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PSPKK12328 Comments

Short o word slider cards

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Looking for a simple activity that will teach kids to sound out words?  Try these free word slider cards!

Teach kids to sound out words with these free printable word slider cards!

You can introduce “sounding it out” in different ways.

1. One way is to take out some letter tiles – H, A, and T for example.  Lay out the tiles in order with large spaces in between.  Show your child how to say each sound separately. Gradually squeeze the letter tiles together as you say the sounds closer together.

2. Another option is to write the letters of a three letter word in three separate boxes.  Push a counter (like a block or poker chip) up toward each letter as you say the sounds.  Help your child to say the sounds faster until he can say them together.

3. Consider starting with continuous sounds (sounds you can sustain) and using continuous phonation. That’s just a fancy way of saying “stretch out each sound until you get to the next one.” An example is found in this video from Heidisongs with the word RUN.  


I saw this genius activity on the fabulous blog Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational, whose author learned about it from her son’s kindergarten teacher. With Relentlessly Fun’s permission, I’m sharing the idea on my blog as well.

Teach kids to sound out words with these free printable word slider cards!

The idea is very simple.  You can use index cards or long strips of paper to write simple words to sound out.  Since my Three loves to read and spell the word “pop,” I created a set of 30 short o word cards.  (You can download my cards for free at the end of the post.)  It helps to include a picture of the word at the end of the strip for self-checking.

sound out words 2

Next, seal a business sized envelope.

sound out words 3

Cut off the end of the envelope.

Teach kids to sound out words with these free printable word slider cards!

Insert a card into the envelope.  Have your child say each sound as each letter or letter combination is revealed.

Teach kids to sound out words with these free printable word slider cards!

Have him repeat the sounds in order until he can sliiide them all together to make a word.

Simple! The first couple times we did this, my little guy resisted. I pulled it out a month later, and suddenly he was sounding out at least half of the words on his first or second try.  I loved seeing the smile on his face when he revealed the final picture and saw that he was correct!

More free word slider cards

  • Short i 
  • Short o
  • Short u
  • Short e

Get your free word slider cards!

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Build phonics skills with the full set!

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.

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Filed Under: CVC Words, Reading Tagged With: first grade, kindergarten, short o, word families

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Reader Interactions

28 Comments

  1. lola

    March 7, 2017 at 12:13 pm

    This is such a wonderful site. thanks so much for a job well done.

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      March 7, 2017 at 9:26 pm

      Thank you, Lola!

      Reply to this comment
  2. JAMIE

    July 5, 2016 at 2:54 am

    very good

    Reply to this comment
  3. verna harrison

    February 7, 2015 at 5:34 pm

    Thank you.

    Reply to this comment
    • Janet

      February 3, 2021 at 12:11 pm

      I love this idea .I find it very informative to spark new interest in my child. Not boring

      Reply to this comment
  4. Jessica

    October 18, 2014 at 3:10 pm

    Forgive me if this was already asked, but do you have all the other short vowels as well? I think this resource is amazing!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      October 29, 2014 at 6:38 am

      Hi Jessica! I don’t mean to be ignoring your comment! My short u cards are here: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/word-slider-cards-short-u/. I am working on short i and plan to have ALL the sets done by mid-January. Glad you like them!

      Reply to this comment
      • Chelsea

        March 17, 2015 at 2:55 pm

        Hi Anna,

        Do you have the other short vowel cards available yet? I would love to start using these with some kinders of mine.

        Reply to this comment
        • Anna Geiger

          March 18, 2015 at 5:36 pm

          Yes, I just haven’t linked to them here yet – whoops! You can find them all linked at the bottom of this post: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/sounding-out-short-vowels-with-slider-cards/

          Reply to this comment
  5. Jennifer Brown

    October 10, 2014 at 9:46 pm

    This really looks like a very promising activity. This could really our kids pronounce hte words we want them to learn.

    Thanks for the ideas.

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      October 14, 2014 at 5:21 pm

      You’re welcome, Jennifer – thanks for stopping by!

      Reply to this comment
  6. Deceptively Educational

    April 20, 2014 at 10:23 pm

    These cards seriously taught my son to apply phonics in an effort to read. I’m so glad you’ve shared these! The more people who use them, the better! Hands down, they’re one of the best early reading strategies!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      April 26, 2014 at 8:29 pm

      Thanks so much for bringing them to my attention 🙂 I do think they’re fabulous! They’ve helped my little guy “unlock the code.”

      Reply to this comment
  7. Dianna @ The Kennedy Adventures

    April 18, 2014 at 1:28 am

    Love the great resources you share on The Thoughtful Spot!

    Reply to this comment
  8. Viviana @ Totschooling

    April 16, 2014 at 9:57 am

    I love this idea! I will definitely use it with my daughter. Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      April 26, 2014 at 8:28 pm

      You’re very welcome, Viviana!

      Reply to this comment
  9. Emma @ P is for Preschooler

    April 13, 2014 at 9:23 am

    This is such a simple but brilliant idea! So much of reading is sounding it out, and this will help kids focus on that.

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      April 27, 2014 at 8:26 am

      Thanks for checking it out, Emma!

      Reply to this comment
      • Janet

        February 3, 2021 at 12:05 pm

        I love this idea .I find it very informative to spark new interest in my child. Not boring

        Reply to this comment
  10. julie boesky

    April 12, 2014 at 6:43 am

    I have one HUGE worry in looking at this activity… forgive me if i missed something. Do you understand that the short o in a word like mop makes a short sound BECAUSE it has a consonant after it?? (closed syllable) When the child has uncovered only the m and o in your picture, it actually is saying “moe” because it is an open syllable until the consonant after it is revealed…. your activity would be accurate and effective if you work in the OPPOSITE direction… start with all letters uncovered, and then you could show your child how the sound changes as you take away the last letter?!!! vowel sounds are what is tricky for many kids….

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      April 12, 2014 at 7:15 am

      Hi Julie! Yes, I do understand about open and closed syllables. I appreciate your concern – however, the point of this activity is to teach sounding out short vowel words with word families — and since the child knows that another letter is coming, I don’t see anything wrong with teaching him to say the short vowel sound of the vowel. As to your last point, I do start with modeling the activity first – so my child does understand that these are not two letter words. As a teacher I had to use a phonics curriculum that taught children all the lingo – open and closed syllable, breves, macrons, etc. Instead of helping the children who had trouble reading, it confused them. I appreciate your point, though – something to keep in mind!

      Reply to this comment
  11. Mama to 5 BLessings

    April 11, 2014 at 5:54 am

    That is a great idea, so simple too! Love using resources I already have!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      April 12, 2014 at 1:04 pm

      I love that kind of activity, too! Thanks for checking this one out.

      Reply to this comment

Trackbacks

  1. Worksheets for short o words - The Measured Mom says:
    September 25, 2020 at 12:43 pm

    […] Short o word slider cards […]

    Reply to this comment
  2. Word slider cards for short e - The Measured Mom says:
    September 22, 2020 at 10:17 am

    […] Short o […]

    Reply to this comment
  3. Sounding Out Words: Giving Your Child The Best Start - HOMER says:
    October 11, 2019 at 9:21 am

    […] and a developed working memory, they are ready to start sound sounding out words! This article has some great free printables that you can use to get started at […]

    Reply to this comment
  4. Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop #33 | ABC Creative Learning says:
    April 21, 2014 at 6:09 am

    […] Different Homemade Bouncy Balls By: A Cowboy’s Life Paper Plate Earth By: We-Made-That.comTeach kids to sound out words with slider cards (Free!) By: the measured mom The Earth Day Song By: Let’s Play Music Get Outside! 10 Ideas for […]

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  5. Show-and-Share Saturday Link Up - I Can Teach My Child! says:
    April 19, 2014 at 6:00 am

    […]  The Measured Mom shares these printable Sound It Out slider cards. […]

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