Beginning blends and digraphs sorting mats give children a hands-on way to listen for beginning sounds in your literacy centers! Children sort picture cards by their beginning sounds onto colorful mats, such as blanket, blocks, blimp, blueberries and blender on the bl mat.

Blends are two or more consonants that keep their own sounds when read together, such as the bl in block. Digraphs are two letters that make one new sound, such as the sh in ship. You choose the blends and digraphs you want children to practice, so the center grows with your phonics lessons.

With these beginning blends and digraphs sorting mats, you get

• Sorting mats for blends and digraphs
• Picture cards to sort, with 6 pictures for most letters
• Black and white sorting cards and mats
• The freedom to choose which sounds to practice

Print, cut and start sorting!

What's Included

• Pages 4-7: Pictures for sorting blends
• Pages 8-17: Blends sorting mats
• Page 18: Pictures for sorting digraphs
• Pages 19-21: Digraphs sorting mats
• Black and white sorting cards and mats
• 6 pictures for most letters

For the PH digraph, clip art is limited, so words with a medial PH sound are included.

Why Teachers Love It

• Easy to customize: Select the blends and digraphs you want children to practice and set out only those mats.
• Listening built in: Every card asks children to say the picture name and listen for the beginning sound.
• Color or black and white: Print in color or save ink with the black and white cards and mats.
• Durable: Print on card stock and laminate the pages for repeat use.
• Works for many groups: Use the mats in centers, small groups or one-on-one practice.

Skills Students Practice

Primary Academic Skills

• Beginning blends: Children hear and sort words by the blended sounds at the start.
• Digraphs: Children connect digraphs such as ph with the sound they make.
• Phonemic awareness: Sorting pictures by beginning sound asks children to listen closely to each word.
• Letter-sound connections: Children match the sound in each picture to the letters on the mat.
• Sorting and classifying: Children group pictures that share the same beginning sound.

Secondary Life & Learning Skills

• Working independently
• Following directions
• Maintaining attention
• Taking turns
• Communicating choices

How to Use It

Step 1: Choose the blends and digraphs you want to practice. Print the mats and picture cards on card stock, laminate them and cut the cards apart.

Step 2: Set out two or more sorting mats and mix the matching picture cards together.

Step 3: Children name each picture, listen for the beginning sound and place the card on the correct mat.

Easy Differentiation

Children learn blends and digraphs at different speeds. These sorting mats are easy to adjust for each group.

For Children Who Need More Support

• Start with just two mats with very different sounds
• Say each picture name aloud together before sorting
• Use fewer picture cards per mat
• Model the first few sorts

For On-Level Practice

• Sort three or four blends at a time
• Say the picture name and the beginning sound for each card
• Mix blends and digraphs in the same sort
• Use the mats in literacy centers

For an Extra Challenge

• Sort blends that look or sound alike, such as bl and cl
• Sort all the digraphs mats at once
• Name another word for each mat after sorting
• Write the word for each picture on the black and white mats

For Speech, OT, ELL or Special Education Support

• Practice target blends with the picture cards
• Use the pictures to build new vocabulary
• Let children point to the correct mat when speaking is hard
• Use a small set of mats and repeat them for confidence
• Give extra processing time and model each sort first

Perfect For

• Literacy centers
• Small groups
• Partner work
• Phonics intervention
• Independent work
• Speech therapy sessions
• Special education classrooms
• Homeschool

Standards

These beginning blends and digraphs sorting mats support kindergarten and 1st grade literacy standards in Common Core, the TEKS (ELAR) and the Virginia English SOL (2024):

Common Core State Standards

• CCSS RF.1.2.b: Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds, including consonant blends.
• CCSS RF.1.3.a: Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs.
• CCSS RF.K.3.a: Connect consonants with their most common sounds.

Texas TEKS

• TEKS ELAR K.2.A.ii: Recognize groups of words that begin with the same spoken onset or initial sound.
• TEKS ELAR 1.2.A.ii: Recognize groups of words that begin with the same spoken onset, such as sorting pictures by beginning blend.

Virginia SOL

• VA SOL English K.FFR.3.G: Decode and encode words with short vowels, including words beginning with a digraph.
• VA SOL English 1.FFR.3.A: Decode and encode short vowel words with blends and digraphs.

Add the Beginning Blends & Digraphs Sorting Mats to your cart and have a ready-to-go phonics sorting center. Choose your sounds, print the mats and let your students sort their way to stronger reading skills!

These sorting mats are also included in the Beginning Blends & Digraphs Mega Pack: Check out the Beginning Blends & Digraphs Mega Pack here

Download Details

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