Use these printable tricky word mats as a hands-on activity when introducing high frequency words that have an irregular spelling pattern or one your early readers haven’t learnt yet.
Engaging Tricky Word Mats for Prep and Year 1
These printable Tricky Word Mats are a hands‑on, durable classroom resource to reinforce high‑frequency tricky words. In the download you’ll get the Prep Heart Words (Orange) and Year 1 Heart Words (Purple). All words presented with clear steps to say, tap, read, spell, and identify the tricky part
These Tricky Word Mats are designed to make these challenging words accessible, memorable, and engaging for both Prep and Year 1 learners.
Here’s how students use the mat:
- Say the word aloud
- Tap each phoneme they can hear
- Read a sentence featuring the word in context
- Write or spell the word independently
- Circle the tricky part—the heart word spelling that needs to be remembered “by heart”
This repeated, meaningful practice helps tricky words finally “stick”.
What Are Tricky Words and Why Do They Matter?
Tricky words are high‑frequency words that cannot be decoded using regular phonics rules. They often contain unexpected or rare spellings, which makes them difficult for early readers. Teaching tricky words correctly is essential because students will encounter them constantly in reading and writing—even before their phonics knowledge has fully developed.
Download and Explore these High Frequency Words Today
Use the dropdown menu to download these High Frequency Words on hands-on mats today, choose between the easy to print PDF or the editable Google Slide version of this resource.
This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher and Teach Starter Collaborator.
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