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11 Ways to Use Lucky Little Decodable Readers in Kindergarten

Foundational Reading, Literacy, Phonics, Science of Reading

Written by: Katie Palmer

Have you tried using decodable readers in kindergarten? These amazing tools help young learners practice phonics skills in a way that builds confidence and keeps reading simple and fun. They’re especially helpful for struggling readers, making them feel successful and excited about learning to read! Our team has been hard at work creating kindergarten-leveled decodables, perfect for supporting your lower readers. Let’s explore 11 creative ways to make the most of these phonics resources!

1. Phonics Focus Mini-Lessons

Use the book during small-group phonics instruction to emphasize specific sounds. Using one of the readers that features more than one sound is a great idea for unit review.

a student highlighting a decodable reader — All Access member? Download this resource here.

Highlight words like “Max,” “fox,” “bat,” and “hop.”
Have students practice blending and segmenting the sounds.

2. Small Group Reading

Your kindergarten (or even lower first or second grade) readers can benefit from the sound review these Kindergarten readers offer. Take note of the specific sounds your students need help with and download those decodables. Here is one way to use decodables in your small group:

Before Reading: Preview the book by discussing the cover and predicting.

During Reading: Pause to decode tricky words and model fluency.

After Reading: Ask comprehension questions like “What did Max do?” or “Why was Max happy?”

a student reading comprehension questions in a decodable reader — All Access. member? Download this resource here.

3. Interactive Read-Aloud

After working on a specific sound, review the skill with an interactive picture book read aloud. While reading, have students listen for the certain sound:

When they hear a short A word, they clap.
When they hear a short O word, they put hand on their head.

4. Word Hunts

Choose a picture book featuring the sound(s) you want to review. After reading, give students sticky notes or cards and ask them to hunt for and write down all the short A and short O words in the book. Then sort them into two categories.

students sorting short vowel words with post-its — All Access member? Download the decodable or poster.

5. Build-a-Word Activities

Pull out those letter tiles or magnetic letters for hands-on phonics practice! While reading the decodable, have students build the sound words they find in the story. Or, have them practice building sound words with the tiles.

students using letter tiles to make cvc words — All Access member? Download this resource here.

6. Retelling with Props

If you are searching for a very hands-on way to review phonics sounds, create props for key characters and objects from the book (e.g., Max, a fox tail, objects he interacts with). Students can use these to retell the story in their own words, reinforcing comprehension.

7. Writing Extension: Max’s Next Adventure

After reading one of the decodables for Kindergarten, have students draw and write an extension of the story. This can be done whole group or independently, depending on the writing abilities in your classroom. Or, differentiate this by having some students write on their own, while the rest work with you.

A decodable reader with a notebook with writing that continues the story. — All Access member? Download this resource here.

8. Small-Group Literacy Centers

These decodables make the perfect literacy center! After students have already been exposed to the targeted phonics sound, try them in a center:

Students can re-read independently or with a partner.
Highlight the short A and short O words.

student partners reading a decodable together — All Access member? Download the decodable, poster or letter tiles.

9. Rhyming Practice

Use these decodable readers in kindergarten as tools to practice multiple skills at once!

Incorporate rhyming into decodable practice by having students write down words from the story. Then, as a class, make a list of rhyming words below.

a student making a list of cvc words from a decodable reader

10. Movement Activity: “Max Says”

Try a phonics version of Simon Says!

Say, “Max says hop to a short O word” (students hop to cards with “hop,” “fox,” etc.).
“Max says clap to a short A word” (students clap for words like “bat,” “cat”).