Looking for printable worksheets for third graders that are both meaningful and fun? You’re in the right place. By third grade, students are building on foundational phonics skills and moving into more complex patterns—but that doesn’t mean the learning has to be boring.
Read on for fun worksheets for third graders that are perfect for reinforcing phonics for third graders through hands-on, low-prep activities. These aren’t just busywork—they’re engaging, skill-based tools that help students grow in confidence and independence. And the best part? You can grab a couple of my favorite resources as free printable worksheets at the end of this post.
Why Phonics Still Matters in Third Grade
While many students have mastered basic decoding by third grade, phonics instruction still plays a crucial role. Third graders are tackling multisyllabic words, prefixes and suffixes, and spelling patterns that often break the “rules.” Continuing with targeted phonics worksheets helps solidify their understanding and supports reading fluency and accurate spelling.
If you’ve ever had students struggle with words like around, mermaid, or knock, chances are they need more time with those tricky patterns—and that’s where a good worksheet for third graders can make all the difference.
Not All Worksheets Are Equal
Not all worksheets for third graders are created equal. The best ones combine review, skill practice, and opportunities for application.
To help you get started, I’m sharing two of my favorite phonics activities as free printable worksheets:
Word Bump – A Reading Game Students Love
Looking to make phonics review feel like playtime? Try Word Bump! This reading game comes in a variety of phonics patterns including beginning sounds, short vowel sounds, CVC words, blends, digraphs, and more. Students roll a die, read a word, and try to bump their partner off the board. It’s a fun way to practice decoding without relying on traditional worksheets.
Read more about why Word Bump is the game students beg to play in this blog post. Or subscribe to my blog and head to the Freebie Library to try it yourself!
Printable ELA Choice Boards for Literacy Centers
For a flexible, structured way to support second-grade literacy, I highly recommend my ELA choice boards. These printable boards are designed to help students practice reading, spelling, and writing in fun and independent ways. Two of the most popular are the Reading Choice Board and Reading Response Choice Board, which include options like reading in a silly voice, summarizing a book, or designing a new book cover. The best part? Students can choose their path, promoting motivation and differentiation in any classroom.
Learn more about how choice boards build engagement and independence in this blog post.
Roll and Cover – Perfect for Spelling and Sound Discrimination
Another classroom favorite is my Roll and Cover Phonics Game, which reinforces phonics and auditory discrimination skills. Students roll a die, find a matching sound or spelling pattern, and cover it. It’s simple to differentiate—have students spell out the whole word or focus on the pattern.
Subscribe to my blog and head to the Freebie Library to try it yourself! Or learn more about how it helps with tricky sounds in my post auditory discrimination made easy.
Make Phonics Practice Work for You
These printable worksheets for third graders are more than just paper—they’re part of a bigger picture that supports structured literacy and the Science of Reading. When students have the opportunity to revisit and apply phonics patterns in meaningful ways, it strengthens their decoding and spelling over time.
Whether you’re working with students who need review or just looking for a fun way to keep phonics fresh, these activities are an easy, effective option. And with the added bonus of being no prep, they’ll save you time, too.
Explore My TPT Store
Looking for more tools to support phonics for third graders? Visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store, Primed for Primary, for no-prep phonics games, differentiated word sorts, and printable worksheets for third graders that make learning engaging and effective.
Subscribe to my blog today and gain access to my free resource library and receive helpful tips, updates, and resource announcements—all tailored to support your structured literacy classroom!
