Initial blends board game fun with a merry Christmas twist! With over 175 short-vowel blend and digraph word cards and a red and green light bulb game path, this Spell It! board game brings festive, hands-on phonics practice to your December literacy centers.

Partners take turns reading and spelling CCVC words like sled, swim, slip and step, then spin to move along the holiday lights. (CCVC means consonant-consonant-vowel-consonant, like sled or swim.) Perfect for kindergarten and 1st grade, it is easy to prep and fun to play.

With this initial blends board game, you get

• 175+ CCVC word cards featuring beginning blends and digraphs
• A full-color Christmas game board with a light bulb path
• Reading and spelling practice in every turn
• A black-and-white version for low-ink printing
• Play for 2-4 players, with a 2-player variation

Make December phonics lessons merry and bright!

What's Included

• Full-color game board featuring a red and green light bulb path
• Matching spinner to determine movement after each turn
• Over 175 CCVC word cards featuring initial blends and digraphs with short vowel sounds, with words such as blab, slab, slip, sled, step and swim
• Printable game pieces (or use your favorite mini erasers!)
• Black-and-white version for low-ink printing
• Teacher instructions, suggested differentiation ideas and an optional file folder label for storage
• Two-player and group play options (ideal for 2-4 players)

Why Teachers Love It

• Reading and spelling together: One player reads each word aloud and the other spells it, so both partners practice every turn.
• Lots of words: Over 175 word cards give plenty of practice with beginning blends and digraphs.
• Perfect timing for the holidays: The Christmas lights theme keeps your blends unit going strong all through December.
• Low prep: Print the board, spinner and cards and you are ready to play.
• Ink-friendly: A black-and-white version is included.
• Flexible format: Use it with 2-4 players, as a 2-player game or as a file folder game for small group rotations.

Skills Students Practice

Primary Academic Skills

• Spelling CCVC words: Children spell short-vowel words that begin with common blends and digraphs.
• Beginning blends and digraphs: Children identify blends and digraphs (e.g., bl, tr, sn, ch, sh, th). A blend is two consonants whose sounds are said together, and a digraph is two letters that make one sound.
• Short vowel decoding: Children blend each sound to read the whole word.
• Phoneme-grapheme mapping: Children connect each sound they hear to the letters that spell it.
• Reading fluency: Repeated reading of words with two-sound beginnings builds quick, confident word reading.

Secondary Life & Learning Skills

• Taking turns
• Listening to classmates
• Waiting during group play
• Following directions
• Communicating choices
• Building confidence during group participation

How to Use It

Step 1: Shuffle the word cards and place them in a stack face down. Each player places a game piece on the yellow ornament to start.

Step 2: The player to the left draws a word card and reads it aloud without showing it. The current player spells the word out loud or writes it down.

Step 3: Spelled correctly on the first try? The player spins and moves forward! Not quite? They stay in place and cheer on their friends. The first player to reach the purple ornament wins!

Materials You'll Need

• Printable game pieces or mini erasers

Easy Differentiation

Every reader is at a different place with blends and digraphs. This game is easy to adjust so each child can be successful.

For Children Who Need More Support

• Use a small stack of cards with one or two blends at a time
• Read the word together before the player spells it
• Let children spell by writing the word so they can see each letter
• Tap out each sound before blending the word

For On-Level Practice

• Play the game as written with 2-4 players
• Mix blend and digraph cards in one stack
• Use the 2-player variation for partner practice

For an Extra Challenge

• Spell each word aloud without writing it first
• Have the player use the word in a sentence after spelling it
• Sort the cards by blend or digraph after the game

For Speech, OT, ELL or Special Education Support

• Practice target blends and digraphs as children read each word
• Have children write the word to build letter formation and fine motor control
• Model reading each word slowly, then have children repeat it
• Give extra processing time and take turns one at a time when needed

Perfect For

• December literacy centers and phonics tubs
• Guided reading small groups or RTI
• Holiday party learning stations
• Early finishers and morning bins
• Homeschool phonics practice
• Speech therapy or tutoring sessions
• Special education and intervention classrooms
• File folder games

Standards

This initial blends board game supports kindergarten and 1st grade phonics standards in Common Core, the TEKS (ELAR, adopted 2017) 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 such as ch, sh and th.
• CCSS RF.1.3.b: Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words while reading each card.
• CCSS SL.K.1.a: Follow agreed-upon rules, such as listening to others and taking turns, during group play.

Texas TEKS

• TEKS ELAR K.2.B.ii: Use letter-sound relationships to decode words, including CCVC words.
• TEKS ELAR K.2.C.i: Spell words with VC, CVC and CCVC patterns.
• TEKS ELAR K.1.D: Work with others by following agreed-upon rules, including taking turns.

Virginia SOL

• VA SOL English K.FFR.3.G: Read and spell words with short vowels, including words beginning with a digraph.
• VA SOL English K.FFW.2.A: Spell one-syllable words with short vowels and words beginning with a digraph.
• VA SOL English 1.FFR.3.A: Decode and spell short-vowel words with blends and digraphs, including CCVC words.
• VA SOL English K.C.1.A.i: Listen actively and follow agreed-upon rules for participating, such as waiting for a turn.

Check out what other educators are saying:

★★★★★ Katheryne S. wrote, “This was SO cute! I love that our blends unit fell at the same time as Christmas so we could include this in our activities. The students loved it and found it very engaging!!”

★★★★★ Veronica U. wrote, “My 1st graders loved this as a center, thank you!”

Add the Initial Blends and Digraphs Christmas Board Game to your cart and have a festive, ready-to-play phonics game for December centers, small groups and partner practice. Print, prep and watch your readers spin, read and spell their way to the purple ornament!

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

1. On the 'thank you' page after checkout
2. In your email
3. Login on the site here: https://lifeovercsstore.com/account