How to Teach CCVC Words: A Guide for Parents and Teachers

If your child has mastered reading and spelling simple CVC words like cat, dog, and pen, you’re probably wondering what comes next.

That’s where CCVC words come in!

In this post, we’ll explain how to teach CCVC words.

Together, we will explore what CCVC words are, why they’re such an important next step in early literacy, and how you can teach them effectively at home or in the classroom.

Whether you’re a parent supporting your child’s reading journey, a homeschooler looking for hands-on ideas, or a teacher searching for practical CCVC resources, this guide will walk you through everything you need — from blending tips and word lists to fun, printable activities that make learning CCVCs simple and engaging.

What Are CCVC Words?

After children have mastered CVC words (like cat, dog, bed), they’re ready to take the next step — learning CCVC words.

CCVC stands for consonant-consonant-vowel-consonant, and examples include stop, frog, clap, plan, swim, and trap.

These short words are built with initial blends, where two consonant sounds are heard together at the start of the word (such as bl, fr, st, pl).

Teaching CCVCs helps children strengthen their phonemic awareness, blending skills, and confidence as they move toward more complex reading and spelling.

Why CCVC Words Matter in Early Reading

CCVC words are an important bridge between simple three-letter words and more advanced phonics patterns.

When children learn to blend two consonants together, they’re building skills that support:

Stronger decoding ability when reading new words.
Improved spelling through recognition of letter patterns.
Better listening and sound discrimination, especially for tricky blends.
Reading fluency and comprehension, since they can decode longer words more easily.

When to Start Teaching CCVC Words

Most children are ready for CCVC words after they can confidently read and spell CVC words.

If your learner can blend sounds smoothly in cat, dog, pen, and bug, it’s time to introduce CCVC words like frog, clap, or stop.

Look for signs of readiness such as:

Smooth blending without needing to segment every sound.
Recognising common letter sounds automatically.
Showing curiosity about longer words or blends.

How to Teach CCVC Words Step by Step

1. Introduce the Concept of Blends

Start by explaining that some words begin with two consonants that make two separate sounds, blended together.
For example:

f + r = fr (as in frog)
s + t = st (as in stop)

Use visual and auditory examples — say the blend slowly, exaggerate the two sounds, then blend them smoothly together.

2. Build with Manipulatives

Use magnetic letters, letter tiles, or printable blending mats (like those available at CVC at Home) to let children physically build CCVC words.

Hands-on learning helps make abstract sound blending concrete and engaging.

Encourage your child to:

Build a word like clip using letter cards.
Touch each letter while saying its sound.
Blend the sounds together smoothly.

3. Sort and Group CCVC Words by Blend

Sorting activities help children recognise patterns.

Create groups of words with the same beginning blend, such as:

bl-: black, block, blink
cr-: crab, crop, crib
st-: stop, step, stem

Use printable sorting cards from your CCVC resources or make your own with index cards and pictures.

4. Play Games for Practice

Keep learning playful and light! Try:

Blend Bingo: Call out blends and have children cover matching pictures.
CCVC Word Hunt: Hide cards around the room and have children find and read them aloud.
Spin and Read: Use a spinner to select the first two consonants, then combine them with vowels and ending consonants to make new CCVC words.

Play-based practice helps reinforce reading and spelling naturally.

5. Read CCVC Words in Context

Once children can blend CCVC words in isolation, it’s time to see them in short sentences or stories.
You can:

Read decodable books that include CCVC words.
Highlight CCVC words in familiar picture books.
Encourage children to write their own silly sentences using CCVC words.

For example:
“The frog can skip and clap!”

6. Review, Repeat, and Celebrate

Learning blends takes time! Keep reviewing familiar blends and introduce new ones gradually.

Provide opportunities for repeated exposure through games, printables, and real reading experiences.

Celebrate small wins — every new word a child can read independently builds their confidence and motivation to keep going.

Helpful Tools and Printables

If you’re looking for ready-made, hands-on materials to teach CCVC words, explore our printable resources at CVC at Home.

Our CCVC Word Activity Packs include:

Picture and word matching cards
Sorting mats for beginning blends
Word building printables
Sentence reading cards

All designed to make teaching fun, structured, and easy at home or in the classroom.

How to Teach CCVC Words

Teaching CCVC words is an exciting milestone in early literacy.

By combining phonics practice with playful, hands-on learning, parents, teachers, and homeschoolers can help children move confidently from CVC words to more complex reading.

Remember: patience, repetition, and play make all the difference!