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 autumn themed decodables, as well as printable books for fall holidays and events such as Thanksgiving, Halloween, and more. (I included farm themed decodable since it's such a common fall theme.)
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:
- Highlight or underline words your child can't read yet, and let your child know you'll read the underlined/highlighted words.
- Go over the words they can't read beforehand.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Halloween - The Literacy Party
- Multi-book resource.
- BOOK 1 - Early CVC:
- Focus: I
- Includes I, the, see, a
- BOOK 2 - CVC
- Includes -ll, the, a, we, can*, and, see, go, is, I
- A Witch (Halloween) -
- The first half of this book is mostly CVC words, and the last has more advanced words, but just using the first half (the bottom four squares) could make a fun story about a cat and a potion, without including the rest. Below shows just the words for that half.
- Bottom 4 Squares:
- Includes: a, the, is, and
- Pat, A Bat by CFlo Learning
- Includes: a
- (Veteran's Day) I am a Vet by Think and Grow
- Includes: a, thank, you, vets.
- (Thanksgiving) Bud by Teaching Treks
- Includes: a, can*
- (Thanksgiving) The Big Pot by Think and Grow, Co.
- In a set with other materials
- Includes: a, the, said
- (Farm) Pip the Pig by LAPREA Education
- Part of a large set (free samples of a decodable set)
- Includes: qu-, ending s, 's, and he to from the
- (Farm) Decodable Readers by Illustrated Decodables
- This resource includes multiple decodables (the relevant one listed below)
- Pig Gets Mad (p 17)
- Includes: the, was, for, went, to, a
- (Farm) Fun Pet Pig Readers Theater by Deedee Wills
- Includes: is, my, I, will, to, the, for, you, me, a, do, be, scrub (with picture)
- (Farm) Short Vowel Decodable Readers by Mamino Studio
- Multi-book resource. Relevant Resources included below
- Book 1: Sam the Fat Hen
- Includes the, and, a, peck, is, safe
- Book 2: Ben and the Web
- the, is, a, out, was, and
- Book 3: Tim and His Pig
- the, is, a, can*, and
Digraphs
- Halloween by The Literacy Party
- Multi-book resource.
- BOOK 3 - Digraphs
- Digraphs th, wh, sh, -ck, ch
- Includes: blends (plural s), -ll, all, we, is, see, the
- Halloween by Reading With Mrs. Richards
- Focus HFW: want
- Includes: want, Halloween, treat, candy (with picture prompt), to, a, going, -ck, bring, look, all (some of these can be omitted by skipping some pages, as some pages could be omitted without changing the story much).
Consonant Blends
- (Halloween) Max the Bat - Our Primary Era
- FOCUS: l blends and ending s
- Includes: a, Halloween
- Corn Cob Husks by Andrea Bruesch
- Has same passage at different levels. This is the page 3 passage.
- Includes simple 2 and 3 syllable words, do, you, like, use, for, or, a, the, we, see, can*
- Halloween by The Literacy Party
- Multi-book resource.
- BOOK 4 - Blends
- 2nd Focus: Open Syllable Words
- Includes: digraphs (ch, wh, -ck), open syllable words, the, Halloween, to, do, have, for, said
- Halloween by Reading With Mrs. Richards
- Focus HFW: want
- Includes: want, Halloween, treat, candy (with picture prompt), to, a, going, -ck, bring, look, all (some of these can be omitted by skipping some pages, as some pages could be omitted without changing the story much).
- The Map by LAPREA Education
- Part of a large set (free samples of a decodable set)
- Includes: a, do, have, me, to, are, from, I, see, was
- The Parts of an Apple by A Little Pinch of Perfect
- Children are meant to not just read this book, but color in the different parts of the apple described. While it has a "predictable" book structure, the word that changes is not predictable because the picture doesn't change (and the child needs to read the word to color the right part).
- FOCUS WORDS: apple, is, the, of
- Includes: digraph sh, is, the, of, apple, core, seeds
Open Syllable Words (One Syllable: me, go, hi)
- Halloween - The Literacy Party
- Multi-book resource.
- BOOK 4 - Blends
- Includes: digraphs, open syllable words, the, Halloween, to, do, have, for, said
- Fun Pet Pig Readers Theater by Deedee Wills
- Only Liz' part contains open syllables
- Both parts includes: is, my, I, the, a, to
- Liz part includes: will, do
- FOCUS: ending e - me, be, we
- (CVC Words) Gus part includes: can*, for, scrub (with picture)
R-controlled (ar, or, er, ir, ur)
- Veterans Day (Nov 11) - Reading With Mrs. Richards
- Focus: Er words (multi-syllable), one or word
- Includes: multi-syllable words, VCE words, -y suffix, vowel teams, country, sea, lived, some, our
- Corn Cob Husks - Andrea Bruesch
- Has same passage at different levels. This is the page 2 passage.
- Includes 1 -ed word, many 2 and 3 syllable words, silent e words, people, do, you, use, for, or, many, have, we, see, can*
- Halloween - The Literacy Party
- Multi-book resource.
- BOOK 5 - CVCe
- Includes ir, ar, or, er
- Includes: Open syllable words, 3 letter blends, 2 Syllable words, wh-, -ed, Halloween, to, have, for, or, said, can*
- (Thankgiving) Leader Lincoln Pardons a Turkey by Lauren Shady
- This story is based on real history. You can read the longer version of the story of Abe Lincoln's son Tad and Lincoln pardoning a turkey at the Smithsonian.
- There are multiple levels of this story.
- LEVEL 1 (with pictures): Includes 2 syllable words, ending -ed, ee, oo, open syllable words, silent e, ay, oy, saw, turkey, said, do, my, very, would, father, Abraham, Lincoln.
- NOTE: ar words are bolded, so you could just have your child read those.
- LEVEL 2 and 3 (without pictures): Includes multi-syllable words, ending -ed, oo, open syllable words, silent e, wr-, turkey, said, do, was, father, heard, words, once, Lincoln.
- LEVEL 4: Advanced, with too many consepts to list here. Great to read out loud to give more of the story, or to give to an older child who needs review of r-controlled concepts.
VCE (silent e) - LONG VOWEL
See separate section for VCE variants, such as short vowel VCE words, and R-controlled VCE words
- Corn Cob Husks - Andrea Bruesch
- Has same passage at different levels. This is the page 2 passage.
- Includes 1 -ed word, simple 2 and 3 syllable words, do, you, for, or, many, have, we, wrap, can*
- Halloween - The Literacy Party
- Multi-book resource.
- BOOK 5 - CVCe
- Includes: Open syllable words, 3 letter blends, 2 Syllable words, wh-, -ed, Halloween, to, have, for, or, said, can*
- Time to Vote - Reading With Mrs. Richards
- Includes several more difficult multi-syllable words, but also includes a pictorial guide for these words.
- Includes: to, her, for, walks, the, said, she, -er suffix, -ck
- Veterans Day (Nov 11) - Reading With Mrs. Richards
- Includes: r-controlled syllables, multi-syllable words, -y suffix, vowel teams, country, sea, lived, some, our
VCE Variants (Other uses for silent e)
- (Thanksgiving) The Pilgrims and Native Americans by A Little Pinch of Perfect
- FOCUS: -ive short vowel words (native, lived, thanksgiving)
- A great book to teach that silent e also helps "v" from ending words, and in these words the vowel may not be long
- Includes: multi-syllable words, vowel teams (ou, oa, ai, oy), r-controlled (ir, er), -ed, VCE (long vowel), soft c, the, we, -ing.
-all/-oll/-ull
- Fall Again by Learning for the Littles
- Includes: the, again, there, you, your, they, can*, with, be, do, with, leaves
- Alices Decodable Stories: Book 3 by Illustrated Decodables
- This printable contains several decodables. See below for the specific one.
- Chapter 4: The Troll's Wall
- FOCUS: -all/-oll words
- Includes: simple two syllable words, -tch, wh-, -y (fly, by), loves, she, her, they, to, who, over, lives, does, like, her, other, finds
Vowel Teams and Diphthongs (ee, oo, ea, ai, oi, ou, ow, ay, etc.)
- The Big Game (Football) by Learning a Latte In First
- Vowel Teams: ee, oo, ea, ie, ey (they), oi
- Also included: silent e, r-controlled, -all words, are, to
- Apples Please (farm) by LAPREA Education
- Part of a large set (free samples of a decodable set)
- Vowel Teams/Dipthongs: (ui, ow, ee, ea, ou, oo, oy)
- Focus: Prefix -y (long e) , two syllable words
- Includes: -y (long e), two-syllable words, VCE, -CLE r-cont, your, of, some, answer, people, one, once, four
- A Witch (Halloween) -
- Vowel Teams: ea, oo
- Diphthongs: ow
- Includes: a, the, is, and, witch
- Alices Decodable Stories: Book 3 by Illustrated Decodables (Halloween, Farm, Thanksgiving)
- This printable contains several decodables. See below for the specific ones.
- (Halloween) Chapter 16: The Haunted Town of Halladin
- Focus Vowel Teams: aw, au, ai
- Other Vowel Teams: ea, ay,
- Includes: silent e, r-controlled, -y (long i and e), soft c, -ed, -ng/-ing, -Cle
- Includes: they, said, do, should, Halloween, glowing, friendly, window, of, from
- (Farm) Chapter 18: The Rowdy Cow
- Focus Vowel Teams: -ou/ow
- Other Vowel Teams: ee, ai, ay,
- Includes: multi syllable words, -ed, silent e, ending y (long e), -ng/-ing, r-con, water, were
- (Halloween) The Troop Gets Spooked
- Focus Vowel Team: oo
- Other Vowel Teams: oy, ou, ea,
- Includes: Multi-Syllable Words, -ind (long i), -ght, -y (long e), -ed, -all, -er, they, was, heard, of, their, laughter, through
- (Thanksgiving) The Night I Saved the Turkey
- Focus Vowel Team: ey, ay
- Other Vowel Teams: ew, ou, ow, ee, ey, ea, ue
- Includes: multi-syllable words, silent e, -ore, kn-, r-cont, -ight, -ing, of, thought, have, could, one, said
- Halloween - The Literacy Party
- Multi-book resource.
- BOOK 7 - Vowel Teams
- Vowel Teams: (focus ea) ay, oo, ea, ee, ue, oa, ai
- Includes: open syllables, silent e, r-controlled (ir, ar, or) two syllable words, -ed, -y ending (ee), wh-, Halloween, to, have, for, my, said
- BOOK 8 - Dipthongs
- Vowel Teams/Dipthongs: ay, oo, ea, ee, ue, oa, ai, ou
- Includes: open syllables, silent e, r-controlled (ir, ar, or) two syllable words, -ed, -y ending (ee), wh-, Halloween, to, have, for, my, said
R- Controlled
- Halloween - The Literacy Party
- Multi-book resource.
- BOOK 6 - R-controlled
- Includes: open syllables, two syllable words, -ed, -y ending (ee), wh-, Halloween, have, for, or, you, your, said
-le syllable (pickle, apple)
- The Parts of an Apple by A Little Pinch of Perfect
- Children are meant to not just read this book, but color in the different parts of the apple described. While it has a "predictable" book structure, the word that changes is not predictable because the picture doesn't change (and the child needs to read the word to color the right part).
- This is a "pay what you want" book (so you can get it for free, or choose to pay)
- Only contains one -le word, apple, but it is on every page
- Includes: digraph sh, is, the, of, core, seeds
-tch (fetch, match)
- (Halloween) Which Witch Did You Catch by Tally Tales Literacy
- Part of "Halloween Activities With Trigraph -Tch
- FOCUS: -tch
- Includes: 2-syllable words, oo, r-cont (her, for, -er), -ing, VCE, happy, when, they, no, there, was, who, the, to
- (Halloween) Frog Cake by Pioneer Valley Books
- FOCUS: -tch, -dge
- Includes: 2-syl, -dge, VCE, -ck, -ing, -ed, open syllable (she, go), here, has, said, to, the, for
-dge (edge, fudge)
- (Halloween) Frog Cake by Pioneer Valley Books
- FOCUS: -tch, -dge
- Includes: 2-syl, -dge, VCE, -ck, -ing, -ed, open syllable (she, go), here, has, said, to, the, for
gh/ igh /ight
- Alices Decodable Stories: Book 3 by Illustrated Decodables
- This printable contains several decodables. See below for the specific one.
- Chapter 10: The Ghost Town
- Includes: open syllable words, -tch, silent e. ee
- Includes: there, they, to, before, town, because, come, out, moon, of
- Halloween Poems by Pioneer Valley Books
- All but one of these poems had -ight words in them only once each, but Pumpkin, Pumpkin had several. It's in bold and the other ones are in grey bold, and the one without an -igh is not bolded.
- Five Little Pumpkins
- 2-syl, VCE, -ing, -tch, -ight, oo, said, my, second, there, Halloween, little, one, first, third, second, fourth (these could be replaced with numbers with a little white out)
- The Black Cat
- -ck, -ed, -ar, -ow, saw, Halloween, night
- Who's in the Costume
- 2-syl, costume, who, ghost, behind, think, VCE (like), me, to, says, Halloween, night
- Pumpkin, Pumpkin
- FOCUS: -ight
- -ight, 2 syl, ou, er, ee, VCE, -le, through, all
- Creepy Crawlies
- FOCUS: ee
- ee, VCE, -er, -ing, oa, -ow, oe, ee, Halloween
REVIEW BOOKS
These have multiple concepts with no clear focus (or many words generally taught later than the claimed focus), but are mostly easy to read, and still not quite in the "advanced" book stage.
- Lost in the Woods by Caffeinated Teacher
- Focus: digraphs and blends, they
- Includes concepts: silent e, open syllable (so, be...), r-controlled, welded sounds (find, full, stalks), oo (wood, look), -ng, soft c (fence), ea (lead), ee (see)
- Includes words: are, the, is, put, of, to, yellow
- Halloween Poems by Pioneer Valley Books
- Some of these poems do sort of have a focus, which is noted, but most do not. I'm including details on each poem separately.
- Five Little Pumpkins
- 2-syl, VCE, -ing, -tch, -ight, oo, said, my, second, there, Halloween, little, one, first, third, second, fourth (these could be replaced with numbers with a little white out)
- The Black Cat
- -ck, -ed, -ar, -ow, saw, Halloween, night
- Who's in the Costume
- 2-syl, costume, who, ghost, behind, think, VCE (like), me, to, says, Halloween, night
- Pumpkin, Pumpkin
- FOCUS: -ight
- -ight, 2 syl, ou, er, ee, VCE, -le, through, all
- Creepy Crawlies
- FOCUS: ee
- ee, VCE, -er, -ing, oa, -ow, oe, ee, Halloween
MORE ADVANCED BOOKS/CONCEPTS
By the time kids get to these concepts, they are generally reading multi-syllable words and have learned a most of the basic phonics concepts, so I will not include all phonics concepts in the description.
-tion/-sion
- Alices Decodable Stories: Book 3 by Illustrated Decodables
- This printable contains several decodables, including the one below.
- (Halloween) Chapter 23: No Television
- Focus: -tion/-sion
- Includes: various phonics concepts
*Some words that are irregular in some regions.
Header graphic courtesy of Pixabay.
