How To Practice Segmenting And Blending With Puzzles

Segmenting and blending are important reading skills. In segmenting, students pull apart sounds, while in blending they push them together. Segmenting and blending are also essential for spelling as students must be able to separate and identify sounds before they grasp how sounds and letters work together in proper spelling. Using games and puzzles to practice segmenting and blending with CVC words helps students grasp these key skills.

Creating segmenting and blending puzzles

If your students like puzzles, CVC word puzzles will make a great addition to your literacy station or spelling center. These puzzles include an image and the letters that make up the word. When put together properly, the student sees the image and can blend the sounds to say the word.

One way to make segmenting and blending puzzles is to use worksheets. Good segmenting and blending activity sheets give students a chance to practice reading, speaking, and writing the sounds of words. For example, students say each sound as they write or trace the letters and then say the whole word. These kinds of activities can easily be adjusted to differentiate for ability levels.

1. Puzzles with a picture and the whole word for students to read.
2. Puzzles with a picture and the whole word for students to read and trace.
3. Puzzles with a picture and no word for your students to write in the word.

Students get the practice of the worksheet. Then you can cut the worksheet to make a puzzle.

Have students re-assemble the word and put it together with the correct image and completed word.

Whether you use image-word puzzles or cut up activity sheet puzzles, have students segment the sounds as they move the individual letter/sound pieces. Then have them push together the sounds (blend) as they push together the puzzle pieces.

Once I’ve created CVC word puzzles, I like to paperclip all the separate pieces of each word together and store it in a zip bag labeled with the focus sounds/letters.

Using segmenting and blending puzzles and activities

You can use segmenting and blending puzzles and word building activity sheets in many ways:

• Independent practice in class.
• Small group work.
• Part of a literacy station.
• Review and remediation.
• Home practice and consolidation.

You can get a done-for-you pack of 150+ CVC word puzzles to help students practice segmenting and blending.

The pack includes six sets of words. Each set introduces new sounds/letters and builds on the previous sets. They are broken down like this:

• Set 1: a, i, m, n, o, p, s, t
• Set 2: b, c, g, h
• Set 3: d, e, f, v
• Set 4: k, l, r, u
• Set 5: j, w, x, y, z
• Set 6: ff, ll, ss, zz

Each set of CVC puzzles includes a word overview sheet. The pack includes simple, clear instructions for using the puzzles and activity sheets. You just download, print, laminate (optional) and cut.

Get your CVC Puzzles and Word Building Worksheets here!