Clip card maker

A picture and three choices: clip the right one

Make clip cards for beginning sounds or for reading short words. Each card shows one of our hand-drawn pictures and three choices along the bottom edge. Your child says the picture and clips a clothespin on the right letter or word.

Words that have a picture (471): press one to add it
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. Choose first sound cards or word cards.
  2. Pick the sounds or a word set. For words, you can choose “Type your own words”.
  3. Choose four, six or eight cards on a page, and how many pages.
  4. Print on thick paper and cut along the dashed lines. You need clothespins or paper clips.

The reading skill

First sound cards practice hearing the first sound of a word and matching it to its letter. Word cards practice sounding out a whole word: the wrong words look a lot like the right one, so guessing from the first letter does not work.

One clear answer

A wrong letter is never a sound the picture could fairly start with. A cap is never shown with h as a wrong choice, because it could be called a hat.

Let your child check the work

Put a small dot on the back of each card behind the right answer. Your child turns the card over to check the clip.

Good questions

What do I need to use clip cards?

Clothespins, paper clips or small counters. Squeezing a clothespin is also good work for the fingers that hold a pencil.

Can I use my own words?

Yes, for word cards. Choose “Type your own words”. Each word needs a picture in our library; open “Words that have a picture” to see them all.

Is there an answer key?

Yes. Keep “Answer key page” on. The cards are numbered.

Can I print in black and white?

Yes. Every picture becomes a line drawing your child can color in.

Make another kind of sheet

Free · 2 minutes

Is reading hard for your child, and you are not sure why?

“Behind in reading” can mean ten different things, and each one needs different help. Check off what is true for your child. You will see the one thing to work on first, and what can wait.

Find where to start