I’m obsessed with Write-and-Wipe pockets. I love that they are durable, easy to use in the classroom, and save SO much paper from being wasted! Several years ago, I created 1st grade math printables to use inside the pockets. They made an easy math center, and I knew I wanted to create some print-and-go write and wipe phonics activities for 1st grade.
1st Grade Phonics Printables: Write and Wipe Mats
This set includes 135 phonics mats. The 1st grade phonics activities printables cover 8 important skills:
- CVC words
- Initial and Final Blends
- Consonant Digraphs
- FLOSS rule
- VCE/Silent E
- R-Controlled Vowels/Bossy R
- Vowel Teams
- Diphthongs
Each mat comes in both a color and blackline version, plus an answer key for each page.
How the Phonics Activities 1st Grade Printables Work
Place the mats you want to use in your dry-erase pockets. You can place 2 mats in one pocket (one on each side), or you can place the answer key on the opposite side to make the mats self-checking for your students.
Students get a mat and a dry-erase marker. They look at the picture and sound out the word, touching the boxes as they go. Next, they write the word sound by sound.
For example, if the word is “chop”, they would sound it out /ch/ /o/ /p/. Then, they would write the ch in the first box, o in the second box, and p in the last box.
Once they complete all the words on the page, they can use the answer key to check their work. They wipe off their mat and get a new mat to begin again.
This phonics activity makes an excellent center, because the format always stays the same! Once students have been taught how to use the printable, they can use the next set easily without a lot of instructions from you. This saves you from wasting valuable instructional time answering a million questions!
How else can the first-grade phonics activities be used?
While the 1st grade printables make a great center, they can also be used in a variety of other ways!
Small Group Instruction or Interventions
You can use the mats for a teacher-led activity. I recommend using the black and white version. Make a copy of the same page for the number of students in your small groups. You can still use dry-erase pockets, or you can make a regular copy for each student and have them complete them like a worksheet.
Say each picture together, have students sound out and touch the boxes (or push cubes), and then write the words together sound by sound. Have a teacher copy, where you can write the words and have students check their work.
Leave the phonics activities for a substitute teacher.
This activity is ideal to leave for subs for small group instruction. Students will already be familiar with how the activity works, which will make it super friendly for a substitute!
Homeschooling First Grade Printables
If you are a homeschool parent of a child learning to read, you will love using these phonics activities to practice 1st grade skills. I would recommend completing a page a day. You can use the black and white version and copy like a worksheet, if you do not want to copy in color. Teach the phonics skills in this order: cvc words, initial blends, final blends, consonant digraphs, FLOSS rule, silent e, bossy r, vowel teams, and diphthongs. Watch your child’s phonics and reading skills soar with these 1st grade printables.
Need more homeschooling resources for teaching reading? Check out my decodable reading passages.
Use the 1st grade phonics printables to differentiate
The mats make differentiation in your classroom a breeze. Simply trade out the phonics activities students are working on, to help each student or group work on the skill they need.
Practice together
Before placing the mats in your learning center, be sure students have had ample time to practice how to use the mats with your guidance. Also, take a quick look at the pictures, when you add a new set. Some of the pictures may need an introduction so students know what they are.
Have your center prepared
You’ll need:
- Write and wipe pockets with the mats placed inside
- Answer keys for students to check their work
- Dry erase markers in a variety of colors
- Erasers
Why use 1st Grade Write and Wipe Phonics Activities?
- Familiar format makes centers and small group activities easy to plan for.
- Students will be able to work independently on the activities
- Save copies using the write-and-wipe format
- Makes phonics practice feel like a game
- Easy to leave for sub plans
- Perfect for teaching homeschool phonics
Want to learn more about the 1st Grade Printable Phonics Activities?
Grab a free set here!
Check it out on TPT
