Drive and blend mat maker

Drive the car, say the sounds, read the word

Make drive and blend mats for a toy car. The sounds of each word are spaced out above a plain road. Your child drives a car from the green dot to the red square, saying each sound on the way, then reads the whole word. Drive it again, faster, and the sounds run together.

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. Pick a word set, or choose “Type your own words” and type them.
  2. Choose how many roads go on a page.
  3. Choose what is at the end of the road: the word, a picture and the word, or nothing.
  4. Print, find a small toy car, and drive.

The reading skill

Driving faster each time turns c, a, t into cat. It is blending practice for a child who would sooner play with cars than sit with a page.

A plain road

The road is a gray band with a dashed line, a green dot to start and a red square to stop. The letters are the only thing to read.

Letter teams stay together

Letters that make one sound, such as sh or ck, are printed as one stop on the road.

Good questions

Can I use my own words?

Yes. Choose “Type your own words” at the top of the word list and type them. What you type stays on your device.

What goes at the end of the road?

The whole word, to check. You can add our picture of the word where we have one, or leave the end empty.

No toy car?

A finger, a counter or a bottle cap drives just as well.

How do I make it last?

Laminate the page or slip it into a page protector. Then it can be wiped clean and used again.

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