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PSPKK12360 Comments

Consonant sounds sorting mats

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Help your child master beginning consonant sounds with these colorful sorting mats!

consonant sounds sorting mats

Each mat has a little girl holding a featured letter. Your child needs to find the pictures that start with that consonant and place them on the board.

Lately the theme for my printables has been “simple and low prep.”    While this activity is pretty simple, it isn’t low prep.  It took my eight-year-old and I an hour or two to prepare the materials. But considering how much use we’ve already gotten out of these, I call it worth it!

consonant sound mats 1

How to prepare the activity

You’ll need to print the consonant sound mats (there are two per page) plus the consonant sound pictures at the end of the download.  I always print on this cardstock for durability.

After printing, laminate.  I love our laminator because I don’t have to cut apart the cards before we begin.  I laminated each full sheet of picture cards and cut them apart after laminating.

The next step is optional, but I recommend it: Attach clear Velcro dots to the back of each picture card and to the gray squares on each mat.  Kids love attaching the pictures with the Velcro, but I have a practical reason for you too. It makes storage very easy.  Just slide each consonant mat (with pictures attached) into one gallon sized storage bag.  Seal the top, and you’ve got a tidy little package easy to put away and pull out again!   This saves you the trouble of storing all the cards individually in ziploc bags or just loose in a box.

consonant sound mats 3

The first few times we played this, I experimented with keeping the picture cards connected. This way I could have punched them with a three hole punch and stored them in a binder.  Later I chose to cut the cards apart because I wanted my son to compare different consonants.

consonant sounds mats 2

How to play

  1. Choose two mats (or a single page if you haven’t cut them in half).
  2. Have your child rip off the pictures and mix them up.
  3. He should say each picture’s name and beginning sound and stick it to the correct mat.

How to make it simpler or more challenging

You can make this game easier by choosing consonants whose sounds are very different.  If they are made in a different part of the mouth, they are easier to distinguish.  For example, /v/ is made with the top teeth on the bottom lip.  The /w/ sound is made with open lips.  This would be an easy contrast.

You can make the game harder by choosing consonants whose sounds are made with the same part of the mouth.  The sounds /p/ and /b/ are both made with the lips, making this contrast more difficult.

We hope you enjoy this free learning activity!

Get your free beginning sound sorting mats!

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

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Filed Under: Letter sounds, Reading Tagged With: Pre-K, first grade, kindergarten

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Reader Interactions

60 Comments

  1. Ana

    March 19, 2020 at 10:17 pm

    Omg I don’t know how to thank you that you provide this printables free, most of the ones that i found you have to pay for them and sometimes i just can’t affort them. I got inlove with your work the moment i saw them cause everything is pictures and these really help because my two babies are autistic they are more visual i just cant thank you enough.

    Reply to this comment
  2. Nancy Sparks

    December 23, 2018 at 8:05 pm

    I am very thankful for these freebies. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna G

      December 26, 2018 at 11:58 am

      You’re welcome, Nancy!

      Reply to this comment
  3. Amy

    April 7, 2018 at 10:07 pm

    Love this activity! Do you have these or the sound cover mats for ending sounds as well?

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna G

      April 8, 2018 at 5:52 am

      I do not, Amy, but I’ll think about creating them!

      Reply to this comment
  4. Shana

    March 20, 2017 at 5:59 am

    I truely look forward to using these mats for speech development.
    For children that struggle with c and t, m and n etc.
    Thank you again!

    So generous!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      March 21, 2017 at 8:04 pm

      You’re very welcome, Shana!

      Reply to this comment
  5. Oksana

    March 6, 2017 at 3:31 am

    Thank you for sharing! Your activities and games are very useful.

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      March 6, 2017 at 5:52 am

      You’re very welcome, Oksana!

      Reply to this comment
  6. susmita paul

    February 28, 2017 at 7:50 am

    thank you for the beautiful set!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      March 1, 2017 at 7:36 pm

      You’re very welcome!

      Reply to this comment
  7. Amy Ochandio

    January 8, 2017 at 8:39 am

    I love these!! My students love these too!! They grab these as soon as they get to teacher table, while they are waiting on me, and start sorting. We also use the little pictures for syllable sorting – super resource! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      January 8, 2017 at 12:09 pm

      I’m so glad you can use these, Amy!

      Reply to this comment
  8. Ro

    October 3, 2016 at 4:12 am

    Thank you so much for your generosity!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      October 3, 2016 at 7:57 pm

      You’re very welcome, Ro!

      Reply to this comment
  9. Madi

    September 17, 2016 at 1:40 am

    Good

    Reply to this comment
  10. Cathy

    September 3, 2016 at 7:41 pm

    LOVE your website! Thank you!!!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      September 3, 2016 at 9:03 pm

      Thank you so much, Cathy!

      Reply to this comment
  11. VirginiaW

    August 8, 2016 at 6:49 pm

    I downloaded these last year and used them during small group reading time for independent activities. My students LOVED them and returned to them several times. Thanks!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      August 8, 2016 at 9:02 pm

      It makes me so happy to hear that, Virginia – thank you! 🙂

      Reply to this comment
  12. NB

    June 18, 2016 at 1:13 am

    Thank you for being such a great sharer! So many of your free downloads have been FANTASTIC teaching tools for my ESL students. You are so insightful and creative. Thank you very very much for your efforts and your generous soul!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      July 2, 2016 at 12:37 pm

      I’m thrilled to hear that these are working for your students! Thanks so much for letting me know.

      Reply to this comment
  13. Seema

    May 12, 2016 at 2:02 am

    Hi Anna,

    What a delightful website!
    Your printables are so colorful and appealing. I am going to start a small centre for children on the autism spectrum and those with reading issues. I am a mom of a 14 year old , almost recovered bright ASD child.
    I just wanted to point out some omissions in this download.
    in the key for “n” net is mentioned twice , one should be neck.
    In the key for “v” vest is missing.
    Otherwise,its perfect!

    God bless you for your willingness to share with all! I am going to buy your products and tell more and more parents about your almost one stop shop website. Love you!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      May 21, 2016 at 4:27 pm

      Thank you for the edits, Seema! I’ll file this away and get to it later this summer. 🙂

      Reply to this comment
  14. Kristen Andrews

    May 10, 2016 at 9:22 pm

    I love theses cards:) The pictures are very cute. Is there any way you could make some short vowel sound sorting cards?

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      May 10, 2016 at 9:42 pm

      Those are not on my to do list, yet, Kristen, but I’ll keep it in mind. Have you browsed my Phonics Activities page? You’ll find a lot of things there that will help kids with short vowel sounds.

      https://www.themeasuredmom.com/word-families/

      Reply to this comment
  15. Sarah

    April 22, 2016 at 5:07 am

    Thank you so much for the freebies, my students love them and you have made planning and organising lessons that much easier, I’m so grateful!

    Reply to this comment
    • Sarah

      April 22, 2016 at 5:09 am

      (Ps. Please ignore the time my comment was posted – it’s 8.07pm in Australia, not 5.07am!)

      Reply to this comment
      • Anna Geiger

        April 30, 2016 at 10:55 am

        You’re very welcome, Sarah! So glad you can use these!

        Reply to this comment
  16. gina

    April 7, 2016 at 7:01 pm

    i’m a big fan of your work….all over your website, In the key…you didn’t include “neck” (N) and “vest” (V)

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      April 11, 2016 at 6:40 pm

      Thanks! I’ll file this in my list of “things to edit” and get to it eventually. 🙂

      Reply to this comment
  17. Jan

    February 21, 2016 at 7:35 pm

    Thank you so much for this freebie! I spent today getting it ready for working with some children who are struggling with learning letter names/sounds. Perfect for working with them in a small group!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      February 25, 2016 at 3:38 pm

      I’m so glad you can use it, Jan!

      Reply to this comment
  18. Yulandi

    February 10, 2016 at 2:19 am

    This is so nice for the kids. Is there not anything like what you have here for Afrikaans kids?

    I downloaded most of these for my little girl but would like some in afrikaans too please.

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      February 10, 2016 at 5:25 am

      I’m sorry, Yulandi, but I’m only able to provide English materials.

      Reply to this comment
  19. sue gnacyk

    January 7, 2016 at 4:57 am

    Hi,
    You have so many wonderful activities on your website! I have purchased some as well as taken advantage of some of the freebies. They are terrific and my students have enjoyed them as well. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful activities and ideas! I truly appreciate your hard work and willingness to share.

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      January 8, 2016 at 6:45 am

      You’re very welcome, Sue – and thank you so much for the thoughtful comment!

      Reply to this comment
  20. Afia

    December 1, 2015 at 11:54 am

    Hi

    I Printed this activate out and it’s great.
    But i don’t get why there are missing letter?
    and is it possible where can i get the missing letters from?

    Thank You

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      December 1, 2015 at 5:46 pm

      These just include consonants because they begin words much more often than vowels. I didn’t include “x” because it usually appears at the end of words in English. If you’d like to see more beginning sounds activities that include all the letters, you can visit this page: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/beginning-sounds-activities/

      Reply to this comment
  21. saru

    November 16, 2015 at 1:10 pm

    Hi Anna,

    I learned a lot through your website. Yours and reading mama’s website gave me so much hope to teach my son.You have so much knowledge and a big heart to share so many resources. My son has autism and he is 5 year old. I am using your bear patterns, number recognition materials to teach him.He still doesn’t know his letters.Recently started using your “find the letter” worksheets with him. Is it still okay to start with the consonant sorting mat? Please advise.

    Thanks!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      November 28, 2015 at 2:02 pm

      Hello, Saru! I’m sorry for the delay in answering your question. I think it’s worth a try to start with the sorting mats. Some people believe in teaching letter sounds before words, so that logic would say that using the mats early on could work. Just remember to have him do two easy mats at a time … an easy contrast would be where two sounds are very different, such as the sounds of c and m, but NOT the sounds of p and b. I hope this activity goes well for him!

      Reply to this comment
  22. Norma E.

    October 15, 2015 at 12:02 pm

    Thank you very much for sharing this beautiful activity.
    I printed it out a few days ago as soon as I saw it, laminated it, cut, well, thank you again, from a homeschooling mom of PK and 1st grade in Texas.

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      October 17, 2015 at 7:29 pm

      I’m so glad you can use it, Norma! We are getting a lot of use out of it at our house. 🙂

      Reply to this comment
  23. syikin

    October 4, 2015 at 10:45 pm

    Thanks Anna.I’ve just download one of your precious and fantastic work.

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      October 11, 2015 at 8:27 am

      You’re very welcome, Syikin!

      Reply to this comment
  24. Harmony Wilson

    October 1, 2015 at 1:39 pm

    What is the peanut shaped thing? Lol is it a peanut? I’m trying to attach all of my pictures and I’ve got some that don’t fit with the letters. PS Love it!!!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      October 4, 2015 at 2:40 pm

      Pretty sure there’s a peanut in there. 🙂 When you look at the download you’ll see that all the pictures for the same letter are grouped together, so that should help. You can just go back and check the file after you’ve cut them apart. Guess I should have included a key!

      Reply to this comment
  25. Maureen

    September 29, 2015 at 6:37 pm

    I am a pre-k and kdg sub and this will be perfect for me to grab and go. Thank you for sharing your creativity!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      October 4, 2015 at 2:39 pm

      So glad you can use these, Maureen!

      Reply to this comment
  26. Amanda

    September 27, 2015 at 11:04 pm

    You must have been reading my mind! I was literally looking for an activity like this for my struggling Kinders during MTSS time. Thank you!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      October 4, 2015 at 2:39 pm

      Yay! So happy to hear that, Amanda!

      Reply to this comment
  27. Holly B.

    September 27, 2015 at 8:53 pm

    I love your creations! I am so grateful for the free downloads. Thank you. These are another gem!!!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      October 4, 2015 at 2:38 pm

      Thank you so much, Holly!

      Reply to this comment

Trackbacks

  1. Sorting mats for short and long vowels - The Measured Mom says:
    September 20, 2020 at 1:17 pm

    […] you seen our popular consonant sound sorting mats?  I use those to review beginning sounds. When I created the set, I didn’t include vowels […]

    Reply to this comment
  2. 14 rhyming words sorting mats - The Measured Mom says:
    September 20, 2020 at 11:41 am

    […] When I asked my readers what they wanted to see next, a number of them asked for rhyming activities. And one reader in particular asked for a rhyming activity in the same format as my consonant sound sorting mats. […]

    Reply to this comment
  3. Literacy Station to Learn Beginning Sounds and Consonants says:
    October 3, 2017 at 12:16 am

    […] file I found was The Consonant Sorting Mat from The Measured Mom. I laminated the mats and asked the circulation staff to help cut out the 170 little picture […]

    Reply to this comment
  4. Kids Phonics Games - Have fun learning to read with these games! says:
    January 23, 2017 at 5:01 am

    […] Free Sorting Mats for Learning Consonants – The Measured Mom […]

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  5. The ULTIMATE List of FREE Phonics Activities - This Reading Mama says:
    August 29, 2016 at 3:38 pm

    […] Consonant Sorting Mats {The Measured Mom} […]

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  6. Understanding your child (2 – 7 years) | Grow and Develop says:
    April 18, 2016 at 9:51 am

    […] He probably likes to classify, order and quantify items and structure can seem very important to him. As this is the time many children start school, it links in nicely with the order of a child at this stage.  These activities provide perfect opportunity to practice these skills: Foam mosiacs, alphabet beads, nature patterns and consonant sound mats. […]

    Reply to this comment
  7. Teaching Kids Consonant Sounds – FREE Activity Printable! | says:
    February 6, 2016 at 10:09 am

    […] On the webpage, the blogger has actually set out the rules and instructions on how you can do this activity with your pre-schooler. But since Crystabel is still at the beginner’s level, here’s how I plan to do it with her: […]

    Reply to this comment

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