10 Simple Word Work Kindergarten Activities Free File Too!
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Word Work Kindergarten fun!
One of the coolest parts of teaching kindergarten is exploring word work. This is when our young learners play with all those phonics skills and word patterns they’ve been learning—phonics, phonemic awareness, and those tricky sight words. Because we all want our students to stay engaged, including hands-on word work activities is a great way to hook students in literacy centers. These aren’t just any activities; they’re designed to make word work fun while also practicing high-frequency words and spelling patterns!
In this blog post, I will share a fun word work activity that you can include in your literacy stations or in small groups. Be sure to check out the free word work center at the bottom of this article!
What is Word Work In Kindergarten?
Word work is student practice that happens AFTER explicit phonics instruction. Research is clear: students become better readers through systematic phonics instruction, not by just exploring words. During your core curriculum, the whole class will learn the phonics pattern and specific skills necessary to be successful readers. They will learn how to map high-frequency words or heart words orthographically. Learn more by reading:
Some students will need additional time to learn these word and phonics skills. This is when additional instruction happens in what was traditionally known as “reading groups.” Under a structured literacy approach, we have moved away from “reading groups” and really focused on small group instruction, which can be skills-based or decodable text-based. If you want to know why guided reading or leveled reading is harmful to early readers, you can read this blog post.
What are Word Work Centers in Kindergarten?
Word work centers are a chance for kindergarten students to apply the phonics skills they have already been explicitly taught. The goal is for students to develop mastery in not only reading words but also writing and spelling words. This is where word work skills centers come in. We want students to over-learn the skills they learned during their core instruction. For some students, that might mean they are still working on letter recognition, while others could be working on CVC words or long vowels.
The key is to be sure students have daily word work that matches their current needs. By creating simple work word activities that last the whole year, your job will be simpler. Just the word cards or picture cards will change based on each student’s academic needs.
Simple Word Work Activities to Last the Whole Year
Starting the year off, your kindergarten classroom will be looking to work with the letters of the alphabet.
#1 Word Work – Starts with Letters
Student work with these hands on letter cubes to match the lowercase letter to the uppercase letter. This ABC word work station is a great way to start the school year.
#2 Beginning Sounds Word Work
These cubes are also a great way for students to work with beginning sounds.
#3 CVC Word Work Activities
These same card activities can also be used for CVC words!
You can find these word work cubes on Amazon (affiliate link).
#4 Sight Words and Word Work
After students have been taught how to orthographically map a work, they need time to practice these words to move them from their short-term memory to their long-term memory.
These word mapping worksheets are perfect for overlearning! And they contain over 245 high frequency words!
You can find these word work cubes on Amazon (affiliate link).
#5 Elkonin Boxes and Word Work
These boxes are often linked with phonemic awareness activities, but they are also great for phonics activities.
After students have segmented the word, they can add magnetic letters to spell the word.
#6 Magnetic Letters and Word Work Activities
Speaking of magnetic letters… I have always used cookie sheets with my magnetic word work. At the beginning of the year, students at my small group table work on matching the lowercase letter to the capital letter.
As the year progresses, we use the letters to spell words.
#7 Bingo
I always love a good Bingo game. These are editable bingo coloring worksheets, so you can match the bingo skills to your phonics skills!
#8 Clip It Center Activities
Working on phonics skills and fine motor skills at the same time? Yes! Please!
You may have some students working with initial sounds, while others are ready for CVC words!
#9 Phonics Puzzle Activities
In this Science of Reading Center, students are reading and solvingCVC puzzles at the same time.
#10 Word Sorting Center Activity
In this center activity, students are looking at the picture and reading the word to decide if the words and photos match. This is a fun way to have students look closely throughout the entire word.
I hope you found a few new ideas to add to your word work instruction or student center time.
I love student center activities, so let me share a few other blog posts you may be interested in:
Free Word Work Kindergarten Activities
You can download a free sample of he word building centers by entering your email below.
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Deedee Wills
My teaching career allowed me to experience teaching in different classroom environments and grades. My heart belongs to early childhood education. My job is to make teaching FUN, ENGAGING, and EASIER. Welcome!
Hi, I'm DeedeE.
My teaching career allowed me to experience teaching in different classroom environments and grades. My heart belongs to early childhood education. My job is to make teaching FUN, ENGAGING, and EASIER. Welcome!
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22 Responses
Where did you purchase the cubes with letters?
I just added links to the post.
Where did you get the cubes from? Do you remember?
I just added the links to the post! 🙂
What size are the small boxes inside? Are they the photo cases that hold 4 X 6 pictures? Thanks!
Yay! Those will work perfectly!!!
Do you know if you can buy the tubs and little boxes online? I love all of your products! Thanks … Gennie
Hi there! I am not sure. This looks like it! Inside are the smaller photo bins.
Carrying bin
Clicked the carrying bin link, what size are the photo bins? They aren’t shown in the picture and I want to be sure the photo bins are the right size? Thanks for sharing this awesome activity.
Hi there!
The photo bins are 4 x 6. I also got them at Michaels. I hope that helps!
I love this! I am wanting to order the cubes and cases. I want to use it as a center and/or small group. Would you suggest I order 1 set of each type of cube and 1 case or will I need multiple?
Since I just had 2 students working at this center at a time, I just ordered one set for them to share. It works out perfectly!
Is there an answer key?
No, we don’t have an answer key 🙂
how many small boxes are inside the large box? I can’t seem to fit very many ~ I wonder if I purchased the wrong size…
I think there were originally 12 boxes inside. I’m sorry, I’m not entirely sure because a bought a few and then used them for other things.
Trying to find the storage boxes at michaels.com. Any chance you you know the name of them, or how to locate them?
I’m sorry! I just just saw this question. No, I don’t recall what they were called.
It is called “Large Photo and Craft Keeper”. It has 16 photo cases inside of 1 carrying case.
Thank YOU!!!
Do you have anything using the cubes with words for making sentences?
I do not, but my friend Elizabeth has some that are awesome!
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