Long Vowel E 'ie' Worksheet: Circle the Pictures!
This worksheet asks children ages 4-6 to identify words with the long 'e' sound spelled using the less common 'ie' pattern, as in 'chief' and 'field', and circle the matching pictures. Because 'ie' is a trickier, less intuitive spelling for the long 'e' sound than more familiar patterns like 'ee', this worksheet stretches children's phonics knowledge toward more advanced and irregular spelling patterns.
Curriculum
How to use this worksheet
Look at each picture together and say its name clearly, listening for the long 'e' sound. If the word has that long 'e' sound — even though it's spelled with 'ie' rather than 'ee' — have your child circle the picture. Once every picture is considered, go back through the circled ones and read the words aloud together, pointing out the 'ie' spelling each time.
Materials needed
- Pencil
- Crayons
Extension activities
- •Have your child write the words they circled to practice the tricky 'ie' spelling.
- •Search the room or a book together for other objects or words with the long 'e' sound.
- •Compare an 'ee' word and an 'ie' word side by side, noticing they sound the same but look different.
- •Play a listening game saying words aloud and having your child guess if the long 'e' sound is present, regardless of spelling.
Tips for parents and teachers
Encourage your child to sound out the words, since this pattern is genuinely one of the harder long 'e' spellings and benefits from extra verbal repetition. If they're struggling, help them by emphasizing the long 'e' sound clearly and reminding them that 'ie' can sometimes sound just like 'ee'. Keep expectations realistic — recognizing irregular spelling patterns like this one takes many repeated exposures over time, not a single 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
Related worksheets
Clothing Pattern Match Worksheet for Preschoolers
This worksheet has children ages 3-5 study repeating patterns on clothing items — stripes, polka dots, or checks — and match each item to its identical twin, building visual discrimination and early pattern-sequencing skills. Distinguishing between similar-looking patterns also sharpens attention to detail, a skill that later supports letter and word recognition.
Coding Kites Worksheet: Match the Bows!
This activity sharpens visual observation in children ages 3-5 as they compare color sequences on each kite to a set of loose bows and find the exact match. Careful, systematic comparison — checking each color in order rather than glancing quickly — builds an attention-to-detail habit that transfers directly to early reading and number work.
CVC Train Worksheet: Write and Build CVC Words!
This worksheet gives children ages 4-6 focused practice blending letter sounds into consonant-vowel-consonant words, using train-car pictures as clues for words like 'dog,' 'hen,' or 'cup.' Because children both write the word and can optionally build it with Lego blocks, this worksheet reinforces the same phonics skill through two different physical actions — handwriting and hands-on construction — which helps the spelling patterns stick.
Stick Man Emotions Worksheet: Happy, Sad, Angry, and Surprised!
Children ages 4-6 practice reading facial expressions on this worksheet, matching stick-figure faces to their correct emotion labels by noticing details like mouth shape and eyebrow position. This strengthens emotional literacy — the ability to name and recognize feelings in others — which supports empathy and smoother social interactions as children move into more group play and classroom settings.
Lock and Key Matching Worksheet for Preschoolers
Matching each key to the lock sharing the same letter helps children ages 3-5 practice letter recognition in a playful, puzzle-like context rather than rote drilling. Because each key must be checked against several similar-looking locks before finding the right match, this worksheet also builds visual scanning and careful comparison skills that support problem-solving.
Balloon Pattern Matching Worksheet for Preschoolers
Children ages 3-5 build early pattern-recognition skills on this worksheet by studying a sequence of colored balloons and finding the matching set to complete it. Recognizing and continuing a repeating sequence is a foundational pre-math skill that later supports understanding of number patterns, skip counting, and simple algebraic thinking.
Clothing Pattern Matching Worksheet for Preschoolers
By comparing clothing items and connecting each one to its pattern match, children ages 3-5 build visual discrimination skills, learning to notice fine differences in stripes, dots, or repeated shapes. This close-looking practice supports the same attention-to-detail children will later need to tell similar-looking letters and numbers apart.
Balloon Pattern Matching Worksheet for Preschoolers
This worksheet strengthens pattern recognition in children ages 3-5 by having them study a repeating sequence of colored balloons and locate the matching arrangement elsewhere on the page. Recognizing and reproducing a pattern is an early pre-algebra skill, laying groundwork for later number patterns and logical sequencing.
Guides for this topic
How to Teach CVC Blending: A Step-by-Step Method That Works in Two Weeks
A step-by-step method for teaching CVC blending, covering continuous sounds, word families, common errors, and a 14-day plan that most children finish reading CVC words.
Best Worksheets for 3-Year-Olds: What Works and What to Avoid
What works on worksheets for 3-year-olds: short sessions, crayons, tracing lines, matching, cutting, a free weekly plan, and signs one is too advanced.
Phase 2 Phonics at Home: Sound Order, Blending Games, Worksheets
Phase 2 phonics at home: the five sound sets in order, oral blending, tricky words, a two-week routine, common mistakes, and free worksheets.
Reviews
Every worksheet for ages 4–6, no watermark
Members download the full library of 1,000+ worksheets and every activity pack without watermarks or daily limits. One year costs ₹1,000 in India or $20 elsewhere.
See membership plansOr download any worksheet free with a watermark (5 a day).