Free printable word families i phonics worksheets. Five practice activities: decodable passage, word sort, phrasing cards, rapid naming chart, and word search.
A free illustrated mini-book for Word Families I, plus the same story as a passage sheet for highlighting.
A full-color picture book your student reads on their own. Skill: Word Families I. Print, cut and staple.
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Pip the pig had a red ball. His red ball was in a big bin. The bin had lots of fun stuff in it. Pip had to get the red ball. But the bin was so tall! Pip was not big. He did not fit. He did not stop. “Can I get it?” said his pal, Win. “I can dig in!” said Pip. Pip dug and dug in the big bin. He got a wig. He got a fig. At last, he got his red ball! Win did a jig. Pip had so much fun!
The words this story set practices, in the two groups used by the word sort.
big, dig, fig, jig, pig, wig, bin, din, fin, kin
pin, win, bit, fit, hit, kit, lit, pit, sit, wit
Short I words to read, match and write, with pictures. Each PDF has its answer key on page 2.
The sheets above are free. The pack is every sheet for short a, i, o, e and u in order, a review set and all the answer keys, ready to print.
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4 ready-to-print PDFs for this story's word families i words. Each one opens as its own file.
Cut-apart word cards to sort: -ig / -in Family or -it Family. Answer key on page 2.
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More picture worksheets: beginning sounds, ending sounds, rhyming and syllables — new pictures every time you print.
A new decodable story with the same word families i sounds — each comes with its own set of worksheets.
Understanding CVC word families like -ig, -in, and -it is a crucial early step in phonics, falling right after students master individual letter sounds. These families introduce the concept of a consistent vowel and ending consonant sound, which helps children decode new words efficiently. A common challenge at this stage is differentiating the short 'i' sound in words like "pig" from other short vowels, particularly 'e' (as in "peg") or 'u' (as in "bug"). Young learners might also struggle to blend the initial consonant with the -ig, -in, or -it ending smoothly, sometimes pausing between sounds or dropping the final consonant, saying "pi" instead of "pin" or "bi" for "bit." The subtle difference between the 'g' and 'n' endings in "dig" versus "din" also requires careful auditory discrimination. To maximize learning with these word family worksheets, begin by reviewing the short 'i' sound and the individual sounds for 'g', 'n', and 't'. Use the decodable passage from "Pip's Red Ball" to help students practice reading words like "big," "pin," and "sit" in context. Encourage them to highlight or circle all the -ig, -in, and -it words they find. The word sort activity is excellent for reinforcing the different family endings; have students physically sort the target words into their respective groups. For fluency, use the phrasing cards to practice reading short phrases containing these words, focusing on smooth, connected speech. Finally, the Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN) chart provides a structured way to build speed and accuracy in recognizing and recalling these essential CVC words.
For more early literacy resources, explore our sight word flashcards, tracing worksheets, handwriting worksheets, and coloring pages.
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