Before children can read a word, they need to hear the sounds inside it. Beginning sounds worksheets train that first step: look at a picture, say the word out loud, and listen for the very first sound — /b/ for bat, /m/ for moon. Pick a letter and a worksheet type, then download a fresh PDF, free.
Each sheet above is free, one letter at a time. The pack saves you 54 downloads: all four kinds for all 25 letters, in A–Z order, ready to print.
One print-ready PDF, 110 pages, black and white. Instant download.
Teaching one letter at a time? Letter of the Week has the same eight pages for every letter.
Or get all four sound skills for $10: these 54 sheets plus ending sounds, rhyming and syllables, 126 worksheets in one book, and 36 weeks of daily sound games.
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Beginning soundsHear the first sound
Step 2
Ending soundsHear the last sound
Step 3
RhymingHear the word parts
Step 4
SyllablesClap the beats
Step 5
Short A wordsBlend cat, hat, map
Step 6
First books to read79 Level 1 mini-books, $14 for all. Each one is free to print.
See the whole order on the reading path.
Every picture was chosen by sound, not spelling: each one starts with the exact sound its letter makes, with no blends (so frog is never an F example), no silent letters, and no soft C or G. That keeps the practice honest for a child who is listening, not reading. Each download mixes the pictures, so you can print as many different sheets as you need.
The beginning sound is the first sound you hear when you say a word — /s/ in sun, /m/ in moon. Hearing it is part of phonemic awareness, the skill of noticing the individual sounds in spoken words. It comes before phonics: a child who can hear that sun starts with /s/ is ready to connect that sound to the letter S.
Most children practice beginning sounds in pre-K and kindergarten, usually alongside learning letter names. Once a child can reliably pick out beginning sounds, they are ready for simple CVC words like cat and sit — Level 1 of our reading path.
These worksheets go by sound, not spelling. Every picture starts with the exact sound its letter makes — so circle is never on a C sheet (it starts with /s/), and apron is never on an A sheet (that A says its name). Only the short vowel sound is used for A, E, I, O and U, as in apple, egg, igloo, octopus and umbrella. A few letters simply have fewer clear, kid-friendly pictures that meet that rule.
Almost no everyday words a young child knows start with the /ks/ sound of X — x-ray and xylophone actually start with /e/ and /z/. X is best practiced as an ending sound: box, fox, ox, ax.
Say each picture's name out loud together, stretching the first sound ("mmmoon"). Ask the child what sound they hear first, then have them circle, write, match, or sort. Keep it short and playful — a page or two a day works better than a long session.
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