Mitten Word Families: Winter Word Family Worksheets (Free PDF)

Mittens come in pairs, and so do word families. On each page a pair of mittens carries one ending (the rime) and the child adds a letter in front (the onset) to build words. These winter word family worksheets cover -at, -op, -ug, -et and -in, and every page includes a few letter snowflakes that do not make a real word, so children read carefully instead of guessing.

What’s inside

• Five pages, one rime each: -at (bat, cat, hat, mat, rat, sat), -op (hop, mop, pop, top, cop), -ug (bug, dug, hug, jug, mug, rug), -et (jet, net, pet, get, let, wet) and -in (bin, fin, pin, tin, win, din).
• A bank of letter snowflakes on every page that includes two decoys that make a nonsense word.
• Six write-and-check rows per page: onset + rime = word, then circle whether it is a real word.

How to use in class

1. Read the ending on the mittens together, then read a sample word by changing only the first sound.
2. Children pick a letter snowflake, write it on the line and read the whole word.
3. Circle yes or no: is it a real word? Nonsense words are fine to read, they just are not words.
4. Finish with a sentence using one word from the page.

Who it’s for

Kindergarten and Grade 1 children who can blend CVC words and are ready for onset and rime. Works in a literacy center or at home.

Where it fits: Stage 3 — Blending & Segmenting (CVC Words)

Goes well with

• Word Families List: 23 Rime Families with 200+ CVC Words
• Onset and Rime: The Pre-Phonics Skill That Doubles Decoding Speed
• Word Families Worksheet
• Hear the short u sound