Category Core Phonics

Compound Words Word Search

Take two ordinary words — SUN and SHINE — and push them together. The result is a brand new word with its own meaning, and English builds vocabulary this way constantly. FOOTBALL, BEDROOM, RAINBOW, HOMEWORK: children use compound words all…

Short-a CVC Word Search

  Three letters. One vowel in the middle. That’s all it takes to build a real English word — and for most children, CVC words are the first ones they will ever read without help. This printable word search focuses…

Short-e CVC Word Search

Ask a Reception class to sound out “bed” and you will hear something brilliant happen — three distinct sounds clicking together into a word they already know. That click is phonics working. This word search contains fifteen CVC words built…

Short-i CVC Word Search

PIG becomes BIG becomes DIG becomes WIG. Change one letter and the word transforms — and a child who can play this game has crossed the line from memorising words to actually reading them. This word search contains fifteen CVC…

Short-o CVC Word Search

A dog in the fog hops on a log. Short-o words seem made for silly sentences — and silly sentences, it turns out, are one of the most effective phonics tools a teacher or parent has. This word search contains…

Short-u CVC Word Search

SUN, FUN, RUN. By the time children reach short-u — usually the last of the five short vowels to be taught — they are not just sounding out words anymore. They are starting to read. This puzzle is where the…