Fun 'en' Family Word Worksheet for Preschoolers
This worksheet introduces 3-5 year olds to the 'en' word family — pen, hen, ten — teaching them that once they know one ending pattern, they can read a whole group of words just by changing the beginning sound. That's a big efficiency gain in early phonics: instead of memorizing each word individually, your child learns to blend a new beginning sound onto a familiar chunk, which is exactly how fluent word-family reading develops.
Curriculum
How to use this worksheet
Look at the first picture together and say its name slowly, stretching out the sounds. Ask your child what letter makes the beginning sound they hear before the 'en' part. Have them write that letter in the blank space to complete the word, then read the finished word aloud together. Once the word is written, have your child draw a line matching it to the picture it names, and repeat for each remaining word.
Materials needed
- Pencil
- Eraser
Extension activities
- •Brainstorm other words that end in 'en' together, like 'den' or 'men,' and add them to a list.
- •Have your child draw a quick picture for each 'en' word to reinforce its meaning.
- •Practice using a few of the 'en' words in simple spoken sentences.
- •Play a word-family sorting game mixing 'en' words with words from a different family, like 'at.'
- •Write the 'en' words on cards and have your child race to read them as fast as they can.
Tips for parents and teachers
Encourage your child to sound out the beginning letter slowly and separately from the familiar 'en' chunk, then blend the two together — rushing this step often causes guessing instead of real reading. Celebrate small wins, since recognizing that 'en' stays the same across several words is a genuine phonics breakthrough. Repetition across a few days will cement the pattern better than a single pass through the worksheet.
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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