Free Summer Decodables

Decodables are books that are simplified to mainly include words with phonics concepts your child has already learned, and irregular words that have already been covered.   The best decodables are of course the one that come with the reading curriculum you use, as they will meet your child just where they are and allow them to practice the skills they've just learned.

But sometimes it's nice to have something to read related to specific seasons or holidays.   Below is a list of free printable decodables from various sources, including general summer themed decodables, as well as printable books for summer holidays and events such as 4th of July, Father's Day, and more.  

To make it easier to align these to the skills your child is learning, I've organized these by phonics concept, and noted other concepts included in the decodables, since not all programs teach concepts in the same order (sometimes I will just list the word with that concept if there's only one or two words that use that concept).    However, since nearly all programs start with CVC words, digraphs th, sh, ch and/or blends, I don't usually list these in later concepts.  I also only usually list "a," words ending in double letters,  and words that end in an s sound but say "zzz" in the CVC, Digraphs, and Blends sections as these concepts tend to be learned fairly early.   

Some books include a "FOCUS."  This is a concept or word that is used frequently in the book, or highlighted by underlining or in some other way.  Assume if a book is listed under a certain concept, that that concept is a focus of the book even if it's not listed as such.   

TIP:  If a decodable has a few words with concepts your child hasn't learned, here are a few ways to handle that:

1. Highlight or underline words your child can't read yet, and let your child know you'll read the underlined/highlighted words.
2. Go over the words beforehand and show the parts they can read, and the irregular or advanced parts.
3. Let them read it, and when they do, ask if it sounds close to any words they know.   For example, in the word "was" the "a" has an "uh" sound, but a child might be able to figure out the real word even if they pronounce it with a short a, as it's spelled.  So you can ask, is that close to a word that would make sense here?   This strategy is called set for variability.    I don't suggest this strategy for kids in the earliest stages of reading, where they are still mastering sounding out basic CVC words and blends, but once that is solid, this can be a valuable strategy to teach kids. 
4. If a book contains multi syllable words and your child hasn't learned to read those yet, you can help them by drawing lines to divide the syllables for them.  
5. Sometimes, with printables, you can just skip a page.   In some of these books, not all the pages are necessary to the story, and if the harder words are on such a page, it can be easy to just remove it.

CVC Words

• (Father's Day) Is a Dad by Pup on a Step Speech and Learning
• Focus:  is, a, dad
• Includes:  is, a

• Fun in the Sun by Mrs. M's Reading Resources
• Focus:  -un words, have, the
• Includes:  the, and, look**, have
• **This word is on a page that can be skipped
• Sam in the Sun by The Beach Classroom Morgan Grassi
• This includes several versions at different levels.
• Book 1:  Includes words the, a, has, can*

Consonant Blends (st-, fr-, -nd, etc.) 

• Kit - by CKLA
• This book has several stories.   All could take place in summer, but the stories Kit (about outdoor play), Kit's Pants (which she lost at camp), and Up (about kids climbing s tree) all feel the most like summer.  Book is part of a larger lesson plan but can be used without it.
• Includes some words where s makes a z sound (is, has)
• Bandit Island (Chapter Book) by Carissa Taylor (Endless Phonics)
• Includes two simple syllable words, digraphs and various high frequency words and a few other tricky words, which are listed on the intro.
• Kim at Camp by Heidi Sodemann (Students Rising)
• Includes plural s, is, has, a,  said, the

Digraphs (sh, th, ch)

Digraphs wh and -ng have their own section

• (sh) On a Ship by MAT Creations
•  Includes blends, is, the,  a, shark, into, to, can*, likes/liked, for, from
• Bandit Island (Chapter Book) by Carissa Taylor (Endless Phonics)
• Includes two simple syllable words, digraphs and various high frequency words and a few other tricky words, which are listed on the intro.
• Sam - by CKLA
• This book has several stories.  All also include blends.   Seems to start in end of summer and continue into school year, but I've included some stories that could be summer stories if taken out of order.  See notes on stories below:
• (Fishing) Sam and the Fish:  
• FOCUS:  the
• Includes digraph sh, -ng, a, the,
• Fun at the Pond:  
• FOCUS: the 
• Includes digraphs ch/th, the, all, of, 
• The Chills:  
• FOCUS: ch, ck, double letters, was
• Includes ng, -ck, a, the, two syllable -ing word, double letters, was, from
• Sam and the Duck
• FOCUS:  ck, ending ss
• Includes digraphs ch/sh/th/ng, is, -ck, qu-,  double letters, one, the, can,* a, it's
• The Chick
• FOCUS:  digraph ch, -ck, -ll, of
• Includes digraph ch/th, -ck, -ll, the, of, was, from
• Zack and Ann by CKLA
• This book has several stories.  All also include blends.   It comes in a set with other materials but you can use the readers by themselves. See notes on individual stories below:
• (Beach) The Bad Crab
• Includes digraphs ch/th/ng/wh, -nch, is, the, -ck, word
• Fix that Ship
• FOCUS: sh, wh
• Includes digraphs sh/wh/ng, scr- a, to, all, the 
• The Tent
• Includes digraphs sh/th/ng, a, the, once, was, from, -ck
• Bug and Frog
• FOCUS: says
• Includes digraphs sh/ch/ , qu-, says, were, why, are, no, I
• Swing That Net
• Includes digraphs th/-ng/sh qu-, wh-, the, there, are, of, to, one, so, here, 

Digraph wh 

• Zack and Ann by CKLA
• This book has several stories.  All also include blends.   It comes in a set with other materials but you can use the readers by themselves. See notes on individual stories below:
• *When It's Hot
• FOCUS:  wh, contractions/possessives
• Includes digraphs sh/wh, where, here, are, all, I, says, to, contractions/possessives

    

Digraph -ng

• Sam - by CKLA
• This book has several stories.  All also include blends.   Seems to start in end of summer and continue into school year, but I've included some stories that could be summer stories if taken out of order.  See notes on stories below:
• (Fishing) Sam and the Fish:  
• FOCUS:  the
• Includes digraph sh, -ng, a, the,
• The Chills:  
• FOCUS: ch, ck, double letters, was
• Includes digraphs sh/ch, ng, -ck, a, the, two syllable -ing word, double letters, was, from

Open 1 Syllable Words (he, she, go)

• Sam in the Sun by The Beach Classroom Morgan Grassi
• This includes several versions at different levels.
• Book 2:  Includes open syllable words (he, go), double l, the, a, has, can*,  is, have, pool**, juice**
• **Pages with these words can be skipped without changing story much

R-Controlled (ar, or, er, ir, ur)

• (ar, er)  Sharks by Teaching Tiny Humans with Miss Seely
• Includes words:  there, are, of, have, by
• Includes concepts:   oo, ee, ea, wh-, ue

Vowel Teams and Dipthongs (ee, ai, ea, ay, ow, etc.) 

• A Feast by the Sea by the Cincy Speechie
• FOCUS:  ea, ey, ee (long vowel e)
• Includes:  2 Syllable Words, contractions,  ending y (by, tasty), -ed endings, -ing, main, play, how, -ink, their, brought, done, to, put, said, chuckle
• At the Lake by Kassi Gilmour
• Focus:  Vowel Teams oa (boat).  Also includes vowel teams ai, ee, oa, ay.  
• Focus:  Silent e words WITH suffixes s or er.
• Includes many other concepts (listed on first page).   

-ed Endings (past tense)

• Sam's Fourth of July by Rus Buyok (Bergen.org)
• Includes vowel teams (various), open syllable words, r-controlled vowels,   y endings, multi syllable words,  the, of, one, parade, decorations, soldiers, night

Two-syllable Words

• Bandit Island (Chapter Book) by Carissa Taylor (Endless Phonics)
• Includes two simple syllable words, digraphs, various high frequency words and a few other tricky words (all listed on the intro).
• At the Lake by Kassi Gilmour
• Focus:  Vowel Teams oa (boat).  Also includes vowel teams ai, ee, oa, ay.  
• Focus:  Silent e words WITH suffixes s or er.
• Includes many other concepts (listed on first page).  

ADVANCED BOOKS

These books may have more concepts than I can categorize and I may only name a few of the more challenging ones, but are still easy readers in many ways.

OR variations (ore, oar)

• The Horrid Trip by Cindy Speechie 
• Includes many concepts, including -le words, 1 three syllable word (Orlando), contractions, and more.

Multi-syllable Words (3 or More Syllables)

• Sam in the Sun by The Beach Classroom Morgan Grassi
• This includes several versions at different levels.
• Book 3:  Three Syllable Words, and various words with advanced phonics concepts.
• Sam's Fourth of July by Rus Buyok (Bergen.org)
• Includes vowel teams (various), open syllable words, r-controlled vowels,   y endings, multi syllable words,  the, of, one, parade, decorations, soldiers, night

*This word is an irregular word in some regions based on regional pronunciation.  

OTHER SEASONS

Spring Decodables

Fall Decodables (Coming This Fall)

Winter Decodables (Coming This Winter)

If you know of any other free seasonal themed decodables, 

please leave a comment and share a link!

Heading background thanks to bytrangle on Pixabay

Free Spring Decodables

Decodables are books that are simplified to just include (or mostly include) words with phonics concepts your child has already learned, and irregular words that have already been covered.   The best decodables are of course the one that come with the reading curriculum you use, as they will meet your child just where they are and allow them to practice the skills they've just learned.

But sometimes it's nice to have something to read related to specific seasons or holidays.   Below is a list of free printable decodables from various sources, including general spring themed decodables, as well as printable books for spring holidays and events such as St. Patricks Day and Easter that occur in March, April, or May.  

To make it easier to align these to the skills your child is learning, I've organized these by phonics concept, and noted other concepts included in the decodables, since not all programs teach concepts in the same order (sometimes I will just list the word with that concept if there's only one or two words that use that concept).    However, since nearly all programs start with CVC words, digraphs th, sh, ch and/or blends, I don't usually list these in later concepts.  I also only usually list "a," words ending in double letters,  and words that end in an s sound but say "zzz" in the CVC, Digraphs, and Blends sections as these concepts tend to be learned fairly early.   

Some books include a "FOCUS."  This is a concept or word that is used frequently in the book, or highlighted by underlining or in some other way.  Assume if a book is listed under a certain concept, that that concept is a focus of the book even if it's not listed as such.   

TIP:  If a decodable has a few words with concepts your child hasn't learned, here are a few ways to handle that:

1. Highlight or underline words your child can't read yet, and let your child know you'll read the underlined/highlighted words.
2. Go over the words beforehand and show the parts they can read, and the irregular or advanced parts.
3. Let them read it, and when they do, ask if it sounds close to any words they know.   For example, in the word "was" the "a" has an "uh" sound, but a child might be able to figure out the real word even if they pronounce it with a short a, as it's spelled.  So you can ask, is that close to a word that would make sense here?   This strategy is called set for variability.    I don't suggest this strategy for kids in the earliest stages of reading, where they are still mastering sounding out basic CVC words and blends, but once that is solid, this can be a valuable strategy to teach kids. 
4. If a book contains multi syllable words and your child hasn't learned to read those yet, you can help them by drawing lines to divide the syllables for them.  
5. Sometimes, with printables, you can just skip a page.   In some of these books, not all the pages are necessary to the story, and if the harder words are on such a page, it can be easy to just remove it.

THE DECODABLES

CVC Words (like cat, dog, sit, etc.) 

• Jenny's Bunny by Natalie Lynn Kindergarten
• Multiple leveled versions of the same decodable are included.   This is the first one, labeled for Beginning CVC words, and the second, labeled for CVC Words.
• Beginning CVC Words Version: Includes a, can*
• CVC Words Version:  Includes the, a, can,* is

Digraphs (th, sh, ch)

• Jenny's Bunny by Natalie Lynn Kindergarten
• Multiple leveled versions of the same decodable are included.   This is third, labeled Digraphs.
• Includes: the, a, can,* is
• (Easter) Hop by The Parkie Teacher
• Focus:  digraphs, simple plural (adding s)
• Includes plural s, two syllable word (rabbit), eggs, the, is, and, to, of, he, for

Consonant Blends 

• Lucky the Leprechaun by Reading With Dwyer
• Includes:  Lucky, quick, you, time, is, digraphs
• Jenny's Bunny by Natalie Lynn Kindergarten
• Multiple leveled versions of the same decodable are included.   This is the fourth, labeled Beginning Blends, and the 6th (which has more other advanced concepts) labeled ending blend.
• Beginning Blends Includes: will, the, a, can,* is
• Ending Blends Includes:  CVC words (including "likes"), to, her, 2 syllable words (including -ed and -ing words), will, off, the, a, can,* is
• (Bunny) Do Not Quit Pip by Sarah Guy (Teach With Results)
• FOCUS: quit, when, do
• Includes quit, when, our, oh, no, do, is, she, her, said, you
• (Easter) Hop by The Parkie Teacher
• Focus:  digraphs, simple plural (adding s)
• Includes digraphs, two syllable word (rabbit), eggs, the, is,  to, of, he, for

Open Syllables - 1 Syllable Words (he, she, no, go)

• Who Has the Easter Eggs by Koffee and Kinders
• FOCUS:  Open syllable -e words (he, she, we), has, egg
• Includes:  a, are, the, has, have, of, digraph th ch, -ck, rabbit, 

Find Gold Rule (long sound of o and i before some consonant blends)

• (St Patrick's Day) Lep's Luck by Reading With Mrs. Richards
• Includes: ol words, -ck words, the, of, a, from (underlined for emphasis)

R-Controlled (ar, or, er, ur, ir)

• Jenny's Bunny by Natalie Lynn Kindergarten
• Multiple leveled versions of the same decodable are included.   This is the seventh, labeled R-Controlled.
• Includes:  VCE words, to, 2 syllable words (including -ed words),  wh- words, can,* 

VCE (silent e) 

• (St. Patrick's Day) Shake Shack  by Little Minds and Work
• Part of a collection of St. Patricks Day decodables
• Includes: cupcake, little, see, look, the,  said, can*, from
• Jenny's Bunny by Natalie Lynn Kindergarten
• Multiple leveled versions of the same decodable are included.   This is the fifth and sixth, labeled CVCe Words and Ending Blends.
• CVCe Words Includes: tired, will, the, a, can,* is
• Ending Blends Includes:  likes, to, her, 2 syllable words (including -ed and -ing words), will, off, the, a, can,* is

• The White Rabbit by Reading with Mrs. Richards
• FOCUS:  words that end in double letters, there, rabbit
• Includes rabbit, wh- (white), th, does, live, some, there, for, to

• (Mother's Day) What Is a Mom by Reading With Mrs. Richards
• FOCUS:  vowel team ea, VCE words, your/our
• Includes:  multi-syllable words, vowel teams (ea, ee, ay) , -ay words, , -ing suffix, our, your, someone, have, love, give, care, -er,

• (Mother's Day) A Gift For Mom by Reading With Mrs. Richards
• Includes: have, some, one, cupcake (compound word), to, for, icing (2nd sound of c), white (wh), said, smiled. 

EE Vowel Team

• (St. Patrick's Day) Pin and Pix and Look at It by Little Minds and Work
• Focus Word:  see
• Part of a collection of St. Patricks Day decodables
• Pin and Pix includes: see, look, the, do, said, can*
• Look at It includes:  I, a, look

OO Vowel Team

• (St. Patrick's Day) Pin and Pix and Look at It by Little Minds and Work
• Focus Word: look
• Part of a collection of St. Patricks Day decodables
• Pin and Pix includes: see, the, do, said, can*
• Look at It includes:  I, a, the, see

Vowel Teams and Dipthongs

Books that just have oo or ee are listed in their own categories earlier

• (Mother's Day) What Is a Mom by Reading With Mrs. Richards
• FOCUS:  vowel team ea, VCE words, your/our
• Includes:  VCE words, r-controlled, multi syllable words, -ay words, ee words, -ing suffix, our, your, someone, have, love, give, care,

• The Last Week of School by Reading With Mrs. Richards
• Vowel Teams: ee, ea, ai, ui, ay
• Includes: suffixes -ing and -y,  VCE words, open syllable words, friends, there, want, of, from said, are, for, have, come, light, my,  Ms. 

• Jenny's Bunny by Natalie Lynn Kindergarten
• Multiple leveled versions of the same decodable are included.   This is the eighth and ninth. labeled Vowel Teams and Dipthongs
• Vowel Teams Book includes: vowel teams ee, ay, ea, ai, and VCE words,to, her, 2 syllable words (including -ed, -ing words), can,* 
• Dipthongs Book includes vowel teams/dipthongs ou, ew, oi, aw, ee, ea, (great),  VCE words,  r-controlled (including floor), two syllable words (including -ed, -ing, -y words)

• Happy Earth Day by Playful Minds Bilingüe
• An English and Spanish version is included.   This just includes concepts for the English version.
• FOCUS:  Vowel team ea (pronunciations:  short e, long e, and er [Earth, learn])
• Includes many other concepts...too many to list.   This is more for kids who are starting to read independently but still weak on the ea and ear phonics concepts.

Short Vowel -VE words (V doesn't end words.   Example give, have, love.)

• (Mother's Day) What Is a Mom by Reading With Mrs. Richards
• FOCUS:  vowel team ea, VCE words, your/our
• Includes:  vowel teams (ea, ee, ay), r-controlled, multi syllable words, ay words,  -ing suffix, our, your, someone, care

Closed Syllables (2 Syllable Words)

• My Rabbit by Kinder Keepsakes
• FOCUS HFW:  My
• Includes: brown, likes

*The word "can" (as in "I can do it")  is a tricky word in some regions of the US, where it is not pronounced with a regular short a.

Do you know of a decodable book that should be on this list?   Please share it in a comment below!

CKLA Free Language Arts Curriculum

I found another free reading and language arts curriculum I want to share:  CKLA Skills series.    This is a full language arts curriculum, but I've mainly used the reader (which are included from KG Level 4 up, and are decodable and engaging and have great illustrations .  I really adore the free printable readers and have been using them to supplement the readers from the other curriculum I use with the kids I tutor in reading.    New skills are added gradually and in the earlier grades are marked in the text.   While I haven't used the rest of the curriculum, it looks solid (at least at the Kindergarten level, which is what I've mainly looked through). 

But man, I wish they made these easier to find on their site.   They aren't all listed in one place  (at least that I could see).  In stead you have to use their search function to find them, and they don't always come up in order.   So, I thought I would link to these resources in order to make it easier for you all to find.

The curriculum covers grade KG - 3.   They have other curriculum on their site that goes further which you can also find here.   Also, this site has interactive online versions of  3-4 of the stories for these levels.


CKLA Language Arts Skills Series


Kindergarten Skills

Note:  Readers are not offered until KG Unit 4.  The names of the readers are included next to the unit link.

KG Ancillary Materials (Used in various levels)

KG Unit 1

KG Unit 2

KG Unit 3

KG Unit 4 - Pet Fun

KG Unit 5 - Ox and Man

KG Unit 6 - Kit

KG Unit 7 - Seth

KG Unit 8 - Sam

KG Unit 9 - Zack and Ann

KG Unit 10 - Scott



1st Grade Skills
 

1st Grade Ancillary Materials

1st Grade Unit 1 - Snap Shots

1st Grade Unit 2 - Gran

1st Grade Unit 3 - Fables

1st Grade Unit 4 - The Green Fern Zoo

1st Grade Unit 5 - Kate's Book

1st Grade Unit 6 - Grace

1st Grade Unit 7 - Kay and Martez

2nd Grade Skills

2nd Grade Ancillary Material

2nd Grade Unit 1 - The Cat Bandit

2nd Grade Unit 2 - Bedtime Tales

2nd Grade Unit 3 - Kids Excel

2nd Grade Unit 4 - The Job Hunt

2nd Grade Unit 5 - Sir Gus (Chapter Book)

2nd Grade Unit 6 - The War of 1812

3rd Grade Skills

3rd Grade Ancillary Material

3rd Grade Unit 1 - Classic Tales

3rd Grade Unit 2 - Rattenborough's Guide to Animals

3rd Grade Unit 3 - How Does Your Body Work

3rd Grade Unit 4 - Stories of Ancient Rome

3rd Grade Unit 5 - Adventures in Light and Sound

3rd Grade Unit 6 - Gods, Giants and Dwarves

3rd Grade Unit 7 - What's in Our Universe

3rd Grade Unit 8 - Native American Stories

3rd Grade Unit 9 - The Age of Exploration

3rd Grade Unit 10 - Living in Colonial America

3rd Grade Unit 11 - Intro to Ecology

Paper Penguin Craft

I've done this craft with several kids I nanny or tutor, ages 4-7.   All enjoyed it and had fun.  It's a pretty quick one...takes 10-20 minutes.

The first time I tried this we cut out paper circles for eyes...the kids really struggled cutting those small circles, even the 7 year old.  That's why I switched to googly eyes the next time I did this.


SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Cardstock or construction paper in the following colors:  

• Black
• White
• Orange
• Light Blue
  

Glue (I prefer glue sticks for this one)
Large Googly Eyes


It's fairly straight forward.

1.  Cut off the bottom of white sheet of the paper, about 2-4 inches up for the snow in the background.   You can make the cut a little curvy, or go straight across.   Glue this to the bottom of your light blue paper.

2.  Cut a black tall oval a little bit smaller than your blue paper.   Glue it on the paper so it's sitting on top of the snow.

3.   Cut a white oval shorter and less wide than your black oval.   If it doesn't look big enough to put a face on the black, cut it down a little more.  Glue it towards the bottom of your black oval.

4.   On the edge of a black paper, cut two thin semicircle to make the wings.   They should be about half the length of the black circle that makes the penguin body.  You can cut them separately like in the penguin above, or fold the paper  in half first so you can cut two wings at once.  Glue those on the edge of the black and white circle, so that the top part is fully in the in the black area, and the bottom sticks out into the blue background. 

5.   Glue your googly eyes to the top of your penguins head. 

6.   Cut a small triangle for the nose.   With younger kids I just had them cut a corner off an orange paper.   Glue it under the eyes.


And you have a penguin!