Using Word Searches to Practice Phonics Skills

As a primary teacher, so much of my lesson planning and small group time revolves around teaching and practicing phonics skills. We all know this is such a key time in students’ education as they learn to decode words and become fluent readers. But do you ever feel like your practice activities are getting a little… stale? Me too! That’s why I created engaging word search activities to make phonics practice fun and easy!

The Phonics Dilemma

This image shoes an example of a word search that can be used to practice phonics skills. The word search picture focuses on magic e words with the long a sound in them.

Tell me if you can relate to this… I have a super solid method for teaching new phonics skills in my small groups. I’ve got a tried and true method that works wonders and keeps my students engaged as we interact and work together. But when I send them off to practice in centers and other activities, I struggle to find resources that align with exactly what we’re working on. It seems there’s always at least one phonics skill or sound included in most games that my students haven’t been taught yet. And we all know that if kiddos are having a hard time decoding words, we’re going to see some serious frustration, right?

This has been my long-dreaded phonics dilemma. While I LOVE being able to closely interact with my students in small groups, we all know we can’t teach that way all day long. This meant I needed a fun way to practice that was completely customizable to what my students were working on. This would allow me to lean into independent learning and practice, which is a holy grail goal in the primary classroom! So what the heck is a teacher to do? Create a new resource of course! These Phonics Word Searches have completely changed the game for me when it comes to practicing phonics skills!

What Are Phonics Skills Word Searches?

This image shows an example of a word search that can be used to practice phonics skills in early elementary classrooms.

So what are these magic phonics activities anyway? These word searches are designed to help students practice specific, targeted skills and sounds. This means you will ONLY find words included that students can decode. Why is this important you ask? So many other worksheets and activities like this out there included a blend of sounds and skills that my kiddos weren’t ready for. I didn’t want to hand out worksheets that included skills that hadn’t already been explicitly taught. In other words, I needed practice pages that only included previously taught skills so that I could count on my kiddos being able to work through them independently.

These word searches do just that! The skills are built upon, so there’s mixed review already worked into the structure. These word searches allow you to completely control which words and sounds your students will be working on. This means you can differentiate these to each of your reading groups easily! As a first-grade teacher with a large class of varied skill levels, this is a must in my book!

Phonics Skills Word Searches in Action

So what does this look like in practice? So glad you asked! Let’s take a closer look at these worksheets and how they’re going to be a total game-changer for phonics skills practice in your room too! For example, let’s talk about long vowels. When I teach students this phonics skill, we focus on one spelling pattern at a time. I’m sure this is also how you teach it too! Then, after students have had a chance to work with a variety of spelling patterns for this skill, we might work on some mixed practice. The great thing about these Phonics Skills Word Searches for Long Vowels is that you can assign the exact skill you’ve already taught for practice. Inside the Long Vowel Set, you’ll find pages for:

These word searches focus on the magic e and vowel teams. Students will search for words that contain those spelling patterns.

9 CVCe Word Searches
12 R-Controlled Vowels Word Searches
15 Vowel Teams Word Searches
6 Mixed Long Vowel Word Searches

So if you’re working on CVCe words, but have only taught the spelling pattern a_e, you can choose a page with CVCe words that only target that specific pattern! Then, the next day you might move on to e_e. There’s a page for that too! You’ll work your way through all the Magic E spelling patterns and then find 3 pages of mixed practice to review each sound. This has been SO helpful to my students since we’re able to get super specific and only focus on words that I have already taught in depth.

Building on Phonics Skills with Word Searches

These pages were also designed to ensure that the words featured in each word search are built upon previously taught skills. For example, the word “cheese” would not be included in the Digraph CH word search because the students who are learning CH wouldn’t have been explicitly taught the other skills necessary to decode that word. No more worrying about tricky words hidden in these worksheets! I carefully crafted every page to build upon the last set. In turn, this produces way less frustration and helps to cultivate confident readers, which is my ultimate goal!

How to Use Word Searches to Practice Phonics Skills

So, how do I use these in my classroom? The options are truly endless for this resource! First and foremost, this resource was created to ensure that teachers save time! Each page clearly states the skill focused on at the top of the page. This means you can quickly identify the types of words that will be included on the page. This makes it easy to ensure your students are only working with phonics skills they can decode.

This photo shows 3 examples of phonics skills word searches. Each word search focuses on a different spelling pattern.

I like to hand these out right as we’re rotating in small groups. Students receive a page that is at their level, and it helps maintain privacy among the groups. Just select the appropriate page for each group and discreetly hand it off as students finish up in small groups with you. This way, no one is comparing assignments!

To use the pages, students will read the words in the word bank and find them in the word search. Then, they write the word under the correct picture. Finally, they can color the pictures if they choose. Since this activity has multiple steps, your kiddos won’t be rushing through! They’ll need to look closely and focus to be able to complete each page. Not to mention, these pages are engaging and easily hold their attention as they scour the page for the words!

In addition to centers, I also like to use these for extra practice opportunities. I choose pages that feature skills all of my students have been taught to include in homework packets, the fast finisher tub, and even as a morning work option. Often, the mixed practice pages come in handy for this. And don’t forget your sub tub too! Since these are no prep, you can just print and go!

Getting Started with Phonics Word Searches

In this image, a student is completing a phonics skills word search. On the worksheet, there is a word bank, a place for students to match words with corresponding pictures and a place to find the words in a word search puzzle.

Are you ready to try these out in your classroom with your students? I know that they will become such a valuable tool as you focus on different spelling patterns and skills throughout the year. I currently have Phonics Word Searches available for a few skills including:

Each set comes with no-prep pages for specific skills, as well as answer keys too! This will make grading super simple and easy to pass off to a parent volunteer or support staff. Best of all, you can find all 3 of these activities in the Phonics Word Search Bundle! This will make it simple and easy to assign phonics skills practice in your classroom every week. Your students will LOVE the engaging format! You’ll love how easy they are to use!