Free Rainbow Digital and Printable CVC Words with Pictures
I love playing with words! That love definitely spills over to my students as we learn and explore CVC words in kindergarten and first grade (CVC = consonant, vowel, consonant). If there’s one thing I’ve learned about teaching reading, it’s that students need lots of practice!
Lots. Tons. Buckets. You get it. So check out this no-prep CVC words activity!
This Free Rainbow Theme Digital and Printable CVC Words with Pictures activity is awesome! The magical rainbows and unicorns will pull your students into a different world. And the valuable reading practice will keep you grounded in yours!
The download includes 20 word work slides! Each slide features a CVC word with a missing vowel. Students can identify the picture first, then figure out which letter sound is missing, drag the appropriate letter over, then read the word.
Help your students practice reading with Google Slides, Seesaw, or Boom cards! If you prefer a printable version to use at a literacy center, we’ve got you covered!
How to Teach CVC Words
Brain research on how our brains learn to read is fascinating! One of the things researchers have concluded is the importance of activating the portion of our brain that connects spoken sounds with written letters.
Keeping that brain research in mind, we can provide lots of different activities for students to make those letter-sound associations.
CVC activities are an excellent place to start teaching reading, because of the simplicity of the pattern.
Give your students lots of opportunities to read CVC words, write them, and manipulate the vowel sounds to create new words. Asking them to sort words with different short vowels is also a great way to help them understand letter patterns.
When students become familiar and confident in reading CVC words, it’s time to introduce more complex patterns (CVCe, CVCC, CCVC, CVVC). From there, students will be ready to learn and understand the 7 syllable types.
Tools you’ll need for the Digital Activity
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How to Use the Rainbow CVC Word Practice Download
Click on the link below. Then, choose which version you want: Google Slides, Seesaw, or self-correcting Boom cards. When you clink on the link, it will open in the appropriate app and you’re good to go.
In Google Slides, after clicking on the Slides link, click the blue button that says, “Make a Copy.” This ensures that you have your own copy of the slideshow.
In Slides, make sure you are in “Edit” mode, as opposed to “Present” mode. You will see the “Present” button in the upper right hand corner.
In Slides, just click on the number to highlight the box in blue and drag it when the cursor resembles a plus sign with an arrow on each end.
In Seesaw, use the Text tool (click on the large T) to be able to highlight each number to move it.
Finally, if you choose self-correcting Boom cards, remember you must be connected to the Internet in order for the cards to work.
Other Word Activities for Emergent Readers
Young readers need a lot of time to explore the relationships between letters and sounds, letter patterns, and word families. The more hands-on practice we give them, the better decoders they become.
When decoding becomes effortless, fluency and comprehension skills will grow. And that, teacher friends, is the ultimate goal of reading: To be able to comprehend text.
Here are some excellent ways to build decoding skills:
Word Sorts
Word Sorts-as students learn different letter patterns (short vowel sounds, long vowel sounds, blends, and digraphs), give them opportunities to identify the new pattern and compare/contrast it with different letter patterns.
Picture Sorts
Beginning readers who don’t know all of the vowel sounds yet can sort picture cards based on how they sound, not the letter patterns. Once they begin to connect those sounds with letters, they can lists of CVC words.
CVC Word Games
Anytime we can make learning into a game, it’s a sure way to engage kids. And it doesn’t have to be complicated!
Think game board, printable CVC word lists, and dice. Students roll, read a word, and move to the next space on the board.
You can adapt the word lists to suit any patterns your students are practicing!
Digital Games
Grab more of our free CVC word games online for students to practice reading CVC words or identifying patterns in other 3-4 letter words.
Our Favorite CVC Word Resources:
We can’t live without these!
Once your child’s creativity is sparked with this fun activity, take it a step further with these engaging resources:
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Bob Books, Set 1: Beginning Readers
Learning Resources 3-Letter Word Puzzle Cards, Kindergarten Readniness, Self Correcting Puzzles, Ages 4+, MultiThinkFun Zingo Word Builder Early Reading Game – Award Winning Game for Pre-Readers and Early ReadersWooden Reading Blocks | [5] Sets of Fun, Educational Spinning Alphabet Manipulative Blocks for Children w/ Easy-Grip Handles | STEM & Montessori Approved Toy for Pre-Kindergarten Boys & Girls GiftTeacher Created Resources Word Shark: Short Vowels Game (7805), MulticolorAIVANT 80 Words Self-Correcting Spelling Puzzle for Three and Four Letter Words with Matching Images,Perfect for Preschool Learning (40 Blocks Double Sided)
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Thank you so much for sharing your resources with us. I love your activities and have purchased other items that I use daily in my classroom.
Kim, How did you know exactly what I needed this morning. I sat down to search for activities to help me concentrate on the medial short vowel sounds in CVC words and here you are with the perfect activity. Thank you so much for offering these digital activities in 3 formats. As a virtual K5 teacher, I use all three! Google slides as I present, Boom cards for practice and Seesaw for assignments so I can see how they are progressing. Thank you so much!
Yay!! I’m glad that is just what you needed!