Beginning blends and digraphs activities for your literacy centers! This Beginning Blends & Digraphs Mega Pack has 11 different activities and over 120 pages to help kids explore and learn beginning blends and digraphs.

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. With puzzles, clip cards, sorting mats, play dough mats, matching cards, card games and so much more, there are many ways for kids to differentiate and build understanding of the blends concept.

With this beginning blends and digraphs pack, you get

• 11 different activities on over 120 pages
• Hands-on centers, from sorting mats and puzzles to card games
• Black and white options for each activity
• Many ways to differentiate for every learner
• Savings of 30% when you buy the Mega Pack

Print, laminate and your blends and digraphs centers are ready to go!

What's Included

• Pages 4-22: Beginning Blends/Digraphs Sorting Mats
• Pages 23-32: 3-piece Beginning Blends/Digraphs Puzzles
• Pages 33-38: 2-Piece Beginning Blends/Digraphs Puzzles
• Pages 39-44: Match the Beginning Blends/Digraphs Puzzles
• Pages 45-54: Beginning Blends/Digraphs Circle Clip Cards
• Pages 55-64: Beginning Blends/Digraphs Clip Cards
• Pages 65-73: Beginning Blends/Digraphs Matching Mats
• Pages 74, 76-86: Match It! a matching game
• Pages 75-86: Slap-Card game (uses the same cards as Match-It!)
• Pages 87-112: Play Dough Mats
• Pages 113-138: Alphabet Magnet pages
• Black and white options for each activity

For the PH digraph, clip art is limited, so a couple of activities include words with a medial PH sound.

Take a Closer Look

• Sorting Mats: Students sort pictures by their beginning sounds. Select the letters you want them to practice. There are 6 pictures for most letters.
• 3-piece Puzzles: Students match beginning sounds to two pictures.
• 2-Piece Puzzles: Students match beginning sounds to one picture.
• Match the Beginning Blends/Digraphs Puzzles: Students match two pictures with the same beginning sound.
• Circle Clip Cards: Students use a clothespin or paper clip to show the two pictures on each card that have the same beginning sound as the blend or digraph in the center. Alternating clothespins and paper clips works different fine motor skills. You will need 2 of each beginning sound.
• Clip Cards: Students use clothespins or paper clips to show the matching blend or digraph.
• Matching Mats: Students draw a line to connect the pictures to the matching beginning sounds.
• Match It!: Cards for both upper and lower case are included, as well as two sets of picture cards. Students can match two pictures with the same beginning sound, picture to blend/digraph or blend/digraph to word. Make the game simple or more difficult by changing the number of cards you use.
• Slap-Card Game: A "Slap-Jack" style game that uses the same cards as Match It!
• Play Dough Mats: Students roll strips of play dough to form the letters or trace the letters with dry-erase markers. The ph page asks students to circle words that have ph in them.
• Alphabet Magnet Pages: Students use alphabet magnets to build the blends and digraphs that match each picture. Use them as full pages or cut them apart to mix and match.

Why Teachers Love It

• A full set of centers: 11 activities give you plenty of ways to practice the same skill without repeating.
• Easy to customize: Choose the blends and digraphs you want to practice and set out only those cards.
• Black and white options: Print in color or save ink with the black and white versions.
• Reusable: Card stock, lamination or page protectors keep the play dough, matching and magnet pages ready for repeat use.
• Fine motor built in: Clothespins, paper clips, play dough and magnets keep little hands busy.
• Great value: Save 30% when you buy the Mega Pack.

Skills Students Practice

Primary Academic Skills

• Beginning blends: Students hear and match the blended sounds at the start of words.
• Digraphs: Students connect digraphs such as ph with the sound they make.
• Phonemic awareness: Sorting and matching pictures asks students to listen closely to beginning sounds.
• Letter-sound connections: Students match pictures to the letters that spell each blend or digraph.
• Building words: Alphabet magnet pages let students build the blend or digraph for each picture.
• Letter formation: Play dough mats help students form the letters in each blend or digraph.
• Fine motor skills: Clip cards, play dough and magnets build hand strength and control.

Secondary Life & Learning Skills

• Taking turns
• Following directions
• Working independently
• Maintaining attention
• Waiting during group play
• Building confidence during group participation

How to Use It

Step 1: Choose the blends and digraphs you want to practice. Print the pages on card stock and laminate them, or place the play dough, matching and alphabet magnet pages in page protectors.

Step 2: Model one activity with a small group. Say each picture name aloud and listen for the beginning sound together.

Step 3: Set the activities out in literacy centers and rotate in new ones as students master each blend or digraph.

Materials You'll Need

• Card stock and/or laminating supplies
• Page protectors (an alternative for the play dough, matching and alphabet magnet pages)
• Clothespins or paper clips
• Play dough or dry-erase markers
• Alphabet magnets

Easy Differentiation

Every class has students at different stages of phonics learning. These activities are easy to adjust for each group.

For Children Who Need More Support

• Start with the 2-piece puzzles, which match one picture to each beginning sound
• Choose just a few blends or digraphs at a time
• Say each picture name aloud together before sorting
• Play Match It! with a small number of cards

For On-Level Practice

• Use the 3-piece puzzles and sorting mats as written
• Play Match It! with picture to blend/digraph matches
• Use the clip cards in centers
• Form the letters on the play dough mats

For an Extra Challenge

• Play Match It! with blend/digraph to word matches
• Label clothespins with uppercase letters for students to match on the circle clip cards
• Build each blend or digraph on the alphabet magnet pages
• Add more cards to the Slap-Card game for a longer game

For Speech, OT, ELL or Special Education Support

• Practice target blends and digraphs with the picture cards
• Alternate clothespins and paper clips to work different fine motor skills
• Use the pictures to build new vocabulary
• Let students point to the match when speaking is hard
• Give extra processing time and model each activity first

Perfect For

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

Standards

These beginning blends and digraphs activities 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.
• TEKS ELAR 1.2.A.v: Blend spoken phonemes to form one-syllable words, including initial consonant blends.
• TEKS ELAR 1.2.C.ii: Spell words with initial consonant blends and digraphs, as on the alphabet magnet pages.

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 K.FFW.2.A: Spell one syllable 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 Mega Pack to your cart and have 11 hands-on blends and digraphs activities ready for your literacy centers. Print, laminate and watch your students sort, match, build and slap their way to phonics success!

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
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