Today I’m sharing a set of printable books to help your child master the short a word families!
(This post contains affiliate links.)
I’ve shared many word family resources. Your child can practice reading short vowel words with printable word family houses, read ‘n stick mats, milk cap spelling mats, and even Uno and Crazy 8’s.
But sometimes you need a little something extra.
Introducing… my Measured Mom Phonics Readers! (featuring word families)
What these books are (and are not!)
- My Measured Mom Phonics Readers are not stories. Writing a story with word family words that makes any kind of sense is extremely hard.
- The books are not entirely phonetic. I am not crazy about books with words you can only sound out. They are typically awkward, contrived, and hard to make sense of.
- My Phonics Readers are simple. These are for children just starting to sound out words. For children who are starting to read short vowel words with ease, you’ll want to look into other decodable books.
- These readers are designed to use by themselves or alongside Reading the Alphabet. This Reading Mama introduces the word family “at” in lesson 7, which makes that a perfect spot to stop and read this set. (Of course I’ll be creating the other short vowel sets for lessons 14, 20, 26, and 31!)
Inside a book
After reading the word family name on the cover, your child will open the book and read the opening sentence: “I can read the ___ family.” The page on the right will be a word within that family. I chose to make these words big, bold, and colorful. The word family ending matches the color on the cover so that your child can begin to recognize the word family and read it as a chunk.
You’ll also notice there is no picture clue on that first page. I want kids to really focus on the letters when reading the word for the first time.
When your child turns the page, he will read the word within a simple sentence using sight words.
Next, your child has the chance to read another word within the family.
Turning the page, he can read it in a sentence and attempt another word. This pattern continues for a total of six word family words in each book. The end of each book often has a harder word with a digraph (ch, sh, th, wh) or a blend (fr, cl, etc.).
On the last page, your child can read each word in a long list of rhymes.
Tips for using these books with your child
- Make sure your child reads the cover before reading the book. Help him say the vowel and consonant sounds and blend them together.
- When reading the big new word, direct your child to the word family if he’s stuck. It’s not uncommon for a new reader to say that the word family is “am” but then read “ram” as “rat.” Help him flip back to the cover, identify the family, and then put that family at the end of the consonant. (“Remember to read all the way to the end of the word!”)
- Those words with beginning blends are tough for new readers. My little guy would read “c-l” and “am” but put them together as “cam.” Be patient and work on those words together. One day it will click!
- If your child enjoys these, give him many opportunities to read them. Read to Grandma over Skype, read to Daddy, read to himself. I suggested my Four read one of the books to Daddy, and I was thrilled when he decided to read the entire set.
- Celebrate! You might want to make a sticker chart with each book’s title. Let your child put up a sticker after he reads a particular book.
How to assemble
Print pages 2-29, front to back. (Page 1 is my Terms of Use – be sure not to print it or they will all be messed up!) I like to print on light or medium cardstock.
Each book will be two full sheets of paper, front to back. Cut on the horizontal center of each book. (I love our paper cutter! I’ve used it for years. A little pricey on Amazon, but you might be able to get it at Michaels with a coupon.)
Fit the pages together in their proper order.
Fold.
Staple on the fold with a long-armed stapler.
I hope you love these! We’re pretty excited about them around here. 😉
Get the rest of the books!

Get your free phonics books!
Do you have our word slider cards yet?

Word Slider Cards
$10.00
Get our expanded, updated set of over 300 short vowel word slider cards! Each card has updated clip art and comes in both color and black and white.
tahira hakeem
Hello.thank u so much.i really loved it.now its easy for me to teach my 4-5 years old students.they just started to read.thank u.god bless you.
Anna Geiger
You’re welcome, Tahira 🙂
Sarah Ampumuza
Hi Anna,
The button saying click here to get this printable isn’t working. How can I access these word family readers Thanks
Kate Dowling
Hi Sarah! This is Kate, Anna’s assistant. If the green box isn’t allowing you to click it, please turn off your adblocker. If you still have trouble, try using Google Chrome as you browser. Thanks for trying these tips!
Ruth
Hi Kate!
Unfortunately after doing both suggestions, I still can not click the green box to open the page. Any other suggestions?
Thank you!
Anna G
Sorry, no!
Deborah
Thank you so much for all the hard work you put in and share with us. For those of us who are not as tech savy, it is a lifesaver. I love your website.
Anna Geiger
Thank you so much, Deborah!
Heather Pontious
I love your creations! Thank you for helping moms homeschool for free.
I blogged about several and share with my Facebook Group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/buildyourownhomeschoolcurriculumforfree
Anna Geiger
Thanks for sharing, Heather!
Julie
Thank you so much!!! I love your sight word readers and some of my preschoolers are just finishing up Set 5. These are absolutely perfect!
Anna Geiger
Yay! So glad to hear it, Julie!
Nicole
I just found your website thru a Pinterest pin. I will definitely peruse thru your boards and website.
I have a 7yr old foster child who’s repeating the 1st grade and her reading skills are severely lacking.
She needs fun & different options to be motivated.
Thanks for these options
Anna Geiger
I hope you find things here to work for her, Nicole! Thanks so much for visiting. Feel free to ask specific questions in the comments or contact me via my contact form in the menu bar.
Talia
My daughter is just about finished with this first set, and I just have to say thank you! She has become so much more confident with her reading and short a words she’s reading fluently in our other books. I look forward to reading through the rest of the series.
Anna Geiger
Yay!! Thanks for sharing, Talia.
Jenny Campbell
Wow! This is a goldmine blog!!!! I am a K ELD teacher and I can’t wait to use your decodable readers to build confidence with my students!!!
Anna Geiger
Yay! So glad you can use them, Jenny!
Jess T
I am beginning to homeschool my 4 year old this year. I am sure this will be very useful.
Thank you so much!
Anna Geiger
You’re very welcome, Jess!
Kelley Watson
Can this be printed doublesided?
Anna Geiger
Yes, Kelley, that’s the only way they will work. The picture tutorial should answer your questions about how to put them together. Let me know if anything is unclear!
Ilda
Hi,
I love your page.
I really wanted to download the phonics books (the family words booklets) but i’m really having a hard time. No options for download??? Please Help.
thank you
Anna Geiger
Hello, Ilda! I’m so sorry for the delay in responding to you. Do you see where it says “Get your free short a phonics readers by clicking HERE” ? It’s near the end of the post. Click on the word HERE and they’ll pop right up!
Purple_Lover
Hi.. itz look awesome.. but how to get the softcopy.. where to download it??
Anna Geiger
It’s right there at the end of the post: “Get your free short a phonics readers by clicking HERE.”
Pam
Hi there, loving the readers but a lot of the links are going to Page Not Found (I’m quite sure I’m clicking the right link).
Kind regards
Anna Geiger
If you could cut and paste those links in a comment, I could check them out and fix them. Thank you, Pam!
nmonego
How do you download these? All I see is a bunch of instructions.
Anna Geiger
It says “Get your free short a phonics readers by clicking HERE.”
Mercy
Great resources for my pupils this session, thanks.
Mercy – Lagos, Nigeria
Anna Geiger
I’m glad you can use them, Mercy!
Evelyn
Thank u so much!!!! These little books are awesome for my TK class!!! 😀
Anna Geiger
I’m so glad to hear that, Evelyn!
Noelin
Thanks a bunch, this tiny beautiful has been a great time saver and very useful in my Montessori class.
Anna Geiger
I’m so glad to hear that, Noelin!
Shiyana
Really it is a great work,it will help me to teach my son,he is unable to spell the words ,this printable phonic cards system will ease my task,thank you very much,God bless you
Anna G
I’m so glad to hear that these will work for your son!
Tolu
God bless you for sharing this. I live in the netherland and i really want to teach my son to read in English. He is 6 now and i know this is overdue. But with these resources i believe we will make good progress. Thanks alot.
Anna G
You’re very welcome, Tolu! Thank you so much for the kind words!
haseena
Thank you so much for the free downloadable book.
My kids love it.
Anna G
You’re welcome, Haseena!
Reena
Thank you for making and sharing your amazing resources. You are very creative and generous.
Anna G
You’re very welcome, Reena!
nutan
Superb
Seema Bardeskar
I made these books for my daughter… She is loving them. Trying to put more effort and also appreciates and loves the factor that I made them for her. Thank you for sharing your wonderful resources. They are superb ?
Anna G
You’re very welcome, Seema!
Salma
Hi,
I loved this mini bookets but I am unable to download and print them
Anna G
Did you try the troubleshooting tips here? https://www.themeasuredmom.com/how-to-download-free-files/
Niyah
Thank you so much! These are perfect! I will be using these with my kinders! You’re awesome!
Anna G
You’re very welcome, Niyah!
amy
i love you book but i unable to print it. i cant find the link to print it. can you help me?
Kate Dowling
Hi Amy!
This is Kate, Anna’s assistant. I just tested this to be sure it works. Please enter your email address when asked, and the file will be sent to your email. When you open your email, you will click on the blue link that says, “CLAIM YOUR OFFER.” Enjoy your free books!
Ajiah Daley
I’m having trouble downloading your free phonics readers. When I click on the image, i get your bundle offer but the book never downloads. Are they no longer free?
Kate Dowling
Hello Ajiah!
This is Kate, Anna’s assistant. I just tested this, so I know how it works! Please enter your email address when asked, and the file will be sent to your email. When you open your email, you will click on the blue link that says, “CLAIM YOUR OFFER.” Enjoy your free books!
Karen
Hi there.
I tried to access or download the free basic phonic readers without success. I managed fine a few months ago. Please assist.
Kate Dowling
Hi Karen!
This is Kate, Anna’s assistant. After you click on the big green box, you’ll be asked to enter your email address. Once you do that, the file will be sent to your inbox, so please check your email. Enjoy your free file!
Phyoe Khet Mon
Hello!
I have found out that these sets are not free anymore and asked to buy bundle. Is it possible to get them free again. Really appreciate your generosity for sharing very valuable resource for children. Thank you so much.
Anna G
They’re still free; you just need to enter your email address, and they will be emailed to you.
Amira
Hi
Thanks for such well thought-out resources. I couldn’t access the phonic book resources, although I entered my email address and was directed to enter a password which led me to download other resources but not the phonic books.
Kate Dowling
Hi Amira!
This is Kate, Anna’s assistant. After you entered your email address, the file should have gone right to your inbox. Please check and see if it’s there for you!
Nyx
Hi, thank you for the amazing resources, but I couldn’t download it, could you please help me?
Kate Dowling
Hi Nyx!
This is Kate, Anna’s assistant. Please click on the green box that says, “CLICK HERE TO GET THE FREE PRINTABLE.” Then enter your email address when prompted, and go check your inbox. You should be sent the file immediately. Open the email from Anna, and click on the blue link that says something like, “CLAIM YOUR OFFER.” Once you click the blue link in the email, the file will open. Enjoy!
nyx
Hi Kate, thanks for replying, I can’t find the green box that says “click here to get the free printable” on this page, but I can find it on other pages, is there any way for me to download it? Please help me, thank you!
Kate Dowling
Hi Nyx!
That’s very strange! The green box is between the image of Anna’s hand stapling a book, and an image that says, “Free Printable Phonics Books 130+.” If you still can’t find it, I suggest trying a different browser. For example, switch to Firefox or Chrome if you’re using something different. I’m not sure why the box doesn’t show up for you. I hope that helps!
nyx
Hi Kate, thanks for your help, I’ll try see if it works, thanks again.
Verona
Hello. I’m a suscriber and have been scrolling through the (honestly really useful) resources here, but I can’t seem to access any of these phonic books. No matter how much I click onto the banner, nothing happens on either of my browsers. What can I do?
Thank you!
Kate Dowling
Hi Verona!
This is Kate, Anna’s assistant. I’m sorry you’re having trouble! Please turn off your ad-blocker, and if you still have trouble, try viewing the website in Google Chrome. That is Anna’s favourite browser for her website. I have success with Firefox. Thanks for giving it another try!
Odesaa
I don’t know why but the free print outs I got when I cut them out horizontally they don’t match up correctly it’s like they are backwards
Kate Dowling
Hi Odessa! This is Kate, Anna’s assistant. Please be sure you’re following all the printing directions above in this post, and that you are printing the correct pages. Here’s a note you might have missed: “Print pages 2-29, front to back. (Page 1 is my Terms of Use – be sure not to print it or they will all be messed up!) ” All the best!
Asherly Evans
I click the link and nothing happens. Can you please help?
Kate Dowling
Hi Asherly!
This is Kate, Anna’s assistant. If the green box isn’t allowing you to click it, please turn off your ad blocker and refresh your page. If you still have trouble, try using Google Chrome as you browser. Thanks for trying these tips!
Karyl
Hi Kate, I am also having trouble with the green box. Tried turning off the ad blocker nothing happened. Same goes with using the Google chrome. The link might be broken.
It says “The webpage at https://themeasuredmom.lpages.co/serve-leadbox/kC9wLiDy8B4gCiNfinLp6Y/ might be temporarily down or it may have moved permanently to a new web address.”
Kate Dowling
Hi Karyl!
This is Kate. I’m sorry the link didn’t work for you! It is working now. I just tested it all the way through and received the free file. Please give it another try!
Archana
I came across this site in the right time. I’m trying to teach my 3 year old daughter phonics and these are perfect ! Thank you so much for helping us ❤️
najeema
I face the same problem
Kate Dowling
Hi Najeema!
This is Kate, Anna’s assistant. What problem are you having?