CVC word practice doesn’t have to feel like a worksheet!
This Short Vowel CVC Words Slap It! Card Game is an exciting way to build phonics fluency, visual discrimination, and decoding skills... without the groans or eye rolls.
With colorful visuals and multiple matching formats, this fast-paced literacy card game keeps kids laughing, learning, and slapping as they match CVC pictures, words, and vowel cards.
Whether you’re supporting early readers, reinforcing short vowel sounds, or working with small groups on word families, this card game brings energy and skill-building into your literacy centers.
What’s Included in the CVC Slap It! Card Game Set?
This no-prep, print-and-play set includes:
Full-color and black-and-white versions for easy printing
5 CVC word families for each short vowel (a, e, i, o, u)
3 visual formats for flexible matching:
CVC pictures
CVC word cards
Individual medial vowel letters
Game instructions for Slap It!, plus ideas for Memory, Go Fish, and Sorting
Suggested adaptations for learners who need extra support or extra challenge
All cards are easy to print, cut, and store. Laminate for long-term use in small groups, morning tubs, RTI, or literacy rotations.
Skills Addressed through playing the CVC Word Short Vowel Slap it! Card Game:
Primary Academic Skills:
CVC word decoding and phonemic awareness Students learn to recognize and read consonant-vowel-consonant words through repetition and exposure in a game format.
Short vowel identification Learners match medial vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u) to complete and decode familiar CVC words.
Word-picture association Reinforces vocabulary development and visual recognition through picture cards.
Visual discrimination and matching Strengthens attention to detail by comparing images, words, and vowel letters.
Secondary Skills (Life Skills & SEL):
Turn-taking and respectful competition Encourages social interaction, patience, and sportsmanship during gameplay.
Focus and concentration Fast-paced card flipping builds attention span and sustained focus.
Fine motor skills and reaction time Slapping the matching card improves hand-eye coordination and motor planning.
Confidence and risk-taking Non-threatening play gives students repeated chances to succeed and build early reading confidence.
How to Play the Slap It! CVC Word Game:
Choose one card format (picture, word, or vowel) to use as the CENTER pile.
Deal the remaining format cards equally among players as the PLAYING pile.
Flip the top CENTER card face up.
In turn, players flip their PLAYING cards into a discard pile.
If a PLAYING card matches the CENTER card (by image, word, or vowel), the first to slap it wins the pile!
Play continues until all cards are used or time is up. The player with the most cards wins.
How and Where to Use:
This CVC Word card game is flexible for a variety of settings:
Literacy centers or phonics stations
Small group reading instruction
Intervention and RTI groups
Early finisher bins or morning tubs
Sub plans and low-prep activities
Homeschool phonics games
Speech or occupational therapy
ESL/ELL word recognition support
Play with just two formats for beginners or mix all three for advanced CVC word practice!
Standards Alignment:
✔ Common Core ELA Standards:
RF.K.2d: Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds in three-phoneme words
RF.K.3a: Demonstrate basic knowledge of letter-sound correspondences
RF.1.2b: Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds
RF.1.3b: Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words
✔ Texas TEKS:
K.2B: Demonstrate phonological awareness, including identifying and producing rhyming words and recognizing syllables
K.2C: Demonstrate phonetic knowledge by identifying and producing sounds of letters
✔ Virginia SOL:
K.4: The student will orally identify, segment, and blend various units of speech sounds within words
1.5: The student will apply phonetic principles to read and spell
Check out what other educators are saying:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Natalie K. wrote, “My kids loved this as a literacy station! I love the different options.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Macey K. wrote, “This is perfect for an independent work center that can be differentiated!”
This hands-on CVC card game is the perfect way to review short vowel sounds, strengthen decoding, and make early reading feel like a game instead of a chore.
Just print, laminate, and let the slapping begin!
Please note: This is a digital download that will be available to you directly after purchase. Nothing will be mailed to you.
You will receive a link to the download in three places:
On the 'thank you' page after checkout
In your email
Login on the site here: https://lifeovercsstore.com/account
Short Vowel Card Game | CVC Words | Literacy Centers
$3.50
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I love the "Flip" activities. They're always colorful and engaging. These activities reinforce childrens use of language, labeling, identifying of vocabulary associated with specific themes. My students in the past have loved the Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall flip, so when I wanted to update my beginning of the school year activities I happened to find the September themed one and knew I had to purchase it. I laminate my mats and have the kids cover the images with colored small or large game chips, vase jewels or playdough. If the images on the mats are too busyi make sure to uave extra copies for the kids to engage in matching the images. The kids love it!
I am greatly appreciative of this content. I have developmentally delayed preschool baby 3-5 year olds and this really is helping them a lot. I wish I had pictures, but I don't yet.
Great game. My students love it and my kids at home. Lots of fun times playing this game. I love the variety in boards. My suggestion for customers is to print it on cardstock so you can't see through the cards.
My kindergarten students are using these clip cards as a review activity in our morning bins. This is a fun review activity that also helps build fine motor skills.