.

In addition to practicing letter-sound knowledge in this activity, students will improve phonological awareness by saying each word and stretching each sound to spell it.

Phonics for Kindergarteners

KINDERGARTEN SPELLING AND READING

DECODING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IS A NEW CONCEPT TO YOUNG CHILDREN! KINDERGARTENERS WILL GAIN CONFIDENCE AND MOTIVATION WHEN THEY FEEL SUCCESSFUL WITH CVC WORD GAMES.

Writing the letters that represent each sound is called phoneme (sounds)- grapheme (letters) mapping. Breaking the word into individual sounds also gives students practice in decoding more complex words in the future. There are four basic steps to follow for phoneme-grapheme mapping:

• Identify the picture and the correct meaning of the CVC word
• Orally stretch the word into individual sounds
• Place a manipulative on the mat for each sound (cube, counter, finger, etc.)
• Identify which letter makes each sound

Why Is Phoneme-Grapheme Mapping Important?

Learning easy words to spell in kindergarten provides basic decoding practice. Spelling lists with CVC words form a strong foundation for taking on the challenge of digraphs, consonant blends, longs vowels, and additional patterns.

Reading Skills Gained From Building Words

Phenomenal Phonics

Word building mats help students sound out words, sound by sound. The sounds are sequenced in the right order to create a word.

Star Spellers

Building words with manipulatives will ideally help children break down each sound and ultimately create star spellers in kindergarten and 1st grade.

Writing Skills Wowzers

After building the word with manipulatives, your student will use a dry erase marker to copy the consonants and vowels in the word. This is great practice for fine motor skills and pencil grip.

Best Blenders

Your students will identify the letter for each sound and practice putting those sounds together to form words.

How To Use The Bubblegum CVC Word Building Activity

BUILDING WORDS WITH KINDERGARTENERS

It’s as easy as 1,2,3! Simply print out one word building mat for each student. You will use paper or card stock and laminate them.

Print, cut, and laminate the bubblegum picture cards.

Place one of the cards at the top of the building mat.

Next, you have two choices. You can have your students use manipulatives to represent each sound. They can slide the manipulative, or their finger, while saying each sound.

They can also spell the word with cutout letters and say each sound while placing it in the corresponding box.

Finally, students will copy the letters onto the lines at the bottom of the page.

Erase, repeat!

Extend the Activity:

Beginning Words Match

Use the bubble word pictures with letter manipulatives and match the beginning sound to the corresponding letter.

Eliminate Letter Tiles

Advanced learners can lose the tiles or letter manipulatives and just write the CVC word.

Playdough Mat

Form letters using dough or clay to represent the letters on the bubblegum CVC word-building mat.

More CVC Word Activities You’ll Love:

• Beach Theme CVC Word Building Mat
• School Theme CVC Word Building Mat
• CVC Word Interactive Notebook

Need More CVC Word Activities?

Want Even More CVC Word Ideas?

• CVC Words Bump! File Folder Game
• CVC Vowel Sound Slap It Game
• CVC Word Family Clip Card
• CVC Word Building Alphabet Bead Activity