Blending car mat
Write a word in the box, then drive along the road to the stop sign without stopping.
Step 1
Watch the tutorial
See continuous blending in action before you try it with your kiddo. You'll hear exactly how the sounds drag together.
Step 2
Print the mat and word cards
Each one opens in a new tab, or prints straight from here. Want everything in one file? Grab the full guide.
Full parent guide
Car mat, step-by-step parent walkthrough, and all 40 word cards in one PDF.
Printing tip: Print the word cards on cardstock so they hold up to lots of driving. Your Lit Letters cards work as word tiles on the mat too!
Step 3
Play 5 minutes a day
The quick version of the walkthrough in your guide. Tap any step to open it.
1Skip the pauses▾
"Sounding out" with a pause between each sound (c… a… t) leaves a lot of kids stuck. They say the sounds but not the word, guess, or say every word twice, which makes sentences a slog.
2Keep your motor running▾
Say this"Pretend your mouth is a car. The motor makes noise the whole time it runs. Keep the sound coming out until you reach the end of the word."
Slide your finger under the letters and drag the sounds together, stretching the vowel: aaaaaat! Then slide their finger and have them stretch it like you, so they only say the word once.
3Start with 2-sound words▾
atitinanuponamif
Write one in the box on the car mat and practice until these feel easy.
4Move up to 3-sound words▾
Start with words that begin with a stretchy sound you can hold as long as you want:
mrlnvfzs
sit becomes sssiiiit. Use the first 3 pages of word cards first.
5Drive the car mat▾
Put a word in the box. Your kiddo drives a toy car (or their finger) along the road, saying the sounds the whole way, with no stopping until the stop sign. At the stop sign, they say the word.
6Repeat, and don't move on too soon▾
Stay on CVC words until your kiddo reads them quickly and easily. Hold off on heart words like the, said, and you until then. Repetition is what makes it stick, and games make repetition fun.