
I’m always looking for new ways to mix up how we practice our short vowel words. I get bored looking at their work sometimes, so I imagine they get bored doing the same activities all the time! {Tell me I’m not the only one!}
So today I’m sharing my favorite activities for working on short vowels, including some short vowel games!
Short Vowel Word Searches
Once in a while you need your kiddos to pick up their pencils {or crayons!} and prove what they know! Well, who says it doesn’t need to be fun? These Short Vowel Word Searches are an educational spin on what they’d find on a kid’s meal menu!
Short Vowel Word Mats
Each week during the school year we focus on a word family. At the beginning of the year, we spend a lot of time on short vowels! The kids “show what they know” about word families by completing these Word Up! Word Mats.

They need to make words using the letter tiles and determine if the words are real or nonsense words.
Short Vowel Poems
At some point in the day, we chant our short vowel poem. I have NO idea where these poems originated {please share the source if you know!} but I do have them as a FREEBIE over on the Lucky to Be in First Facebook page!


Make sure you’re looking at Facebook from a desktop computer. You’ll find them in the “Fan Freebies” tab {along with a few other goodies, too!}
Check out these helpful directions from Traci of Dragonflies in First for printing these posters larger!
Short Vowel Task Cards
I’m always changing up our activities during Daily 5 to make sure that my students don’t get bored! Recently, I added these Short Vowel Task Cards to the mix.
It includes two versions for each vowel sound so you can differentiate for your class. The top picture shows how students are asked to write the beginning and ending sound.
In the activity below, students are asked to write the vowel sound and the final sound.
As with any phonics activity, you hope your students can independently work on, it’s important to review the pictures so students become familiar with the words!
Word Family Workouts
The latest addition to our Phonics repertoire are these Word Family Workouts! This one paper covers a bunch of skills: word recognition in various fonts, ABC order, and sentence writing!

Slainte!