Reading Letter X Words

As we continue our reading journey, we started reading two-syllable words. This week we get to continue working on reading two-syllable words but focus on the x sound with this fun letter x words printable activity.  This first grade phonics activity helps grade 1 students practice reading as they learn the letter sound x. Simply download pdf file with letter x printables and you are ready to play and learn!

Letter X Words

While we focused on simple CVC words that ended in x, we also practiced reading two-syllable closed words that have started with the closed syllable “ex”.  This fun, hands-on letter x activity is a great way for 1st grade students to learn letter x words while having fun. Children will read the x sound and match the in words and match them to the picture showing that letter x word. This is a fun phonics printable activity to help kids learn the tricky “ks” sound.

Whether you are a parent, teacher, or homeschooler – you will love this simple, low prep activity. Use it at home, a literacy center in your classroom, or as a supplement to your homeschool reading curriculum.

Letter X Printables

Start by scrolling to the bottom of the post, under the terms of use, and click on the text link that says >> Download <<. The pdf file will open in a new window for you to save the freebie and print the template.

X Sound

Prep work just requires a little cutting.

1. First, print off the puzzles on card stock.
2. Next, cut them out and you are ready to go.

Reading Two-Syllable Words

We are just now getting into reading two-syllable words, so we are constantly focusing on how to “break” them apart. One way I have taught her is to first look for the vowels. Then, if there are two consonants between those vowels, that is where we “break” the word apart.

Then the word becomes much easier!!

Textile becomes “tex” and the “tile”. We know that when a vowel has a consonant after it, it is closed. And we say a short vowel. She also knows the magic e rule, and so the silent e makes the “I” say its name.

Extract becomes “ex” (closed, so short vowel) and “tract” (also closed, so short vowel again).

It is amazing how our little ones can read these two-syllable words with this strategy.

Letter x activity

As we began to tackle the list of the words my little girl is supposed to read this week, I was surprised at their difficulty. Of course, there are cute words like fox and box, but also words like textile and extract. I knew she wouldn’t know what these words meant, so I decided to create the puzzles where she could begin to associate the picture with these harder words.

But before I could let her tackle the puzzles, we had to have a vocabulary lesson. And here are a few words you may want to preview with your child too.

• Explodes – What explodes?  That’s right, a volcano.
• Express – Trains that move really fast can be called express trains. Or remember the movie “The Polar Express”? It was about a train right? So for the word express, we are looking for a train.
• Textile – Textile is when the yarn is woven together to make cloth. Can you find a picture of the cloth?
• Extract – Do you see the vanilla cake? We use vanilla extract to make a vanilla cake. This is what vanilla extract may look like.
• Expect – Expect is what we think might happen. What do you expect is in the present under the tree?
• Tax – Tax is money we pay to the government.
• Complex – This means hard. Look at the hard math this little boy is doing!
• Extreme – When a sport is dangerous, we say it is extreme. Can you find a picture that shows an extreme sport?

Phonics Activity

These puzzles not only get our kiddos reading x words, but they get to learn some vocabulary words too.

Reading x words