CVC Onset and Rime Activities

This fun an puzzle activity has been created by a teacher and is a great addition to your phonics lessons. In this snowball puzzle, students will need to match onset and rime pieces of a snowball to form CVC words and match the onset and rime with pictures. When students master onset and rime, they can more easily recognise word patterns and make connections between similar words.

Using this puzzle will mean you are incorporating a tactile activity for students to do in small groups or individually into your phonics activity groups.

Different Ways to Use This Puzzle in the Classroom

• Group words into families by matching onsets with a common rime. For example, students can create word families like “cat,” “bat,” “sat,” and “mat” by changing the onset while keeping the rime consistent.
• Go on an onset and rime hunt – stick the pieces around the classroom, and have students go around and try and find the matching pieces to the puzzle.
• Give each student a piece of a puzzle and then get students to walk around the classroom to find their matching puzzle pieces. When they have made a snowball they can sit down and are the winners.
• Introduce a “Rime of the Day” where students focus on one specific rime and explore various onsets to form different words throughout the day.

By integrating the Snowball Puzzle Activity into phonics lessons, educators can provide young learners with a variety of engaging and effective ways to master CVC onsets and rimes. These activities not only enhance phonemic awareness but also make the process of learning to read and spell an enjoyable adventure.