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How to Teach Consonant Blends? The Evidence-Based Approach That Actually Works

Is your child or student ready to move beyond simple CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words but struggling with tricky blends like sp, sl, or gr?

I know how challenging this transition can be—and how hard it is to find high-quality resources that provide ample practice while keeping things fun and engaging!

That’s why in my today’s article, not only do I share five highly-effective strategies to help master words with consonant blends (also referred to as “consonant clusters”), I also introduce you to teaching materials that make this milestone in reading achievable and exciting!

Whether you’re a parent supporting your child’s reading journey or a teacher looking to enhance your instruction, you’re about to discover super effective ways to tackle this crucial reading skill.

But, first of all, let’s clarify what consonant blends are and debunk a common myth around blends…

What Are Consonant Blends? The Simple Truth

Let’s start by debunking a common myth: consonant blends aren’t magical combinations that create new sounds. They’re simply two or more consonants that appear together in the same syllable, maintaining their original sounds. Think of “stop” – each letter keeps its regular sound.

Common consonant blends include:

  • Initial blends: bl-, br-, cl-, cr-, dr-, fl-, fr-, gl-, gr-, pl-, pr-, sc-, sk-, sl-, sm-, sn-, sp-, st-, sw-, tr-
  • Final blends: -ld, -lk, -lt, -mp, -nd, -nk, -nt, -pt, -sk, -sp, -st

Examples in context:

  • Beginning blends: “bland,” “brick,” “clock,” “drain,” “flight”
  • Ending blends: “bold,” “milk,” “belt,” “camp,” “bend”
  • Words with multiple blends: “stamp,” “splash,” “strand,” “sprint”

Consonant blends are fundamentally different from consonant digraphs like “ch” in “chair” or “sh” in “ship,” where two letters team up to create an entirely new sound. Understanding this distinction is crucial for teaching blends effectively!

What’s Wrong with the Traditional Methodology to Teaching Blends? Why do so many children struggle with blends?

Many kids struggle with words that have consonant blends, and the traditional approach to teaching blends has been to treat them as a rule, sort of drilling these combinations until they stick.

In a way, this technique kind of implies that there’s something special about consonant blends, as if they broke some sort of rule. But they don’t! As we’ve seen before, consonant blends keep their original sounds.

So, is this really the most effective way to teach them?

In my opinion, it isn’t. Teaching consonant blends as special units that need to be memorized can easily lead to:

  • Cognitive overload from trying to remember numerous blend combinations
  • Confusion between blends and digraphs
  • Spelling errors when children forget to include all letters
  • Reduced confidence in tackling unfamiliar words

Moreover, research suggests that explicitly teaching blends does not significantly improve reading speed (which was the primary goal of teaching them as sound units). Instead, what matters most is a child’s overall ability to blend sounds and their phonemic awareness skills.

5 Evidence-Based Strategies That Actually Work

1. Master the Progression: From Simple to Complex

My first tip is gradual practice. Don’t start with blends way too early in your child’s reading journey, because if you do, these words are likely to cause confusion!

As much as we all want our kids to read more complex words as soon as possible, spending a good amount of time practicing and refining blending skills with simple CVC words—basic words made up of a consonant, a vowel, and a consonant, such as “cat,” “dog,” “mat,” and “Sam”—before moving on to words with consonant blends will pay off in the long run.

When you move on to blends make sure you start with only one consonant blend ideally at the beginning, before moving on to more complicated words with two blends.

In other words, the key to success with consonant blends lies in following the right sequence. Rushing into blends too early can create unnecessary confusion and frustration.

Here’s the a great progression:

  1. Start with CVC words (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant):
    • Examples: cat, dog, pin, mat
    • Practice until reading is completely fluid
  2. Introduce single blends at the beginning:
    • Examples: stop, plan, crab
  3. Progress to final blends:
    • Examples: help, tent, desk
  4. Move to words with multiple blends:
    • Examples: plant, strand, sprint

This systematic approach ensures your child masters each blend before moving on to the next one. If your child understands the concept, you can progress quickly from one step to the next, or even add flexibility by mixing words with initial blends, final blends, or even two blends in the same word.

You don’t need to cover every single consonant cluster. Once your child has practiced the most common ones, they will be able to transfer their blending skills to less common consonant blends.

The beauty of this system is that it allows you to assess how quickly to proceed.

Pro Tip:

For structured practice, use a word list organized by blend pattern. For instance, check out our free consonant blend word list here.

For a more comprehensive resource, explore our ultimate blends word list.

2: Do not teach consonant blends as a special rule

As previously discussed, while teaching blends as a special rule may be the traditional approach, I believe it unnecessarily increases children’s cognitive load.

Teaching approximately 27 consonant blends in the initial position alone can be overwhelming (especially when considering that blends can consist of more than two letters, such as “splash“)—and there are even more in the final position.

In my view, we already have a significant amount of material to teach children, such as vowels that produce multiple sounds or letters that combine to form new sounds. Why complicate matters further with blends when it isn’t really necessary?

If your child is already proficient in blending CVC words fluently, there is nothing particularly unique about consonant blends. The letters in blends retain their usual sounds; the key is simply getting used to reading longer words, which requires practice.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that these sounds in blends are often pronounced rather quickly. This brings me to the next point—and the next tip…

3. Focus on Phonemic Awareness

If your child struggles to get blends, spend more time on Phonemic Awareness, that is the ability to hear, manipulate, and blend individual sounds.

Make sure your child is able to hear and isolate the individual sounds in blends.

This Phonemic Awareness activity can make a significant difference for blends specifically!

  • Take a CVC word, for instance, the word “lap.”
  • Ask your child: “What happens if I add the /k/ sound at the beginning? What word do you get?”
  • Have your child say the /k/ sound and the word “lap,” as fast as possible.
  • If he/she has said these sounds fast enough, he/she’ll end up saying “clap.”

Other CVC words you can use are:

  • “Top,” then ask your child to add the /s/ sound at the beginning. He/she’ll end up saying “stop.”
  • “Lip,” then ask your child to add the /f/ sound at the beginning. He/she will end up saying “flip.”

This is a really powerful exercise to really “get” blends, suitable for all children but particularly for those who find blends challenging to grasp.

Teacher’s Resource: If you want a few suggestions of more words like these ones – that is, simple cvc words that can be easily transformed into words with blends, this is a free handy list!

4. Implement One-Blend-at-a-Time Practice

Sometimes, the way we introduce blends can feel a bit all over the place.

One word might have a “br” blend, another might have a “st” blend—some at the beginning of words, others at the end. It’s just too much, and it can be pretty confusing for some kids.

So, what’s the solution? Focus on one blend at a time.

For example, in one lesson, you could focus on the bl- blend and practice reading lots of words with this specific blend. Then, in the next lesson, switch to the cl- blend and work on words with that specific blend. To make this easier, you can use a word list with blends (like cl- or bl-), and have your child read through the words, one by one. This simple exercise really helps solidify the pattern in their mind—it’s like building a strong foundation step by step.

I’ve even put together a list of blends organized just like this, and is available for free over here.

You can also mix things up by using flashcards made from the word lists if that works better for your child.

Another fantastic idea is to have your child read short texts filled with words that use the target blend! When you are reading these passages, you can ask your child to highlight or circle the blends in the text before reading. It’s a nice warm-up activity to get them familiar with the blend they’ll be focusing on.

If you would like passages that are specifically designed to focus on one blend at a time, I’ve created an awesome resource just for that!

BLAST OFF WITH BLENDS – BLEND MASTERY STORIES!



Engaging stories stories, each laser-focused on a single blend, so young learners gain confidence while effortlessly mastering patterns!

Available on the “Discover Our Literacy Materials” page!


5. Use the Cover-and-Reveal Strategy

If you’ve followed all these tips and your child still struggles with blends, here’s what I suggest: When reading one-on-one with your child, if you come across a word containing a blend, try this approach:

  1. Cover the first letter (or the last one, if the blend is at the end of the word) and have your child read the remaining part. This should be manageable since it will simplify the word into a basic CVC pattern.
  2. Next, uncover the first letter and ask your child to say the sound it makes.
  3. Finally, ask your child to combine that sound with the rest of the word to read it as a whole.

For example, if the word is flag, start by covering the f. Your child reads lag. Then reveal the f, prompting them to say its sound, and guide them to blend it with lag, producing the full word flag.

This technique was incredibly effective for me when working with my youngest daughter, who initially struggled with blends.

With consistent practice and additional reading material focused on blends, she made significant progress—and no longer struggles with them. While it does require effort and consistency, the results are well worth it.

Consonant Blends: Conclusion

Helping your child master consonant blends is not only possible—it can be done effortlessly and enjoyably! With a few simple strategies, like focusing on phonemic awareness, introducing blends one at a time, and using techniques like the Cover-and-Reveal strategy, you’ll help your child tackle blends with confidence. These small, manageable steps make blending feel natural and keep the process stress-free for both of you.

To help you out in the process, explore these fantastic teaching materials, specifically created for mastering consonant blends.

Blast Off with Blends: Blend Mastery Stories offers engaging stories that focus on individual blends, making it easier for your child to practice while having fun.
Learn more here!

The Initial Blends Practice List (free on our Library of Free Resources), or the Consonant Blends Ultimate Practice List (available for only $4.99 on our Literacy Materials shop)

Magic Additions Word List provides essential practice and help reinforce what your child has learned, and is available on our Library of Free Resources.








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