AN Word Family Worksheets: Free & Instant Download!

Looking for some AN word family worksheets for your budding young readers?

I have got everything you need to fill up your week!

Each of the printable activities was carefully designed to help your child confidently master the AN word family.

Whether you need them for review with a struggling first grader, extra practice for younger students, or as a first-time introduction to the AN word family, these cvc word family worksheets are going to deliver lots of fun and learning!

Why The Concept of Word Families Is Magic For Kids

Using the concept of word families is such a fun way to teach young children new words!

It can seem like magic to them as they learn to blend two or three letters together – and suddenly they can read large groups of words!

They will go from being overwhelmed with the slow process of sounding out every letter…to being able to recognize small groups of letters that have known sounds.

All they have to do is blend in the first letter sound and they can read the word!

This not only helps to build their confidence – it sharpens their phonemic awareness for future reading skills.

More Simple Word Families For Your Student

Most new readers start with AM words or AT words. Maybe they learn a few more word families before diving into deeper phonics concepts.

It can be really helpful though to spend time on all the word families to build fluency. 

Below is a list of simple word families you may not have considered yet and just a few simple words your student will learn:

• AM Word Family: jam, ham, sam, ram, pam, yam
• AT Word Family: rat, sat, mat, cat, fat, hat,
• AG Word Family: bag, rag, tag, wag, zag, nag
• ELL Word Family: sell, bell, fell, well, tell, yell
• OCK Word Family: rock, sock, dock, lock
• ED Word Family: red, fed, bed, wed, led, Ted
• UG Word Family: bug, lug, hug, rug, pug, dug, jug, tug
• EN Word Family: den, hen, men, ten, pen,
• AD Words: bad, had, lad, sad, mad, dad, fad, pad

Once your students can add on an initial blend (st, fl, ch, bl, gl, etc.), the word lists will get even longer!

****These simple word families are also a great way to introduce rhyming words. Consider making some word family flip books for your child to practice hearing those final rhyming sounds.

A Quick Tip for Students Struggling With Letter Sounds

26 letters is a lot to learn!

Students in the younger levels will inevitably blank out on the right letter sound and become embarrassed.

I have personally had great success with showing my kids the movie “Leap Frog Letter Factory.”

I believe it’s free on several streaming services, but I used to play the DVD in the car while we drove places. The super catchy song helped my kids to really nail down consonant sounds and vowel sounds.

If they forget a sound, I prompt them by singing, “The {letter name} says…” and they immediately remember the sound from the song. 

How To Use And Download Your Free AN Word Family Printables

Below you will see the 5 AN word family materials I’ve put together and notes for each one.

When you scroll to the bottom of the post, you will see a link that will take you directly to an instant download pdf file of the worksheets. 

Term of Use: Please only use in the homeschool, classroom, co-op, or individual family setting. Thank you!

Every child loves to grab scissors and a glue stick, so I think this printable is a perfect first AN word family activity!

The picture clues will help them to quickly decode the words and have fun, instead of frustration with reading.

Now it’s time to grab the crayon boxes!

This sheet is a little more challenging, as there are several images to pick from – and not all of them are AN words. It will help you see if the child is grasping the concept, or if they are rushing and just guessing at sounds.

How about the box of washable markers this time?!

This is fun sheet that will build your litter learner’s confidence! Have your student color the corresponding pictures that match the AN words. 

Put an X on the picture that doesn’t match.

****I have recently fallen in love with erasable colored pencils for this age. They can still color, but if they make a mistake, they can erase it and start over. Not so much with crayons or markers.

Now it’s time to practice those handwriting skills!

This activity is the next step in mastering the AN word family. Your child will have to read the word, write it, and then color the matching picture.

Encourage your student to say each sound as they write the word to make sure they read it correctly.

****This copy work is also a gentle first introduction to spelling!

Have your student use the word bank for one last AN word family activity. 

And then congratulate them on a solid week of reading!

Click Here To Download Your AN Word Family Worksheet Packet

I know your young learners are going to love these simple free printables! I hope you both have fun and enjoy the early process of reading.

Being able to quickly recognize three letter CVC words by the end of kindergarten will help them to be ready for the heavier work they have ahead as first grade students. 

Above all, put your strongest efforts into encouraging and building up your student. Reading can be a real challenge, but they will go miles on just few a thoughtful words from you.

I can’t believe you’re reading!

Look how hard you worked on this!

Listening to you read makes my day!

I love that you didn’t give up. 

Enjoy the ride!

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