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Summer practice before 1st grade

Children can lose some of their reading and writing over a long summer break. Two short worksheets a week keep the main kindergarten skills fresh, so 1st grade starts with a review instead of catching up.

For: Parents of children finishing kindergarten

The whole pack as one PDF

A cover page with the plan, then 16 worksheets in order (17 pages). Free, no sign-up.

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Free, no sign-up. US Letter size. Download A4 instead · Open to print

Summer practice before 1st grade: free printable worksheet packSave to Pinterest

Why it happens

  • Skills that are not used for 10 weeks fade, especially new ones like blending and sight words.
  • A little practice spread out keeps skills fresh better than a lot right before school.

What helps

  • Two sheets a week, 10 minutes each, on fixed days.
  • Read together every day as well: that matters even more than worksheets.
  • Let your child choose the order within the week.

The planstep by step.

  1. 1Weeks 1–2: CVC words

    Short vowels and word families.

    CVC Words Read and Match: Mixed VowelsKindergartenMissing Vowel CVC Worksheet: All short vowels 1Kindergarten – Grade 1-OG Word Family WorksheetKindergarten – Grade 1Roll and Read: Mixed CVC wordsKindergarten – Grade 1

  2. 2Weeks 3–4: sight words

    Review the most common sight words.

    Roll and Read: Pre-primer sight wordsPre-K – KindergartenRoll and Read: Primer sight wordsPre-K – KindergartenSight Word “said” Worksheet (Pre-primer)Pre-K and early kindergartenSight Word “was” Worksheet (Primer)Kindergarten

  3. 3Weeks 5–6: digraphs and spelling

    sh, ch and th, and the first spelling list.

    SH, CH and TH Digraph WorksheetKindergarten – Grade 1Word Sort Cut and Paste: sh, ch and thKindergarten – Grade 1Spelling List 1: Short a words (Look, Cover, Write)Grade 1Spelling List 1 Word Scramble: Short a wordsGrade 1

  4. 4Weeks 7–8: sentences and stories

    A story to read and sentences to write.

    Decodable Story: Dog on a Log (short o)Kindergarten – Grade 1Sentence Scramble Cut and Paste Worksheet 3Kindergarten – Grade 1Sentence Starters Worksheet: My weekendKindergarten – Grade 1Picture Writing Prompt: At the beachKindergarten – Grade 1

Questions

Questions about summer practice before 1st grade

Still have questions? Visit our Help Center or get in touch.

How much should my child practise in summer?
Short and regular is best: 10 minutes a few times a week, plus reading together. Summer should still feel like a break.

Related packs

Knows the sounds but can’t blend them into words12 worksheets · free PDFCan trace, but won’t write on their own10 worksheets · free PDF

The LetterSchool app

Between worksheets: practise in the app

The same letter shapes as this sheet, with instant feedback on every line, animations and stars. Children play, and learn the right formation.

Try the app for freeHow it works