Today, we are going to tell you about using our new CVC Cut and Glue Puzzles with HeidiSongs music videos to help kids learn to read decodable words! It’s that time of year in Kindergarten when our little ones learn to sound out decodable CVC words. This skill is SO important, and so much of a child’s reading ability depends on mastering this skill, along with a rock-solid knowledge of the short vowel sounds. Our set of Word Family Songs is an AMAZING tool to help children learn this vital skill! If you are unfamiliar, check out the video below, and see our post on how amazingly well these worked in Heidi’s class. After watching the videos for a few minutes each day, most kindergartners mastered the CVC words before the one-hundredth day of school at a low-income Title One school.
CVC Reading Practice
In addition to music and movement, we also need to allow the children to practice reading the CVC words with guidance and independently. Our newest printable product, CVC Cut and Glue Puzzles, does just that, and they are self-checking, too!
Set Aside Some Time
Another great thing about this set of CVC Cut and Glue Puzzles is that they will keep kids busy for at least 20 minutes in Kindergarten! That can be both good and bad, depending on your needs. But when children must be all tested individually, and the rest must stay occupied, this could become your favorite resource. 😬
Make the Puzzles a Reusable Center to Save Time
An alternative is to do the puzzles as a reusable center! Just print them out on colored card stock and cut the pieces out. Store it in a large envelope, and you’re all set. The children just select an envelope and put the puzzle together without stopping to cut or glue. Once they have completed the puzzle, they can return it to the envelope and select another. This would go much quicker, and children would be able to complete more puzzles in a shorter amount of time.
What’s Included?
There are 15 puzzles in total. We have included one puzzle for each vowel sound, except that there are two puzzles for the short e and short u since these seem to be the most challenging vowel sounds to learn. After that, eight puzzles include at least one word for every vowel sound.
- Apple- short a
- Elephant- short e
- Egg- short e
- Igloo- short i
- Pot of gold- short o
- Bug- short u
- Ice cream cup- short u
- Dolphin- mixed
- Hen- mixed
- Hive- mixed
- Pig- mixed
- Pumpkin- mixed
- Trash can- mixed
- Truck- mixed
- Watermelon- mixed
Tips for Use
Important: Ensure the children know what the pictures represent before they begin!
- Make sure kids understand that they will need to READ each word and then match it to the picture since kids usually do puzzles only by looking at the shapes. Some pictures may fit into more than one space.
- Be careful that children understand which page they should cut and which page is for gluing. They should cut on the dotted lines only. You will also find a pair of scissors on the page to be cut and a glue bottle on the page for gluing.
- The directions say they are to color the pieces before cutting them out. For children who tend to work slowly, you may wish to tell them not to color.
- Leave plenty of time for this activity! For kindergartners, it may take a full 20-30 minutes, especially if they will be coloring it first.
Check out the CVC Cut and Glue Puzzles on TpT for more information! TWO free sample puzzles are also posted in the files section of our HeidiSongs and Friends Facebook group. Join us and try them out!
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