Valentine’s activities are a great way to get the attention of young learners! I created Valentine’s Day CVC Word Building Mat for Kindergarten for our students to build decoding and spelling skills all February long! Your students are going to love the cute picture cards, and they will have fun identifying the sounds in each word. It’s an activity that sneaks up on our learners and they don’t even know the valuable groundwork they’re laying for stellar reading skills. And, teachers, it’s EASY to prep!
Learning About CVC Words in Kindergarten:
WORD BUILDING with KINDERGARTNERS
BUILDING WORDS WITH PICTURE CARDS HELPS YOUNG LEARNERS CONNECT LETTER SOUNDS WITH LETTERS.
Exploring simple word lists with short vowel sounds or predictable word families helps children with two important steps in learning to read.
First, students gain practice and fluency in breaking words into individual sounds (phoneme segmentation). Next, students become more automatic at matching the sounds to the correct letter (phoneme-grapheme mapping).
An added bonus with using CVC picture cards at your Kindergarten literacy center is that students can also develop vocabulary and language skills by identifying the CVC words’ meanings.
The FREE printable Valentine activity for kindergarten features eye-catching pictures to help your students to read with ease!
Each mat provides an opportunity for students to:
- Identify and name the CVC word with a picture
- Break apart the sounds of each word
- Identify which letters to use to build the word
- Practice writing each letter/word on lined paper
Why Is It Important For Kids To Practice CVC Words?
Your students will automatically engage with this fun Valentine’s Day Kindergarten activity. In addition to that, they will be gaining important knowledge of the English language!
Develops Fundamental Understandings
In order for children to be good readers, it’s very important that they understand each letter(s) represents a specific sound. Building simple words helps them understand that before they move on to long vowels and more complex patterns.
Improves Decoding
Simple word-building activities contribute to later decoding abilities. When kindergartners play CVC word games and work with simple spelling words, they learn the steps to decoding unfamiliar words. Instead of guessing or looking at the first letter of a word, students inherently attend to each letter or letter combination (as they grow).
Complements Writing Development
Writing skills take time, practice, and fine motor development. Many children are ready for easy words to spell in Kindergarten, but producing each letter in writing is extremely tedious and difficult. Matching letters to sounds omits that step and gives kids confidence while their handwriting skills continue to develop,
Enhances Spelling Skills
Teachers know well that great readers don’t necessarily equal great spellers! The more practice we give students with word-building, the better spellers they become because they realize the important connection between letters and sounds.
More CVC Word Resources:
Grab these CVC Word activities for fun whole-group activities, small groups, and independent beginning reader activities for your kindergarteners!
Bob Books, Set 1: Beginning Readers
Learning Resources 3-Letter Word Puzzle Cards, Kindergarten Readniness, Self Correcting Puzzles, Ages 4+, MultiThinkFun Zingo Word Builder Early Reading Game – Award Winning Game for Pre-Readers and Early ReadersWooden Reading Blocks | [5] Sets of Fun, Educational Spinning Alphabet Manipulative Blocks for Children w/ Easy-Grip Handles | STEM & Montessori Approved Toy for Pre-Kindergarten Boys & Girls GiftTeacher Created Resources Word Shark: Short Vowels Game (7805), MulticolorAIVANT 80 Words Self-Correcting Spelling Puzzle for Three and Four Letter Words with Matching Images,Perfect for Preschool Learning (40 Blocks Double Sided)
Materials needed for the Valentine’s Day CVC Word Building Mat for Kindergarten:
Get the Supplies Here:
Don’t worry about making a special trip to the store. You can get all the supplies for this activity right here.
- Printer with colored ink
- Printer paper or card stock
- Paper cutter or scissors
- Laminating supplies (optional)
- Letter tiles
- Dry/wet-erase markers
Educational Insights Color-Coded Uppercase & Lowercase AlphaMagnets and MathMagnets, Set of 214 Color-Coded Uppercase & Lowercase Letters, Numbers, Punctuation & Math Symbols: Perfect for Homeschool & Classroom, Ages 3+Primary Concepts, Magnetic Alphabet Tiles Learning Kit
How To Use The Valentine’s Day CVC Word Building Mat for Kindergarten
KINDERGARTEN SPELLING SKILLS
BEGIN WITH LOTS OF MODELING OF THIS ACTIVITY. WHEN STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THE STEPS, THEY ARE READY TO PRACTICE INDEPENDENTLY.
This activity is easy to prepare! First, print the work mat and picture cards. You can use a sturdier paper for longevity, or you can use regular paper for an activity each student can keep.
Next, laminate the work mats and the picture cards. This step is optional, depending on how you want to use the activity. If you plan to keep it at the literacy center, I definitely recommend laminating the materials!
Finally, cut the CVC picture cards apart.
Kids will love this activity! To play:
- Draw a card and identify the picture. Place the card in the box at the top of the mat.
- “Stretch” the sounds in the word by saying each sound slowly.
- Build the word in the box by matching the identified sounds with letters.
- Use a dry/wet-erase marker to write the word on the lines provided at the bottom of the mat.
Other Ways To Use The Valentine Word Building Mat:
Segmenting Game
Use the picture cards for a sound segmenting game. Children draw a card, identify the picture, then stretch the sounds in the word.
Picture Sort
Students can sort the pictures based on vowel sounds, beginning sounds, or ending sounds.
Differentiate by Ability
Feel free to adapt the word building mat to each child’s skill level. Omit the handwriting portion for those that are easily frustrated, or pare down the selection of word cards.
Our Favorite Valentine’s Day Books:
We can’t live without these!
Once your child’s creativity is sparked with this fun activity, take it a step further with these engaging resources:
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose!Love MonsterThe Berenstain Bears’ Valentine Blessings (Berenstain Bears/Living Lights: A Faith Story)Pete the Cat: Valentine’s Day Is CoolAmelia Bedelia’s First ValentineLittle Blue Truck’s ValentineLlama Llama I Love YouDay It Rained HeartsThe Biggest Valentine EverSplat the Cat: Funny Valentine
More from our Shop
Find even more engaging activities in the Life Over C’s shop!
join the newsletter & Get your free activity
Enter your email to
get your activity now!
Already a subscriber? No worries. Just enter your email here to have the activity sent directly to your inbox.
![text saying [want more activities? Click to try these!]](https://lifeovercs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/want-more-banner.png)
