Magic E Activities for Kindergarten
Learning how to read words with long vowels is an exciting milestone for kindergarteners! However, it can also be tricky skill for them to master. It’s important to have a wide variety of activities on hand to give students the repetition they need with this skill. That’s why I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite Magic E Activities for Kindergarten that young readers love!
Teaching Long Vowels in Kindergarten
As with any new reading skill, it takes a lot of repetition and practice for long vowels to click for young kindergarten students! They have already become familiar with reading CVC words with short vowels, so adding in long vowel sounds be tricky. Teaching students about the Magic E is a great place to start!
11 Kindergarten Magic E Activities
Students are always so excited to learn about the Magic E! They love to see how the addition of one letter can change the vowel sound from short to long. Here are some of my favorite activities that can help students master Magic E words, from identifying long vowels to reading CVCe words in simple sentences.
1. Long Vowel Picture Sort
One of the first steps in learning about the Magic E is to listen for and identify long vowel sounds. You can use these pocket chart labels and picture cards to help students isolate and identify the long vowel sound in each word. This pocket chart can also be used as a helpful anchor chart that you can keep on display while students are learning about Magic E.
2. Cut and Paste Vowel Sort
After practicing long vowel sounds as a group, students can complete this cut and paste vowel sort. Students will identify a picture and decide if the vowel is long or short. They will then paste the picture in the correct column on the paper. This is a great activity for literacy centers, morning work, or homework!
3. What’s My Word?
Once students have a good understanding of long vowel sounds, it’s time to show them how the Magic E can change a short vowel to a long vowel! After demonstrating this on the board, students can then work on this printable activity. They will identify the short vowel word, then add an e and figure out what long vowel word they’ve created. They can then cut and paste the correct picture next to the new word.
4. Build and Write
Students can continue to explore the Magic E pattern with this word building activity. The Magic E is included for each word, so students just need to add the remaining letter tiles to finish the word spelling.
5. Linking Onset and Rime
Hands-on center activities can also help students practice reading words with the CVCe pattern. This linking activity helps students identify the onset and rime for a variety of long vowel words. Connecting the cards with links is also great fine motor practice!
6. Cut, Glue, and Write
Once students have had a chance to practice identifying onset and rime, this printable activity can provide some additional review. Students will cut out the pieces for the activity and then build words based on the correct onset and rime to match each picture.
7. Tap, Build, and Write
These task cards are another great option for students who are ready to build words with the CVCe pattern. Students will identify the picture on a task card and tap the sounds they hear as they say the word. Then, they will use letter tiles to build the word, including the Magic E! Once they have built the word, they can write it on the line.
8. Sound It Out!
After practicing word building with the task cards, students can also practice sounding out and spelling long vowel words with this printable activity. There is space for them to tap the sounds of each word and then write it on the line.
9. Pop! Game
This game is always a favorite for students! If you have used the CVC version of this game before, it will be easy for students to play the CVCe version after learning about the Magic E. Students will take turns drawing a letter card and looking for a spot where it belongs on their game mat. They are always excited to see which word they can spell first!
10. Read and Match
After exploring, building, and reading long vowel words with the CVCe pattern, it’s time to practice reading them within sentences. This read and match activity is a great place to start! Students will read sentences and then find the matching picture to glue onto the page.
11. Build a Sentence
This sentence activity can help students practice writing and reading long vowel words. They can use the word bank at the top of the worksheet to fill in the blanks on the page. There is also a space where students can track their repeated readings. Each time students read through the sentences, they can color in a star at the bottom of the page. This is great long vowel fluency practice!
I hope that these activity ideas have given you some inspiration for how to help students practice CVCe words! By using a variety of activities, you can keep your kindergarteners engaged and on track with reading practice.
Printable Magic E Activities for Kindergarten
All of the activities featured in this post are included in one easy-to-download set of Magic E Activities for Kindergarten. These engaging games and printables can give your students the repetition they need to master the sneaky silent e! If you’d like to take a closer look at everything included in this resource, just click below to find it in my shop.
Magic e Worksheets Games Centers and Activities
Save These Kindergarten CVCe Activities
Be sure to save this post so you can come back to it later! Just add the pin below to your favorite board of kindergarten ideas on Pinterest. You’ll be able to quickly find these activities when you’re working on your long vowel lesson plans.
