Phonics is one of the most important building blocks in early reading instruction! And, you don’t need anything fancy or expensive for good phonics lessons. In my classroom, the best phonics routines are simple, consistent, and easy to prep.
Here are five of my faves that I use for phonics lessons and activities.
1. Whiteboard Dictation Work
Nothing beats fast, focused dictation. We have student whiteboards that we use, but you could also use notebooks or papers in page protectors.
I say a word. Students repeat the word and tap the sounds. Then, they write it. As they write, I can check who understands and who needs some assistance. Then, I write it on my big whiteboard and students check their work. We also do sentences during our dictation time.
This quick routine builds phonemic awareness, spelling, and decoding all at once. It’s active, engaging, and gives me instant feedback. We use whiteboards daily during whole group lessons. They’re also perfect for small group lessons.
🎉🎉 I have a few “fun” activities we do with our whiteboards after our phonics lesson, too!
- I set the timer for 3 minutes and students can write messages to me. They can ask me questions or make a comment. I tell them if I can’t read it or understand it, they will need to fix it for me before I will respond. They LOVE this activity.
- We also do an alphabet challenge. For this one, I set the timer for 2 minutes, but they aren’t to speed through the alphabet. They must be sure letters are formed correctly and they are in the correct order. They write the alphabet, capital and lowercase. (Aa Bb Cc, etc.) When the timer goes off, they check their work and see if they made it farther than last time!
2. Word Hunt
This works so well because students are applying their phonics knowledge in meaningful, real-world contexts. Plus, they LOVE to move. All it takes is a sticky note, a pencil, and a room rich with print!
I send students on a word hunt around the room to find words that match our focus skill. They might search for:
- short a words
- words with digraphs like sh or ch
- CVCe words
- words with inflectional endings
I set the timer for 3 or 4 minutes. Students record what they find on their sticky note. Then, we meet at our meeting spot. I call a few volunteers to tell me the word they found and to ‘sort’ it for me. I write it on the board in the correct column. I do this one whole group, about once every few weeks.
Moving around + phonics skills practice = WIN
3. Highlight Focus Words
Give students a short passage and a highlighter (although, we generally use light-colored crayons), and suddenly they’re on a mission. It’s a perfect pre-reading activity to get students to focus on the skill before tackling the passage. I generally do this in my small reading groups.
They read and highlight words that match our phonics focus.
For example, students may be highlighting…
- CVCe words
- digraphs
- inflectional endings
This activity strengthens pattern recognition of the focus skill. After they have had time to go through the whole passage, students share the words that they found. This is a good time to discuss any “rule breaker”/irreulgar words, too.
After that, students begin their first read of the passage.
4. Magnetic Letters
Kids LOVE magnetic letter activities. I have 5 little boards with alphabet tiles and a space to make words at the bottom. This is one that I do in my small reading groups.
I say the word. Students repeat the word and tap it out. Then, they build the word with magnetic letters and read it. This is a fun one because it’s easy to work on segmenting, blending, deleting, substituting, isolating and more!
I love watching the confidence and automaticity bloom here! These are from Really Good Stuff.
5. Focused Phonics Worksheets
Independent practice is also important for young readers, so we use focused phonics worksheets during our small group work time.
I love using phonics worksheets that target our focus skill. It’s a fun time for my little readers to show off their skills as they trace, read, and write and I can see if they understand our skill on their own.
The key is keeping the focus clear and intentional. When students know exactly what sound or pattern they’re working with, it makes their practice much more meaningful. When we are finished with the worksheet, their “homework” is to take it home and read it to someone!
➡️ Want Ready-to-Use Practice?
If you’re looking for low-prep, skill-focused phonics practice you can grab right now and use tomorrow, my Trace, Read, Write Focused Phonics Worksheets are designed exactly for that.
Each set targets one specific skill (CVC words, blends, digraphs, CVCe), so your students get clear, intentional practice without overwhelm. They’re perfect for:
- independent work
- small groups
- intervention
- morning work
- phonics centers
- at-home practice
You can grab the skills you need OR get the growing bundle. Click the image to get started today!
Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Teaching! 🍎🍏
Jennifer ~ Practical Primary Teacher
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