When we begin learning the alphabet, we often start by associating a picture of a word that starts with that specific letter of the alphabet. This starts with sight words and moves on to objects that we know are common to children at this age. When we are discussing words that do not begin in a vowel such as apple or elf, we are looking to identify the initial consonant of the word. Being able to identify these initial consonants helps us progress our ability to read. A good place to start to identify the initial consonants of words is by naming pictures. A great way to practice this skill is by creating a group of picture flashcards. We already have created a series of alphabet flashcards that can instantly create this for you.
One of the most popular worksheets that comprise the 15-worksheet Initial Blends lessons from Easy Teacher asks students to match initial blends with images sitting below the group of two-letter blends. For example, an image of a dragon requires students to add the beginning blend dr in the blank spaces. Easy Teacher has developed a phonics learning platform that engages children instead of turning them off to the learning process. Your kids will be excited to work with the starting blend worksheets in the classroom, as well as at home when they work on the printed versions of the lessons. Most of the worksheets you will find here focus on the use of visuals in the form of graphics. I would fire up the color cartridge for this one. Why does it seem your students have tuned you out? It is because you have not added interactive Easy Teacher curriculum to the classroom grammar lessons.
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Printable Initial Consonants Worksheets
Click the buttons to print each worksheet and answer key.
Rewrite the sentences using the second conditional (using if
and Read the sentence. Circle the words that contain consonant blends.
Draw a picture to go with the sentence.
Say the name of each picture. What sound does it start with? Draw a
line from each picture on the left to the consonant blend on the
right that you hear at the beginning of the word.
Cut out the sound cards. Shuffle them and place them face down
between the players. On their turn, each player draws a card, reads the sound
aloud, and places the sound card on a picture whose name begins with that
sound. Play continues until all pictures are covered.
A consonant refers to the letters of the alphabet that are not vowels, and these words often join together to form a consonant blend. A consonant blend is a speech sound not produced by a vowel and is most commonly found at either the beginning of the end of the sentence. Consonant blends refer to different consonants combined and contain two or three consonants that are either followed by a vowel or have a vowel before them.
To learn the English language, you must be familiar with consonant blends. There are 21 consonant blends present, and each blend forms a distinct sound.
Consonant words can be divided into three types: initial, middle, and final. Initial consonant blends are consonant blends that contain two or three consonants placed at the beginning of the word.
Below is a list of some initial consonant blends and words they are used in.
Bl-
Cr-
Sc-
Sk-
Sm-
Tw-
Pl-
Cl-
Black
Crazy
Score
Sky
Small
Twice
Play
Climb
Blaze
Cry
Scream
Skin
Smell
Twelve
Please
Class
Blood
Cricket
Scope
Skill
Smile
Twenty
Plus
Clock
Blanket
Crown
School
Skate
Smart
Twist
Plan
Clothes
Why They Are Important?
An essential part of learning any language is how to pronounce its words. Teaching someone how to read and write words of a language is called Phonics, and consonant blends are an integral part of that field.
Words in the English language contain sounds either because of vowels or consonants; more often than not, blending the consonants to form a sound is important.
They are not the same as digraphs or trigraphs, which are two or more consonants that combine to form one new sound, e.g., sh or ch. Consonant blends involved sounding out two or three consonants and combining each sound.
There are 74 consonant blends, out of which initial blends account for 26. That means almost 35% of the words you read will have an initial consonant blend.
Some of the initial consonant blends include BL, CL, FL, FL, PL, SL, BR, CR, DR, FR, PR, TR, SC, SK, SM, SN, SP, ST, SW, TW, SQ, SPR, STR, SHR, and SQU. Looking at these as a whole, you can already think of many words for each. That’s how influential they are.
How to Learn These Sounds
Since there are so many initial consonant blends, remembering and pronouncing them can become tricky. However, following some tips and practicing these blends will make the job much easier. Here are some tips to follow to learn these sounds:
1. Learn the blends in stages instead of all at once. Start with three or four initial blends a day.
2. Start from simpler words and move on to more complex words. Try pronouncing words that have an initial blend and only have four sounds. Eventually, move on to five-sound words and then six sound words.
3. Keep practicing. When learning something new, the more you practice it, the more you tend to remember it. Set a quota for a day and try to complete it.
4. Review your notes. Even if you feel like you’re done with one initial blend and don’t need to go back to it, go through it again once in a while to solidify your understanding.
To Sum Up
Initial consonant blends are essential for anyone learning English and should not be neglected. However tricky they may be at first, with enough practice and revision, soon you will be reading out words without having to think about it.
