Beginning Sounds Worksheets

What are beginning sounds worksheets?

Beginning sounds, also called initial sounds, are the first sounds we hear at the start of a word. Hearing that ball starts with /b/ is one of the first steps in phonics, because it links spoken sounds to written letters. This generator makes picture-based worksheets: your child looks at a picture, says the word and decides which letter it starts with.

Three ways to practise

• Pick the picture asks, “Which picture starts with the letter B?” and gives three or four pictures to choose from.
• Pick the letter shows one picture and asks which letter it starts with. On the hard level your child writes the letter instead of circling it.
• Matching shows a column of letters and a column of pictures, and your child draws a line from each letter to its picture.

Choose Mixed to alternate between the first two types on one page.

How to use the generator

1. Tap the letters you want to practise. All 26 are selected to begin with; press Clear and pick a few for focused practice.
2. Choose an activity and a level. Easy and medium use three choices; hard uses four, or asks your child to write the letter.
3. Press Generate new worksheet for a fresh set of questions, then print or save as PDF.
4. Turn on the answer key to add a separate page for the teacher. Use Print answer key to print that page on its own.

Good to know

The pictures are original simple drawings, and the words are chosen to start with a clear sound. A few letters are tricky in English: xylophone begins with the letter X but the sound /z/, and quilt begins with /kw/. Use those letters with a teacher’s help. The tool never shows C and K together as wrong answers, because they can share a sound.

Tips

Say each picture name aloud and stretch the first sound. Keep word labels on for early learners and switch them off once children can name the pictures themselves. Short, frequent practice with a few letters beats a long sheet of all 26.