Beginning Sounds Worksheets for Kindergarten

What this worksheet asks

This version is set to ten mixed questions. Odd and even questions alternate between two types: Which picture starts with this letter? and This picture starts with… (circle the letter). Working in both directions, from a sound to a letter and from a picture to a letter, is a good test of whether a child really knows the letter sounds.

Where this fits in school

In the US, the Common Core reading standards for kindergarten include isolating and pronouncing the first sound in simple words. In England, children in Reception work on letter sounds in daily phonics lessons and are expected to match sounds to letters by the end of the year. This worksheet practices the same skill with pictures, so it suits home practice, a literacy center or a quick check-up.

Three levels

• Easy and Medium use three pictures for each picture question and three letters for each letter question.
• Hard uses four pictures for the picture questions. For the letter questions, there are no choices, so your child writes the starting letter on their own.

Start with Medium. When your child gets nearly every question right, switch to Hard to move from recognizing a letter to writing it.

How to use it in class or at home

1. Print a sheet and sit beside your child for the first few questions.
2. Say each picture name out loud and stretch the first sound.
3. For letter writing on Hard, remind your child about the starting point and direction, or have the letter formation sheet nearby.
4. Check the work with the answer key together, and talk about any that were missed.

Next steps

When initial sounds are secure, move on to missing letters and CVC words, where children listen for sounds in the middle and at the end of words. For a gentler start, see beginning sounds for preschool.