Unlocking Consonant Blends: Building Stronger Reading Skills

Consonant blends are combinations of two or more consonants where each letter’s sound can still be heard—like “bl,” “st,” “cr,” or “sp.” Teaching kids these blends helps them decode words more effectively and boosts their confidence in reading.

A good article on this topic covers what blends are, common types (initial blends, final blends, and even middle blends), and practical strategies for teaching them. For example, you might:

Introduce blends with familiar words (e.g. “blue,” “stop,” “clap”)

Use multisensory activities—like writing blends in sand trays, building with magnetic letters, or blending sounds aloud

Create practice worksheets where learners identify blends in words, fill in missing blends, or sort words by blend group

Gradually move from blending syllables to decoding full words with blends

From a content creation perspective, consonant blend worksheets are just the kind of foundational tool teachers and parents love. You can bundle them into phonics packs, incorporate them into digital flashcards, or pair them with audio to support learners of varying levels.

If you want to dive deeper and see example lists and worksheets, check out the full article here: https://worksheetzone.org/blog/consonant-blends

Community question: For creators of phonics or reading resources: which activities around consonant blends (sorting, fill-in-the-blank, multisensory, games) have you found most effective in helping learners internalize them?