Blends

Two (or more) consonants may blend together with each sound heard in the blend. Blends can be found at the beginning or end of words.

Intial Blends with short vowels

Blends are often introduced after learning about short vowels, so it’s a good idea to begin practicing with blends that have short vowels. A slim slug slipped on scum.

Initial Blends with advanced vowel patterns

Blends with other vowel patterns can be included as they are introduced in the logical sequence followed by the Phonics Pow Toolkit.

Final Blends

Blends may be found at the end of some words. (some words have both initial and final blends, like STAMP)

See Find and Lift the Lost Gold – i and o can be long when followed by two consonants…but not always!

Some final blends are sometimes called glued or welded. See The Skunk Drank a Pink Drink.

Some final consonants are two letters that make one sound. See The /k/ sound at the end of words, Consonant Digraphs, and Catch the Pitch.

WATCH videos and PLAY online games at the Consonant Blends tutorial at Wakelet.

Some online games require flash, which is no longer supported after 12/31/2020. Learn more at The End of Flash.

LISTEN & LEARN Blends at Quizlet

Resources:

• Blends picture sorts from flyingintolearning.com. (More Blends picture sorts from fairypoppins for playdoughtoplato.com and color picture cards from testyyettrying)
• Sort onto a B&W blends chart from thisreadingmama (or color blends chart from maketaketeach), S blends ice cream activity at kizclub.com
• Blends flip books with pictures and words from phonics-teaching.com

READ Blend sentences at stickyball.net

PLAY Printable Letter Blends puzzle from Learning 4 Kids (11 pages, some color), Go Fish blends game from Adrian Bruce

Great Green Grapes Blend Board Game at TeachersPayTeachers

Blending

Blending the sounds of letters together from left to right is an important skill for beginning readers. As advanced vowel patterns are introduced, scan for phonics patterns in words to decode them.

PLAY more online games:

Blending: word-machines short vowels at starfall. Short vowels at kizphonics.

[archived from Literactive, no longer working as of 10/24: Blending ladybugs Blends: Warehouse game, Bowling game, Sorting Office, and Final Blends Honey Maze.]