Blends & Digraphs Review

Free Printable Blends & Digraphs Review

Reviewing blends and digraphs is a crucial step in early literacy, building on foundational single letter sounds. Blends like "bl" in black or "gr" in grab involve two consonants whose sounds are both heard, just blended together smoothly. Digraphs, conversely, combine two letters to create a single new sound, such as "sh" in ship or "ch" in chip. Young learners often confuse these two categories, sometimes adding an extra vowel sound between blend consonants (like "buh-lack" instead of black) or failing to recognize the single sound of a digraph, trying to sound out each letter individually (like "s-h-ip" instead of ship). Distinguishing between sounds like "sh" (shell) and "ch" (check), or "th" (thin) and "wh" (whip) requires careful listening and practice, as these subtle differences can significantly impact reading accuracy. Our blends and digraphs review worksheets provide targeted practice to solidify these essential skills. Begin with the decodable passage, "Kim's Drum Sticks," encouraging your child to identify and highlight all the target blend and digraph words like "drum," "snap," and "truck." Next, use the word sort activity to help them categorize words by their blend or digraph, reinforcing the distinction between, for example, "clap" and "ship." Phrasing cards can then build fluency, allowing them to read short phrases containing these words, like "glad to plan" or "spin and stop." Finally, utilize the Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) chart to quickly identify and name the target words, improving automaticity and recall for both blends and digraphs. Consistent practice with these varied activities will strengthen their decoding abilities.

For more early literacy resources, explore our sight word flashcards, tracing worksheets, handwriting worksheets, and coloring pages.