CVC 'in' Family Worksheet: Read, Cut, and Match!
This 'in' word family worksheet (pin, win, fin) gives children ages 4-5 hands-on cutting and pasting practice layered onto phonics decoding, which strengthens fine motor control at the same time as reading skills. Recognizing that 'in' stays fixed while only the first letter changes helps children build the pattern-based reading strategy that eventually replaces slow, letter-by-letter sounding out. Associating each word with its picture also reinforces vocabulary and comprehension, not just decoding.
Curriculum
How to use this worksheet
Read each 'in' word aloud together before your child begins cutting, so they know what they're looking for. Have them carefully cut out the word cards and picture cards along the dotted lines. Ask them to read each word again independently and glue it next to its matching picture. Finish by rereading the completed page from top to bottom as a fluency check.
Materials needed
- Pencil
- Scissors
Extension activities
- •Have your child draw their own picture to match one of the 'in' words instead of using the printed one.
- •Create simple sentences together using the 'in' words, such as 'The fish has a fin.'
- •Write additional 'in' family words on paper and challenge your child to sound them out cold.
- •Practice scissor control separately by cutting simple shapes or straight lines before returning to the worksheet.
Tips for parents and teachers
If scissor skills are still developing, it's fine to help steady the paper while your child does the actual cutting motion — the goal is phonics practice, not a scissors test. Watch for children rushing through the gluing step without rereading the word; pause them gently to reread before moving on. Praise both the reading accuracy and the careful handling of small pieces, since both are real skills being practiced here.

Written by
Hemsweta Jain · Teacher Cheena
MBA and Early Childhood Educator, teaching since 2014 · Founder of RaisoActive, Mumbai
Every RaisoActive worksheet is designed and checked by the founder before publishing.
Published · Last reviewed
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Phase 2 Phonics at Home: Sound Order, Blending Games, Worksheets
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A teacher's plain-English guide to the Reception Year: the seven areas of learning, Early Learning Goals, Phase 2/3 phonics, the RBA and home routines.
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