If your students can read CVC words but suddenly stall when they see blend, skip, or truck, you’re likely facing the next big step in decoding: learning blends. Blends—two or more consonants that appear together but retain their individual sounds—can be tricky for students to hear, decode, and spell without direct instruction and lots of practice.
In this post, I’ll share practical strategies and engaging resources that make teaching blends more effective (and less frustrating). Whether you’re introducing initial blends, final blends, or tackling digraphs and blends side by side, these tools are classroom-tested and aligned with the Science of Reading.
What Are Blends—and Why Do Students Struggle?
Blends are consonant combinations like bl, st, cr, and mp where each letter’s sound is still heard. Unlike digraphs, which make one new sound (like sh or th), blends require students to hold onto two distinct phonemes.
This makes them particularly tricky for students who are still developing phonemic awareness. Blends often appear in more complex words and syllable types, so if a student is struggling with multisyllabic words or tripping over word endings, blends may be the underlying issue.
If you’re working on differentiating blends from digraphs, you’ll also want to read Fun Ways to Teach TH, V and F Sounds – Auditory Discrimination Made Easy. It’s a great companion for any unit on digraphs and blends, especially for helping students with sound confusion.
Best Practices for Teaching Blends
To support students in learning blends, keep your instruction clear, consistent, and multisensory. Here’s what works well:
- Start with oral blending activities that help students hear each sound
- Use visual cues and mouth modeling to demonstrate the articulation of each consonant
- Sort blends by position (initial vs. final) to help students notice patterns
- Provide repeated decoding and encoding practice using the same set of words in multiple formats
This is the approach I follow in 6 Simple Strategies for Teaching Phonics That Actually Work, which outlines how to structure your phonics instruction to build confidence and fluency.
Classroom-Ready Resources for Learning Blends
To make planning easier and learning more engaging, I’ve created a variety of resources specifically focused on blends—and how they fit within broader digraphs and blends instruction.
My Word Sorts Bundle includes targeted sorts for beginning and ending blends. These sorts help students categorize words by sound and spelling patterns, building both decoding and spelling fluency. They’re perfect for whole-group introduction or independent practice in literacy centers.
For a more playful approach, try my Phonics Game Boards. Each board focuses on a specific skill, including blends, and provides meaningful repetition through reading and rereading. Students love them—and they require zero prep.
Looking for something even more interactive? Word Bump is a favorite in my classroom. It offers partner-based practice with targeted word lists and built-in motivation through friendly competition. This game works especially well during independent center time or as a fast finisher option.
To see how word bump fits into a literacy center rotation, visit Say Hello to Word Bump: The Phonics Game Students Love.
Supporting Blends Over Time
Blends aren’t mastered in a single week—they show up across reading levels and word structures. To make sure your instruction has lasting impact:
- Spiral review blends throughout your word work
- Integrate blends into writing and spelling practice
- Use activities like my phonics resources to provide ongoing fluency support without needing to reteach instructions
When students see the same patterns across games, sorts, and routines, they begin to generalize what they’ve learned—and apply it in new reading contexts. That’s what makes learning blends stick.
Explore My TPT Store
Visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store, Primed for Primary, to find phonics game boards, word sorts, and interactive games designed to help students master consonant blends with confidence.
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