Consonant clusters, or trigraphs, are three letters that combine to create the same sound. You can find them in words like sprint, strong, and even the word through. These free Consonant Clusters Spelling Mats are a fun way for first grade and 2nd grade kids to practice spelling consonant blends.

Consonant Clusters Spelling Mats

The first time a child sees a cluster, they may be tempted to sound out each letter, making the word sound strange or unrecognizable to them. Helping our children recognize these consonant clusters will help them with reading skills, and these Consonant Clusters Spelling Mats give them a fun way to practice.

What do you get?

This freebie contains 8 pages of spelling mats. Each mat has a picture of a consonant cluster word, three blank circles for the child to fill in with the consonant cluster, and the ending of the word spelled out.

Prep Work

I love easy prep activities, and this is one of them.

1. Begin collecting bottle caps. We personally don’t use them, but family members do. I asked them to start putting them aside for us, and before long we had plenty of caps. You can also use magnetic letters if that works better for you.
2. Write letters on the top of your bottle caps. If you have enough bottle caps to write each letter twice, your child will have all the letters they need to complete the spelling cards. You will need…
   • spl – s, p, l
   • scr – s, c, r
   • shr – s, h, r
   • spr – s, p, r
   • squ – s, q, u
   • str – s, t, r
   • thr – t, h, r
3. Print and cut out the spelling mats. For added durability, print on cardstock and laminate.

Working on Consonant Clusters

If you child is new to consonant clusters, you may want to start out with some interactive notebooks and games. This will give them a chance to learn what each trigraph, or consonant clusters is, how to say them, and how to spell to them.

Now it is time to practice with the spelling mats.

Depending on the level and attention span of your child or students, here are a few options.

1. Give out all the spelling mats and bottle caps and let the student solve them all at once.
2. Choose two or three consonant clusters to work on, and give the students all the bottle caps.
3. You could do the same as step two, but only give out the bottle caps that will work with the spelling mats you provided.
4. Only give the student one consonant cluster at a time and provide just a few bottle caps. Maybe throw in one letter that they won’t use.

Children will see consonant clusters throughout their reading, and it is important for their reading skills that they know the sounds of each one. These fun spelling mats will get your little ones on there way to mastering them.

 

Digraph and Blends

As children progress in phonics they work on digraphs and blends. Digraphs are two consonants that make one sound such as /TH/ sys thumb. Consonant blends have two constonants that each still make their own sound such as . If you are looking for more blends for kids games, worksheets, and activities? Check out these resoures or see all our digraph activities or consonant activities.

• Spring Digraph Activity Puzzles
• Printable Digraph Game for working on sh, ch, th words
• Ice Cream Puzzles Digraph Game for summer learning
• Build-a-Digraph Puzzle – Digraph Activity
• Digraph BINGO Game

Mastered digraphs? Move on to trigraphs for kids! These words are 3 constonants that make one sound such at

• Trigraph Printables – color and read trigraphs
• Printable Trigraph Readers – set #2
• Trigraph Workhseets – cut and paste to learn trigraph words
• Bingo Dauber Trigraph Worksheets make learning fun
• THR Word Activity with playdough!
• Trigraph Phonics Blending Games

Consonant blends activities

Other Literacy Activities you may enjoy:

• Free Ending Blends Worksheets
• Spring Bee Initial Blends Game
• Consonant Blends Games (puzzles in color or black & white)
• Blue Bird Initial Blends Activity
• Read and Color Free Blends Worksheets
• Dab a Blend – Ending Blends Worksheets in First Grade
• Final Blends Game
• Hands-on L Blend Worksheets
• Graph a Blends Activity
• Final Consonant Blends Worksheets with do a dot markers
• Mitten Initial Blend Puzzles – Winter activities for first grade
• Ending S Blends Activity
• L Blends Fun Pack, TH Blends Fun Pack,  or R Blends Fun Pack
• Leaf Puzzle Blends – fall activities for first grade
• Th Worksheets – reading the words in sentences
• Color by Blend Worksheet
• Clip Card Consonant Blends Activities
• Find and Dot Ending Blends Activities
• Reading phonics blends

Download Consonant Clusters Spelling Mats

Before you download your free pack you agree to the following:

• This set is for personal and classroom use only.
• This printable set may not be sold, hosted, reproduced, or stored on any other website or electronic retrieval system.
• Graphics Purchased and used with permission
• All downloadable material provided on this blog is copyright protected.

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