Blend ladder maker

Two sounds on every rung

Print blend ladders for the very first step of blending: two sounds. Each ladder has one consonant and the five short vowels, one on each rung: sa, se, si, so, su. Your child climbs the ladder, pushing the two sounds together on every rung.

Pick a design

Now: . Hundreds of designs to choose from.

Choose each part yourself

To keep a copy, choose “Save as PDF” as the printer. What you type stays on your device: it is not sent to us and not saved.

Your worksheet:

How to make your worksheet

  1. Type the consonants you want, up to twelve.
  2. Choose consonant first (sa) or vowel first (as).
  3. Print. There are four ladders on a page.
  4. Start at the bottom and climb to the top.

The reading skill

Before a child can blend three sounds, two is enough to learn the trick: say the first sound and slide into the next without stopping. The rungs are word parts, not words.

Letters that are left out

c and g get only a, o and u, because before e and i they often say another sound. q and x are left out, and so is r after a vowel, because ar, or and ur do not say the short vowel.

What comes next

Add a last letter to a rung to make a word: sa, sat. The blending cards do that step.

Good questions

Should my child read the rungs as words?

No. They are the first two sounds of a word, said together. Keep the vowel short.

Can I mix up the vowels?

Yes. Turn on “Mix up the order of the vowels”.

Can I print in black and white?

Yes. Choose “Black and white” under “Print in”. Every picture becomes a line drawing your child can color in.

Is it free?

Yes, with no sign-up and no limit.

Make another kind of sheet

More than worksheets

Does this sound like your child?

“Knows the sounds, but cannot put them together into a word”

From Sounds to Words is a full 10-day plan, with a short video that shows you every step. The goal: on day 10 your child reads words they have never seen before. It is the goal, not a promise.

  • 21 printable pages, one short day at a time
  • 11 short videos that show you each day before you do it
  • 6 sound tracks your child works with, while you stay nearby
  • A check on day 1 and day 10, and a report
  • About five minutes a day from you
  • $19, one payment. 30-day money back.

See the 10-day plan →Or do the free 3-minute check first