Teach Your Child About Three Letter Word Families with These Free Resources
Please enjoy these free resources to help you teach your child how to decode three letter words. Once children know their letter names and sounds (one sound for each letter and short vowels to start with) really really REALLY well, they will be ready to put their skills into action by sounding out three letter words. I have created two sets of word families flashcards, letter cards, and video. This is Set #1.
Word Families Flashcards Set #1
About These Flashcards
- Print from a Chrome Browser to make sure the margins are correct, and make sure “fit to page” is not selected. You may have problems getting the correct margins if you use the Edge browser.
- Print on card stock and laminate.
Tips and Tricks for Using My Word Families Flashcards
- Ideally, you would use these flashcards to build 3 letter words using magnetic letters and muffin tins. I love how the consonants and vowels are different colors. First say, “We’re going to spell the word cat,” then touch each letter and say the sound, “c-a-t”, and finally swipe your finger from the beginning of the word to the end and say “cat”. As children get more comfortable with this process, don’t say what the word is until after they tap out the sounds.
Three Letter Words Magnets and Muffin Tin
Tips and Tricks for Using My Word Families Letters
- Use simultaneously with my Words Families Flashcards Set #1. Prop up the flashcards and work with your child to spell each word.
- Build the first word together doing a think aloud. For example say, “We’re going to spell the word mad,” then say the sounds, “m-a-d, so first we’re going to need the letter m that says the sound /m/, next we’ll need the letter that says the /a/ sound, so here’s a, last we’ll need the letter that says the /d/ sound so d. Put it all together and we get m-a-d, mad!”
- First you show your child how to do it, then you encourage them to do small parts on their own. “Can you find the m for me? What letter makes the /m/ sound? m-a-d what makes the /a/ sound?” Gradually release responsibility to your child so that they take on more and more of the work.
- I recommend cutting out the small cards on the last page, taping them onto small plastic baggies, and sorting the letters into word families.
Word Families Letters Set #1
Tips and Tricks for Using My Word Families Videos
- After you’ve introduced the three letter words activities would be a good time to start watching the videos, but you could also watch them first to stimulate interest.
- I tried to include a lot of fun new activity ideas to show how to spice up this activity, but you will still find success if you keep it simple.
- Try building the words with my flashcards as you watch the video. Pause as needed.
For More Information
- For a simple overview for how to teach your child to read, check out my blog: Teach Your Child to Read in 5 Simple Steps, and for a more in depth look at teaching reading, check out my: Teach Your Child to Read Blog Series.
- Check out my Free Reading Resources page to access all of the flashcards, posters, and video digital downloads you’ll need to teach your child how to read.
I have created two word families sets with their own flashcards, letter cards, and video. Here is Set #2.
Word Families Flashcards Set #2
Follow These 5 Simple Steps to Teach Your Child How to Read:
I created these resources to help any parent (or teacher) teach their child/children to read in a fun and back to basics kind of way. If you follow these steps and fill learning time with lots of love and cuddles, your child will learn how to read easily and naturally just like my own five children did.
- Language Rich Environment: Use oral language at the child’s level (Get down on the floor and play together!) and help them memorize vocabulary words. (Tell them the names of things!)
- Phonemic Awareness: Teach one sound for each letter of the alphabet. (Start with short vowels and the hard c and g.)
- Phonics: Tap out sounds in three letter words to teach how sounds come together to form words.
- More Complex Phonemic Awareness: Introduce long vowels, digraphs, other vowel sounds, and other consonant sounds.
- Reading Comprehension Strategies: Use quality literature to interact with books and ask questions before, during, and after reading to make sure your child is understanding what you’re reading.
Start young! It’s better to do a little bit over a long period of time rather than try to cram it all in before preschool or kindergarten starts. Read more about how to teach your child to read in my blog: Teach Your Child to Read in 5 Simple Steps.
Teach Your Child to Read Blog Series
For a more in depth look at teaching your child to read, follow my blog series. In this series, I divide learning how to read into nine layers that build off from each other to create strong and confident readers. In each blog, you’ll find additional resources and information that will give you a deep understanding for how children learn how to read.
- #1-Oral Language Development Lays the Foundation for Learning to Read
- #2-How Engage Your Baby or Young Child with Reading
- #3-Learning How to Read Begins with the ABCs
- #4-Memorizing Words Before Sounding Them Out Leads to Reading
- #5-Building Vocabulary with Numbers, Colors, and Shapes
- #6-Teaching Phonics with Three Letter Word Families
- #7-Unlock the Final Stages of Reading with Advanced Phonemic Awareness
- #8-Reading Comprehension Strategies Lead to Independent Readers
- #9-Reinforcing Reading with Writing
