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Games that build fluency with CVC words

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free games to help get fluency with CVC words

Do you have learners who sound out CVC words, but do it oooh sooo slowwwlly?

Cat isn’t “cat.” It’s “/k/ /ă/ /t/.”

Or maybe they mix up their middle vowels. Sip becomes “sap.”

I’m currently working with a group of sweet, bright first graders for about 20 minutes each morning before they start the school day.

Before our first session, their teachers had told me that they needed help with basic reading skills.

So I printed the most advanced of my Race to the Pond games – the one which includes CVC words with all five short vowels. I put the students in pairs, and we began to play.

But when I saw how slowly they sounded out the words – and how often they mixed up those middle vowels – I knew I needed to back up.

roll and read game

So I created a set of 18 Roll & Read games. Each one builds on the one before.

Every game follows the same pattern. Students roll a die, read the corresponding column, and color in a circle at the bottom. They keep doing this until they demonstrate that they can read each row quickly and smoothly.  When they do well on a full page, we color the trophy, and they advance to the next game.

I call them our Fast & Fluent games.

roll and read game being played

This is the second game. Even though this game also features short a CVC words, each row has a variety of different word families.

This game requires students to read to the end of each word. To pass the page, the students have to read each word at a decent rate.

They have to do better than  “/t/ /ă/ /b/.”  I sometimes let “taaaab” go, depending on the learner. However, my goal is for each of them to be fast and fluent with all the CVC words.

roll and read game being played

After students demonstrate fluency with short a words, they move on to short o words – first a page of rhyming words, like this one. Following it is a page of mixed short o words.

roll and read game

The last game, number 18, includes a mix of short vowel CVC words.

With practice, all five students are getting better at sounding out their CVC words correctly and quickly!

Teaching tips

  • You’ll likely find that you can spend at least 10 minutes on the games your first few sessions.  But after that, they will start to lose their appeal. Play other games for the majority of your session, but return to these folders for at least 5 minutes of focused practice.
  • Some students will love the dice aspect, and others will tire of it. Don’t require them to use the die unless they wish.
  • If you listen to a child work through a page and s/he reads a few columns well, color the die at the top of each of these columns. That way the child will know that s/he has “passed” those columns and need only work on the remaining ones to move on to the next game.
  • Sometimes sounding out CVC words finally “clicks.” If that happens, you may find that a learner who previously struggled can read the final game without difficulty. In that case, of course, you wouldn’t finish the folder. I recommend moving on to words with blends and digraphs.

Be sure to visit my Free Printables page to see all the other options I share for reading CVC words!

Decodable Passages: CVC Words

$10.00

Use these 23 decodable passages to help new readers develop fluency with CVC words. Each page includes blending practice, a short reading passage, a comprehension question, and spelling practice.

Buy Now

Get your free reading games!

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Blending Lines for CVC Words

$5.00

Teachers love our no-prep, easy-to-use blending lines!

Buy Now

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Reader Interactions

37 Comments

  3. Suzanne Pettifer

    Would these printables be appropriate for us to use in our packets that we are printing for our district for students who are not able to access online resources?? I dont want to disadvantage you or to break any copyright laws
    Thanks!
    Suzanne

    Reply to this comment

  5. Carrie Rael

    I have started to use both the CVC and the CVC with beginning blends. It is great to be able to differentiate while all practicing the same skill. I created a cover sheet for these books with the race car and the trophies. I would love to share with you but am not sure how to get it to you. If you send me your email I can send it to you. My kids are so excited to “play this game!”.

    Reply to this comment

  11. Julie Behnke

    Anna – You are awesome and soooooo….generous. Thank you for all of the work you put into these activities. And, thank you for sharing!!! You are amazing. May God continue to bless you and your family.

    Reply to this comment

  12. Alice

    My son is in K and is a bit behind his peers. I stumbled upon your website and absolutely love what you do and share with us. It’s help him and I tremendously. Thank you. Thank you so, so, so much!!!!

    Reply to this comment

  15. Adina

    I really enjoy your materials and they help me advance my students in creative and structured ways. I have a question that has been bothering me for a while. Why is the word “dog” included in short o words? At least for Americans, with an American pronunciation, the word “dog” does not sound like “fog, hog, jog, frog,” etc. Yet it is always used as a short o, cvc word. Why?
    Thank you so much!

    Reply to this comment

    • Julie Behnke

      Adina – I just read your comment. Interestingly, I, as a native born American from San Diego, California, I do pronounce “dog” the same as fog, hog, jog, etc.! I would love to hear how you pronounce it! ~ Julie

      Reply to this comment

      • Adina

        Julie and Anna, thank you both for commenting! I’m hoping this conversation will clarify this point for me. I pronounce “dog” as “dawg”, but “frog, jog, etc.” have the same short o sound as in “pot, hot, lock, etc”. I also wish I could hear how you pronounce it!

        Reply to this comment

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