Free worksheets · Grade 1
Change the First Sound Worksheet
Swap the first sound of each word for a new one and write the new word.
Free printable
Change the First Sound
8 questions, one page, US Letter. Print it and do it on paper.
On the sheet: Say the word. Change its first sound and say the new word. Write the new word.
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About this worksheet
In this word play, a child says a word, takes off its first sound, and puts a new one on: cat with /h/ becomes hat.
Changing one sound while keeping the rest shows that words are built from separate sounds. That is the skill behind sounding out and spelling new words.
A worked example
cat → /h/ → ______
- Say cat: /k/ /a/ /t/.
- Take off the first sound, /k/. What's left is /at/.
- Put /h/ in front: /h/ /at/.
- Blend it and write it: hat.
Answer: hat
The common mistake
What it looks like: Adding the new sound to the front instead of swapping it, so cat with /h/ becomes hcat.
Why it happens: The whole old word is still in the child's head, so they keep its first sound.
How to fix it: Say the word without its first sound before adding the new one: "cat without /k/ is at. Now put /h/ on: hat."
Ten minutes a day, on paper. We plan what comes next.
A printed page and a pencil. No screen, no login for your child. Snap a photo when they’re done: AI scores it, and what they missed comes back on the sheets that follow.
- Mon Change the First Sound
- Tue What they missed, back again
- Wed The next step, when they’re ready
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