Learning to read and spell can be quite a challenge…especially when there are numerous ways to make the same sound. Today we are tackling r-controlled vowels with a fun, free printable bossy r worksheet for kindergarten and first grade students to cut and paste! This r controlled activity is a simple, fun way for kids to learn about the er sound using no prep er phonics worksheets. Simply print phonics worksheets and you are ready to play and learn! 
r Controlled vowel activity
This is a no-prep bossy r worksheets activity. Don’t you love those! Just print off the pages, gather up some scissors and glue, and you are good to go! This controlled r vowel activities are perfect for kindergartners and grade 1 students as they work on improving phonics skills. Using tools like these bossy r worksheets are great for improving spelling and reading skills!
Bossy r worksheet
Start by scrolling to the bottom of the post, under the terms of use, and click on the text link that says >>_____<<. The bossy r worksheets pdf file will open in a new window for you to save your freebie. 
Bossy R
R-controlled vowels are vowels that are followed by an r. And that bossy r then changes the vowel sound. It controls the vowel.
There are three main sounds you hear with r-controlled vowels.
The first is the “ar” sound. You hear that sound in words like car and shark.
The next one is the “or” sound. I like this one because it makes a word that many kids recognize, or. And, for once, it actually makes that sound in bigger words. You can find it in words like fork and sort.
And that brings us to the final sound. But if you notice we have three vowels left. Yep! Three vowels + an r all make the same sound. 
er Sound
The “er” sound as I’ll call it, is made by three vowels next to an r.
The one that is used with the most frequency is the “e” and the “r”. You will also find it at the end of a comparative adjective, slower. It can also be found at the end of a noun to show a job, such as a painter. And if you have a two-syllable word, the “er” will be used.
That is the easy one. The other two, “ir” and “ur” really don’t have any rules.
You see the “ir” in words like shirt, skirt, dirt, and bird.
And the “ur” in words like curve, curl, church, and nurse.
But since there aren’t any rules, children need lots of exposers to the words that make the “er” sound. And that is what this worksheet is about.
Teaching r controlled vowels
These worksheets get children reading words that make the “er” sound, and then finding the picture that represents them.
- First, have your child cut out the words…..great fine motor skills.
- Next, have them read the words. It may be helpful to point out how the “er” sound it made.
- Then find the picture that matches that word.
- Finally, glue the word on top of the picture.
That’s it. This simple activity gets your little ones reading “er” words, and beginning to notice when “er”, “ir” and “ur” are used.
R Controlled Vowel Practice
- Start by grabbing this R Controlled Syllable Word Lists
- Car Bump ar Phonics Games
- er Phonics Printable Game
- 5-in-a-Row /ir/ R Controlled Vowels Games
- Snowman R-Controlled Vowel Syllable
- Tic-tac-toe /or/ R Controlled Vowel Games
- R Controlled Vowels Worksheets (freebie)
- Flower R-Controlled Vowel Activity
- Cut-and-paste R Controlled Vowels Worksheets
- Doctor R controlled vowel sort where or sound words say /er/
- air sound phonics word clip cards
- Or see all our r controlled vowel activities here!
1st Grade
If you have a 1st grader and you are looking for more fun, hands on 1st grade Worksheets, games and activities to make learning fun – you will love these resources!
- 100 Free 1st grade reading books pdf free , Chapter Books for 1st Graders, free Printable 1st Grade Book Report
- Kid favorite Cut and Paste Worksheets for a variety of subjects, Sight Words Printable List, First Grade Word Search, and alphabet order worksheets
- Phonics Dab the th worksheets, sh, ch, th word Digraph Games, Ending Blends Worksheets with do a dot markers
- 1st Grade Reading Games – Reading the Easy Way 1st Grade
- Fun Counting Coins Games, Over 500 pages of Kindergarten Writing Prompts Free
- Sentence Scramble Worksheets, Princess Color by Sight Word Worksheets
- Time Puzzles, Gumball Math Worksheets, and Crack the Code Worksheets for practicing math
- Bingo Shapes Game, Color the Coin Money Coloring Pages, Addition and Subtraction Math Mystery
- Long u words worksheets
- Number Bonds to 20 Worksheets, printable number bonds games, or Number Bonds Worksheets to 100
- Printable Addition Tic-Tac-Toe Game, Free Hundreds Tens and Ones Worksheets
- Free printable 1st grade math worksheets, Solar System Worksheets Pack
- Life-size Human Body Project with free printable template plus TONS of fun Human Body for Kids activities, experiments, and free printables too!
- EASY Lemon Battery Experiment, Mind-blowing Magnetic Slime, and Magnet experiments for Kids
- Balloon Solid, liquid, gas hands-on activities, oreo Phases of the Moon for Kids worksheets & activities
- Weather Unit with worksheets and projects, Learn planets in Solar System for Kids plus tons of Solar System Project Ideas, Learn about Animal Classifications for Kids with cootie catchers
- HUGE Ocean Animals for Kids Unit, Dive into plants for kids lessons
- Learn about LOTS of life cycles for kids (panda, spider, watermelon, bee, sunflower, spider, and more!)
- Free Scientific Method Worksheets, Printable USA Presidents Coloring Pages, Cute, Free Printable State Coloring Pages
- Free Printable States and Capitals Matching Game, Free Presidents Worksheets, US States I Spy Worksheets
- Help kids understand where do I live and learn about American symbols with these Patriotic American Symbols for Kids
- Learn about USA for Kids, American Symbols Worksheets, and explore American History for kids
er Phonics Worksheets
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